Expanding The Playoffs

[traxx]

I'm sure everyone has heard by now that the NFL is considering expanding the playoffs. I hadn't seen it posted on here so I thought I'd bring it up. I'm curious what y'all think.

Personally, I hate the idea. I think the playoffs are too watered down as it is. Crowning a champion should be about finding the best team over the entire season not the team that got hot at the right moment. I still can't believe that the NY Giants, a team just a smidge over .500 in the regular season, won the SB last year. And the SB the Giants won before that they'd finished the regular season just one game better than last year's campaign. That's just wrong. With expansion, you'll be seeing 8-8 teams in the playoffs.

In leagues like the NBA, MLB and the NHL where you have series, everything tends to shake out and the stronger team wins. I say usually because the St. Louis Cardinals last year just happened to get hot at the right time too. I think every league should do away with wild cards but I know that'll never happen because it's all about money. But with a sport like football where it's impossible to play series, it's much more important to severly limit post season play to only those teams that truly deserve to be there. That's why I think the NCAA playoff needs to be 4 teams and never move beyond that.

[SoonerLibertarian]

I don't think it's a bad idea really. But even today it's still the hottest team at the end of the year. Giants got hot at the right time last year. Saints got hot at the right time a few years back. Arizona got hot went to the SB and lost a great game. NE when they started their run about 10 years ago(**** it's been that long!) got hot at the right time. So in the end it'll still be the same thing just one or two more chances for a team. The NFC East arguably has 3 teams that should be in the playoffs right now in Dallas, Washington, and the Giants. And only one might end up making it.

[IndySooner]

I think it's a horrible idea.

[SoonerPT]

I'm sure everyone has heard by now that the NFL is considering expanding the playoffs. I hadn't seen it posted on here so I thought I'd bring it up. I'm curious what y'all think.

Personally, I hate the idea. I think the playoffs are too watered down as it is. Crowning a champion should be about finding the best team over the entire season not the team that got hot at the right moment. I still can't believe that the NY Giants, a team just a smidge over .500 in the regular season, won the SB last year. And the SB the Giants won before that they'd finished the regular season just one game better than last year's campaign. That's just wrong. With expansion, you'll be seeing 8-8 teams in the playoffs.

In leagues like the NBA, MLB and the NHL where you have series, everything tends to shake out and the stronger team wins. I say usually because the St. Louis Cardinals last year just happened to get hot at the right time too. I think every league should do away with wild cards but I know that'll never happen because it's all about money. But with a sport like football where it's impossible to play series, it's much more important to severly limit post season play to only those teams that truly deserve to be there. That's why I think the NCAA playoff needs to be 4 teams and never move beyond that.

It will happen, you can bet your bottom dollar on it.

[SoonerAmongThePack]

I think it's a horrible idea.

Agreed

[Sancho]

The NFL doesnt have a playoff regardless of what they call it. Also, it is a awful idea.

[traxx]

To reiterate, I hate the idea. But it's a brilliant move by Goodell.

They've been talking about adding to the NFL season for years now. The Players' Union always says no because the game is so grueling, season is so long already etc. etc. If they keep adding to the playoffs they are essentially prolonging the season but it's an easier sell to the PU because it gives them a chance, however slight it may be, to go to the SB. Goodell will be getting what the NFL has wanted all along, he's just taking a back door approach to do it.

[ouwasp]

So what exactly is the NFL proposal? As for the college game, I've always been for an 8-team bracket...

[lash]

Bracket Creep.

It happens in every post-season tournament.

Sixty-four (!) isn't enough for college basketball anymore.

Every other sport has a regular season with varying degrees of irrelevance.

It will happen in college football too.

And then people **** and moan about the meaningless regular season, the loss of importance of big rivalries that used to have consequence, and the 3-loss National Champion teams.

Not to mention the constant cries of that #9 ranked ACC that's 10-2 but got "screwed" and missed the expanded playoffs by one spot. Media and fans then focus on their poor and mistreated coaches, and then conclude to expand the playoffs again.

And these people who promote this process will call it progress.

[SoonerLibertarian]

Bracket Creep.

It happens in every post-season tournament.

Sixty-four (!) isn't enough for college basketball anymore.

Every other sport has a regular season with varying degrees of irrelevance.

It will happen in college football too.

And then people **** and moan about the meaningless regular season, the loss of importance of big rivalries that used to have consequence, and the 3-loss National Champion teams.

Not to mention the constant cries of that 10-2 ACC that's #9 that got "screwed." Focus on their poor and mistreated coaches, and then conclude to expand the playoffs again.

And these people who promote this process will call it progress.

College basketball only has about 1/3rd of it's teams make the post season in total so it's hard to compare.

[lash]

College basketball only has about 1/3rd of it's teams make the post season in total so it's hard to compare.

what?


College basketball has effectively made its regular season practically unwatchable. I realize there's other factors, but the ever-expansive March Madness is a huge reason that most people don't give a damn about the sport until, well....March.

[SpankyNek]

If they expand it, eliminate wild cards and take the top 2 from each division.

[OUrage]

Terrible idea unless the Redskins barely miss the playoffs.

[oubozfan44]

It doesn't matter what system they use or don't use for college football post season, the fact that a team's fans only get to watch their team play 12-15 games a year will always keep the regular season relevant and interesting compared to a 30-40 game college basketball season. Having said that, I happen to agree with Aaron Discount-Double-Check Rogers that a 16-team playoff for college football is what's needed.

[BoulderSooner]

The NFL doesnt have a playoff regardless of what they call it. Also, it is a awful idea.

what??

[BoulderSooner]

It doesn't matter what system they use or don't use for college football post season, the fact that a team's fans only get to watch their team play 12-15 games a year will always keep the regular season relevant and interesting compared to a 30-40 game college basketball season. Having said that, I happen to agree with Aaron Discount-Double-Check Rogers that a 16-team playoff for college football is what's needed.

this same logic applies to the NFL

[SoonerPT]

what??

It's called a tournament when you let everyone and their dog in.

[RockFlagandEagle]

It doesn't matter what system they use or don't use for college football post season, the fact that a team's fans only get to watch their team play 12-15 games a year will always keep the regular season relevant and interesting compared to a 30-40 game college basketball season. Having said that, I happen to agree with Aaron Discount-Double-Check Rogers that a 16-team playoff for college football is what's needed.

Compared to the basketball season, yes...compared to current football season, no. There will be relevance and interest lost in the regular season. Loss 1 won't be so gut wrenching...loss 2 somewhat but nothing like it is now.

[BoulderSooner]

Compared to the basketball season, yes...compared to current football season, no. There will be relevance and interest lost in the regular season. Loss 1 won't be so gut wrenching...loss 2 somewhat but nothing like it is now.

a team with 2 loses right now .. loses tons of interest from their fans because the MNC chances are over ..

[RockFlagandEagle]

a team with 2 loses right now .. loses tons of interest from their fans because the MNC chances are over ..

Personally I don't lose interest in OU but as a college football fan I would lose interest in other games if playoffs are expanded. #1 losing won't be that big of a deal anymore...if the playoffs expand to 8 or even 16. That's what I will miss. Take the NFL...I watch every Falcons game but I rarely watch other games. College...I watch every OU game and many other games of interest, primarily those with NC implications.

[BoulderSooner]

Personally I don't lose interest in OU but as a college football fan I would lose interest in other games if playoffs are expanded. #1 losing won't be that big of a deal anymore...if the playoffs expand to 8 or even 16. That's what I will miss. Take the NFL...I watch every Falcons game but I rarely watch other games. College...I watch every OU game and many other games of interest, primarily those with NC implications.

if it is 16 i might agree with you but with 4 or 6 or 8 it is still a tiny number that would be in the hunt

[Sancho]

what??

The NFL doesnt have a playoff, they have a tournament. The teams that make the field aren't tied so they aren't "playing anything off".

[RockFlagandEagle]

if it is 16 i might agree with you but with 4 or 6 or 8 it is still a tiny number that would be in the hunt

I like the 4...I'm a little scared of 8 but, if it was just the top 8 teams and none of the conference champ BS, I'd be cool with that. 16...no thanks.

[RockFlagandEagle]

The NFL doesnt have a playoff, they have a tournament. The teams that make the field aren't tied so they aren't "playing anything off".

Sure they are...they are all tied with idenctical records of 0-0.

[SpankyNek]

Personally I don't lose interest in OU but as a college football fan I would lose interest in other games if playoffs are expanded. #1 losing won't be that big of a deal anymore...if the playoffs expand to 8 or even 16. That's what I will miss. Take the NFL...I watch every Falcons game but I rarely watch other games. College...I watch every OU game and many other games of interest, primarily those with NC implications.

Wouldn't even more games have NC implications?

[RockFlagandEagle]

Wouldn't even more games have NC implications?

Ya...the ones they play after the regular season's over.

[SpankyNek]

Ya...the ones they play after the regular season's over.

Or KSU texas, or Oregon vs. Oregon St in the regular season.

[BoulderSooner]

The NFL doesnt have a playoff, they have a tournament. The teams that make the field aren't tied so they aren't "playing anything off".

one of the dumbest things i have read on a message board ..

[Sancho]

Sure they are...they are all tied with idenctical records of 0-0.

Which translates to: Regular Season is meaningless. I am not trying to determine who is the champion of the post season, I am trying to determine who is the champion of the entire season. The NFL's post season tourney fails in this regard every year. Same with the NCAA basketball tourney.

[BoulderSooner]

Which translates to: Regular Season is meaningless. I am not trying to determine who is the champion of the post season, I am trying to determine who is the champion of the entire season. The NFL's post season tourney fails in this regard every year. Same with the NCAA basketball tourney.

i suggest you go watch soccer

[Sancho]

i suggest you go watch soccer

I suggest you cling to your memories of the XFL.

[SoonerLibertarian]

Compared to the basketball season, yes...compared to current football season, no. There will be relevance and interest lost in the regular season. Loss 1 won't be so gut wrenching...loss 2 somewhat but nothing like it is now.

I would argue that right now because there are 50 bowl games that the college football season and post season both mean jack****.

[RockFlagandEagle]

I would argue that right now because there are 50 bowl games that the college football season and post season both mean jack****.

I can ****ume you watch no other games besides OU's.

[RockFlagandEagle]

Or KSU texas, or Oregon vs. Oregon St in the regular season.

Not really...those games might determine who makes the tourney. I may or may not watch them. Currently I would watch those games if any of the 4 were rated 1 or higher than OU if OU had a shot at the NC game. Again, every other sport/league, I rarely watch other games during the regular season. I don't know why this would be any different after a certain number of teams in the playoffs.

[SoonerLibertarian]

I can ****ume you watch no other games besides OU's.

I'm not watching any bowl games this year. Not even sure I'll watch the NC game this year.

[RockFlagandEagle]

I'm not watching any bowl games this year. Not even sure I'll watch the NC game this year.

You mentioned "college football season". I'm talking about regular season games since they mean "jack****".

[SoonerLibertarian]

The college football season is the hardest to watch. Simply because so many games don't matter at all.

[RockFlagandEagle]

The college football season is the hardest to watch. Simply because so many games don't matter at all.

Harder than baseball?

[SoonerLibertarian]

Yep and it's really not even close. Baseball usually has some of the best chases at the end of the season.

[RockFlagandEagle]

Yep and it's really not even close. Baseball usually has some of the best chases at the end of the season.

So only part of the regular season. Do you watch games involving teams that have been eliminated from playoffs?

[Sancho]

Yep and it's really not even close. Baseball usually has some of the best chases at the end of the season.

Nothing in major American sports has a more meaningless regular season than MLB, for a couple of reasons.
1. They use an arbitrarily constructed post season tournament to dictate the "champion" for the entire season
2. There are so many games. You can literally lose your first 80 games and still be in contention to be the "champion".

[Mephistopheles]

one of the dumbest things i have read on a message board ..

Someone knowing the difference between a playoff and a tournament is dumb?

[SoonerLibertarian]

A shorter season always means more games will matter by percentage. But OU could have literally lost the last two games the end of the year and still ended up in the Cotton Bowl most likely. You think that's just okay?

[RockFlagandEagle]

A shorter season always means more games will matter by percentage. But OU could have literally lost the last two games the end of the year and still ended up in the Cotton Bowl most likely. You think that's just okay?

And I would have still watched Notre Dame/Wake Forest, Bama/Auburn, Oregon/Stanford, KState/Baylor, etc. With a playoff/tournament system in place I wouldn't care who made it I would just know there's going to be 7 games or 15 games that decide who the NC will be. I don't watch the "teams on the bubble" games in college basketball because I know there's going to be these games played after the season that determine who wins the NC.