ESPN: If you want a playoff system, root for South Florida

[Velcro]

It’s the exact same thing for me and baseball. I admit to having less than zero interest in a Colorado – Arizona National League Championship Series, and will probably be more interested in the latest episode of The Biggest Loser than the winner of that series playing Cleveland, if the Tribe beats Boston. Of course I’ll watch, but true baseball fans have the right to dismiss me as a total idiot, just like I'll blast away at anyone who dogs a Cal - South Florida matchup in New Orleans.

Well said...anyone who thinks a Cal - USF matchup wouldn't be a good one has no clue about college football.

BUT... if Cal and USF are both undefeated and no one else is and anyone thinks that isn't a WORTHY matchup (WORTHY = the right way to go for who EARNED IT), then they don't know a **** thing about college football either.

[BullsFanInTX]

They had a similar topic on scout "ask CFN" today.  I think his response is a little more on the money as far as the playoff arguement will go unheard again no matter what.  It is also much less condescending than the ESPN story.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/689809.html

If Cal ends up playing South Florida for the national championship, which is as good as anyone's guess the way this season is going, would that help get a playoff sooner in college football? No one outside about 100 square miles of Northern California seems to know about or care about Cal, and USF is still confused with UCF, FIU, FAU and the other newbies from the Sunshine State by most football fans. Bears and Bulls are more associated with the stock market, so what fans from Ann Arbor, South Bend, Baton Rouge and the other meccas of college football are going to tune in to a USF-UC national championship? - PA

A: Let’s settle this right now. Nothing, NOTHING will bring about a playoff any faster. Not seven unbeaten teams, not four top-shelf one-loss teams, not Utah State vs. Florida International getting in thanks to the computer polls, nothing. I’m hearing more and more about how fans just aren’t fired up about the possibility of, say, Cincinnati vs. Arizona State in a national title, or Kansas vs. Hawaii. Don’t fall for the brand names. Would fans rather have Notre Dame vs. Miami? How about Texas vs. Michigan? As of right now, I’m taking a stance to mentally whiz all over anyone who gets all high and mighty about not having any interest in the national title game pairing a couple of non-traditional teams.

It’s the exact same thing for me and baseball. I admit to having less than zero interest in a Colorado – Arizona National League Championship Series, and will probably be more interested in the latest episode of The Biggest Loser than the winner of that series playing Cleveland, if the Tribe beats Boston. Of course I’ll watch, but true baseball fans have the right to dismiss me as a total idiot, just like I'll blast away at anyone who dogs a Cal - South Florida matchup in New Orleans.

I don't believe this is still true.  Maybe to the totally ignorant fan, but anyone with half a brain who has even remotely been following college football would not confuse USF with these schools.

[BullsFanInTX]

I think a playoff would make things even harder for a non-power team to win the title. Do you really think Boise State could have won a football tournament? Really, they were outplayed by Oklahoma in the second half but they got one lucky trick play. Then in overtime Oklahoma scored on the first play, then Boise State had another trick play work, realized their luck would run out soon, went for 2 and another trick play won it. I'm sorry but Boise State would not have been able to pull that off a couple of more times.

These bigger teams have more depth, and lets face it a tournament would take it's toll on a lot of players so a team with more depth would have a huge advantage because they would rest guys during the games and still not fall off too much. In this system we have now it really isn't as hard as it seems to make a title game.

Well the lost anyway and never got a chance to see if they could run the table. The logic here shouldn't be well they couldn't so they lose automatically. Its America man and every team deserves a chance to win or lose on their own merit, not on someones opinion.

It is absurd to have a sporting event that culminates in a vote. This is not figure skating but unfortunately there are nothing but biased judges. Can you imagine crowning an NFL team on a vote? Why not just put the teams up on ARE YOU HOT and put Paris Hilton in charge? The corrupt school Presidents are top blame. It takes the pressure off them to succeed, hell any bowl is great right? They pocket the cash and leave us mired in mediocrity, smiling all the way. The process is exclusive and down right un-American and I despise it. PLAYOFFS OR DEATH!! (Unless the Bulls win a National Title then its all good with me : ) )

BTW: The hypocrisies of those of you who tout BCS conferences and try and keep non-BCS schools down is almost disgusting. Remember being 9-2 and getting screwed by the system? I guess the last one on the life boat should stomp the next guys head but thats not my style, it sucks.

Who cares, we're in, why worry about other non bcs schools.  Why open the door for competition from more non bcs schools.  Makes no sense from the USF standpoint.

[kastofsna]

i think some of you guys are missing the point of this article.

she's not saying that we're crashing the party despite playing a tough schedule and being a BCS school, she says, that IF we do go to the National Title game, that according to the guys who run the BCS, and are scared of the non-traditional teams making it to the big dance, it would be a HUGE "crashing the party" scenario. to THOSE GUYS. and, because they hate the idea of a team like USF making it to the title game, that would inspire them to change it to a playoff system. she's not saying we wouldn't deserve it, she's just saying it would piss off the BCS guys.

[USF Colby]

Actually lets look at what a playoff system would be like. I think realistically the only playoff system we could hope for is one that is similar to the current BCS with Notre Dame getting in if they have a certain ranking and the BCS conferences getting their automatic bids.

1) Ohio State

2) Florida

3) Michigan

4) LSU

5) Southern California

6) Louisville

7) Boise State

8) Oklahoma

9) Notre Dame

10) Wake Forest

So lets just say 7-10 play an opening round, and we'll say Boise State and Oklahoma win though I think Boise State beating Wake Forest would be debatable. So that sets up

1) Ohio State v. 8) Oklahoma

4) LSU v. 5) Southern Cal

2) Florida v. 7) Boise State

3) Michigan v. 6) Louisville

Some great matchups. Ohio State would have had no problem with Oklahoma but that would still be a matchup of two traditional powers that everyone would want to see. LSU and Southern Cal is easily the best matchup of the weekend and could go either way but i'll take LSU because their more battle tested. I don't think Boise State could have gotten by Florida, defensively the Gators are stout and defensively I don't think Boise could have contained the Gators speed. The potential upset is Louisville over Michigan, Louisville was a team that collapsed against Rutgers otherwise they would have been in the title game so I go with that as a second round upset.

1) Ohio State v. 4) LSU

2) Florida v. 6) Louisville

LSU has a shot at the upset, at the end of the year it was hard to find a better team and the Tigers did have a ton of talent plus as we saw in the real life title game Ohio State had problems with the SEC speed but I believe as long as they stayed healthy and had Ted Ginn the entire game they could survive this game. I think Louisville again has a good shot at an upset but the Gators again have a great defense, great defense usually beats great offense but this is a matchup I would have loved to see.

Still the likely title game is 1) Ohio State v. 2) Florida

So essentially that whole playoff would be pointless but it would be fun to watch, i'm not 100% against a playoff. I just don't think it would have this huge impacy everyone expects to see. It wouldn't be like college basketball because in football you can't invite a ton of teams. 10 is the most teams you could invite, and in football George Mason's are tougher to come by. In basketball you can get 5 really good players together and do soe things, in football you have 11 starters on offense, 11 on defense, then 11 on special teams, it's tougher for these smaller schools to build a team that could stand toe to toe against big schools in a tournament format.

[USF Colby]

To further my point i'll use 2004 Utah as another example. In 2004 only 8 teams made it but in the current system Cal and Boise State would make it as well so actually in this example we'll have 2 mid-majors but Utah is the team non-BCS conf. people always point to. Heres the seedings again

1) Southern Cal

2) Oklahoma

3) Auburn

4) Texas

5) California

6) Utah

7) Virginia Tech

8) Boise State

9) Michigan

10) Pittsburgh

In opening round we'll say Virginia Tech and Michigan get by and get into 8 team tourney so

1) USC v. 9) Michigan

2) Oklahoma v. 7) Virginia Tech

3) Auburn v. 6) Utah

4) Texas v. 5) California

USC would get to have a rematch with their 03 Rose Bowl opponent and likely would have another easy victory. Virginia Tech gave USC and Auburn tough games in 04 and I think would have given Oklahoma a tough game but Oklahoma would survive. Texas and Cal would provide a great matchup, as you remember there was the debate as to which team should be in the BCS. In the bowl game Cal proved they were over rated, Texas proved they deserved their ranking so in this game i'll go with Texas.

Heres where Utah comes in, as the 6 seed they would have to play Auburn, a team many thought should have been in the title game. Even if they upset Auburn which I doubt they would they would have to go up against #2 Oklahoma, and if they pulled off the upset a second straight week they would more than likely have to face USC. There is no way Utah could go through those 3 powerful teams on three consecutive weeks. But anyway lets just continue the tourney because this is fun.

1) USC v. 4) Texas

2) Oklahoma v. 3) Auburn

We'd have the USC-Texas matchup one year earlier, this time though I think USC would win the 04 title game was kinda flukish and this game wouldn't have that atmosphere or feel so I take USC. Oklahoma-Auburn is the awesome matchup that many people wish could have happened in 04 to see who plays USC because Auburn had the tougher schedule but Oklahoma dominated all their opponents. I rallied for Auburn this year, but looking back on it that was a loaded Oklahoma team with a heisman trophy QB, Adrian Peterson at RB, strong receivers, and a defense full of future stars so I have to go with the Sooners.

So still a USC v. Oklahoma matchup, but had it been USC v. Auburn I would still go with USC that year.

But my main point was that even 04 Utah, possibly the best non-BCS team would not have survived a tournament like this. I'm sorry but non-BCS schools just will never get on an even level, what they have to do is play a tough non-conference, pull some upsets, hope for the big guys to lose and then get into the title game and hope they face an over confident team.

I don't think a playoff would help these teams.

[Metro_Retro_Bull]

If you want a playoff system, root for South Florida 

So if a program that has been in Division I-A for only 10 years played for the national title, the gap almost would become an imaginary line.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/071012&sportCat=ncf

I like her takes on Jim Rome's radio show, but her point would have been driven home better if she knew we've been in D-1 for only 7 years.