Playoff complaint thread

[Reign of Terrier]

I saw it slightly alluded to in the Celebration Bowl/NC A&T thread, but I think it deserves its own thread.

How do you think the playoff system can be improved? The system right now is designed in such a way to minimize cost for colleges/universities/the NCAA but I think it fails on those fronts. Attendance is down as well. What do you think can fix it. Here are my personal thoughts.

#1
I think the way home field is determined is really unfair and I think home field advantage does have a greater impact on teams than people think. In this way, that's not to say that the home team will always win, but teams that have to make a trip on the road are more likely to lose games, especially when they play multiple games across the country on a week-to-week basis. There are a couple examples of teams being road warriors in the playoffs and defying this trend. But in many ways they are the exception, not the rule.

#2
I think we underestimate how changing weather impacts player performance. Obviously, both teams have to play in inclement weather, and arguably no team has an advantage because 90% of the season is played in the late summer and fall so when it gets really cold in some places neither team is used to it. My point is that playing in such weather can be bad for the outcome of the game if it's too extreme. I'll admit this is one of my less prioritized criticisms of the playoffs, but when Wofford went to Youngstown, you could tell both teams were effected by the cold (missed kicks on both sides) and I think it's something to keep in mind. It took me this long to realize that teams in the Dakotas have Domes not for novelty sake.

#3
It's really dumb to have games played over Thanksgiving weekend. If the justification for having some teams have home field because they'll turn out more people, then they shouldn't play games over Thanksgiving. If your team has had homefield in the last few years, I would recommend comparing attendance between each round. It's bad on Thanksgiving for obvious reasons. I'd think we'd save/make more money if we actually waiting a week to start the playoffs.

#4
Though I'm certain teams from the Patriot, NEC and Pioneer are worthy of playoff spot on a certain year, I think we should give them a bid only if they meet a certain criteria, much like how G5 teams compete for a new years 6 bowl. There are lots of examples of Patriot teams being good enough in the past few years to qualify even under this criteria (be ranked, etc), but right now we're going to see a lot of teams with stronger SOS getting let out of the playoffs because of the outbids.


And, contrary to many people, I like the 24 team playoff. I think it's an excellent structure which leaves little margin of error. If you get left out, usually there's a really good reason to leave you out. So that's my one praise of the playoffs.

If I could recommend a change, it would be that instead of doing home field, we do a regional bracket, much like the NCAA tournament does in basketball. Have every team go to a neutral location starting in the quarterfinals or so (milder weather or a dome or something) and have it continue until the semis. That way, we don't have teams dealing with radical weather changes or back-to-back flights in consecutive weeks.

That's my take. I'm certain many disagree with it, but what do you guys dislike or like about the current format?

[Pinnum]

#4
Though I'm certain teams from the Patriot, NEC and Pioneer are worthy of playoff spot on a certain year, I think we should give them a bid only if they meet a certain criteria, much like how G5 teams compete for a new years 6 bowl. There are lots of examples of Patriot teams being good enough in the past few years to qualify even under this criteria (be ranked, etc), but right now we're going to see a lot of teams with stronger SOS getting let out of the playoffs because of the outbids.


Who is this 'WE' that you think has the power to handout or not handout bids? You know the NCAA is a member centric association that has a tiered leadership model in which conferences are delegates and hold certain rights and powers.

Every conference gets a bid in every NCAA championship. You're never going to change that. They are just as much a members of the association as any other school.

This would be like keeping the SoCon, Summit, or any other conference out of March Madness. It isn't going to happen.

[WestCoastAggie]

What about going the D-2 route with 4 7-team regions selected by regional polls. Get rid of the AQ and replace it with Earned Access, where a conference champion is guaranteed a playoff slot, if it reaches the top 8 of said region?

I also think the playoffs should start the week after Thanksgiving, and a TV deal should be pursued so we can once and for all get rid of game bids. That process only benefits programs from schools that have large student populations and generate huge amounts of student athletic fees.

[IBleedYellow]

I saw it slightly alluded to in the Celebration Bowl/NC A&T thread, but I think it deserves its own thread.
#2
I think we underestimate how changing weather impacts player performance. Obviously, both teams have to play in inclement weather, and arguably no team has an advantage because 90% of the season is played in the late summer and fall so when it gets really cold in some places neither team is used to it. My point is that playing in such weather can be bad for the outcome of the game if it's too extreme. I'll admit this is one of my less prioritized criticisms of the playoffs, but when Wofford went to Youngstown, you could tell both teams were effected by the cold (missed kicks on both sides) and I think it's something to keep in mind. It took me this long to realize that teams in the Dakotas have Domes not for novelty sake.


You don't say?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOXkT107x2E&t=70s




What about going the D-2 route with 4 7-team regions selected by regional polls. Get rid of the AQ and replace it with Earned Access, where a conference champion is guaranteed a playoff slot, if it reaches the top 8 of said region?

I also think the playoffs should start the week after Thanksgiving, and a TV deal should be pursued so we can once and for all get rid of game bids. That process only benefits programs from schools that have large student populations and generate huge amounts of student athletic fees.


To hell with that idea. That's one of the reasons NDSU left D2.

[Reign of Terrier]

Who is this 'WE' that you think has the power to handout or not handout bids? You know the NCAA is a member centric association that has a tiered leadership model in which conferences are delegates and hold certain rights and powers.

Every conference gets a bid in every NCAA championship. You're never going to change that. They are just as much a members of the association as any other school.

This would be like keeping the SoCon, Summit, or any other conference out of March Madness. It isn't going to happen.

We being the FCS. Sorry, I don't think a 5-6 Patriot League team, or any league champ with a .500 record, less academic scholarships, and predictively worse teams than the rest of the stronger leagues should get in over a 9-2 or 8-3 full-scholarship team.

This thread is mainly about complaints than solutions. Automatic Qualification of conference affiliation may be a reality of the politics of the NCAA, but it inarguably hurts the FCS bracket. I don't go so far to call the NEC, Patriot or Pioneer teams Division II, but they are more comparable to the Sun Belt, MAC and CUSA of the FCS.

If a similar system were in place in the FBS as FCS, you'd have the MAC champ in over (take your pick) Virginia Tech/Clemson/Oklahoma State/West Virginia/Stanford

[Professor Chaos]

This is what I would like to happen:

1) All current autobids stay and the field is reduced from 24 to 20 teams. This would work since there's only 10 autobids left after the MEAC forfeited theirs and the NCAA rules say at least 50% of teams in their postseason tournaments have to be selected at-large. This would also cut the number of horribly attended playoff games on Thanksgiving weekend in half.
2) Seed the top 12 teams and the bottom 8 are put into a pool to play the 4 Thanksgiving weekend games. You can save your money then by pairing those 8 together geographically as best as possible and sending them to one of the top 4 seeds based on geography as well.
3) No potential regular season rematches or intra-conference games (even if they didn't play each other in that regular season) until the quarterfinals at the earliest.


That said #1 will never happen and #2 and #3 are very unlikely to happen unless the FCS playoffs get a serious injection of money from somewhere. So in lieu of that I'd just like to see a slight compromise with the current model and a pooling of teams similar to the NCAA basketball tournament model:

1) Continue to seed the top 8 overall in order to act as your #1 and #2 seeds.
2) From there pool teams into groups of 4; 9-12 are the #3 seeds, 13-16 are the #4 seeds, 17-20 are the #5 seeds, and 21-24 are the #6 seeds.
3) Match up geographically the #3 seeds with the #6 seeds and the #4 seeds with the #5 seeds. Match up the 3/6 pairings geographically with the #5-#8 overall seeds. Match up the 4/5 pairings with the #1-#4 seeds.

You can continue to pinch pennies by only guaranteeing the top 8 seeds get home games (everyone else still bids) and continuing the rule where regular season rematches are only avoided if it's both team's first game of the tournament. I feel that this would create a much more fair and balanced bracket if nothing else and wouldn't cost that much more money (maybe 2-4 extra flights per year).

[wapiti]

I put my responses in-line within the quote. In bold.


I saw it slightly alluded to in the Celebration Bowl/NC A&T thread, but I think it deserves its own thread.

How do you think the playoff system can be improved? The system right now is designed in such a way to minimize cost for colleges/universities/the NCAA but I think it fails on those fronts. Attendance is down as well. What do you think can fix it. Here are my personal thoughts.

#1
I think the way home field is determined is really unfair and I think home field advantage does have a greater impact on teams than people think. In this way, that's not to say that the home team will always win, but teams that have to make a trip on the road are more likely to lose games, especially when they play multiple games across the country on a week-to-week basis. There are a couple examples of teams being road warriors in the playoffs and defying this trend. But in many ways they are the exception, not the rule.

For the first round/play-in round the home team is determined by which school wants to bid the most for it, and thus have greater revenue for the NCAA and it may also show which school wants the home field advantage the most. This will favor the schools with better attendance and more $$$$.
Regionalization may help with the visiting fans to travel to the game.
The rest of the rounds are based on seed.

#2
I think we underestimate how changing weather impacts player performance. Obviously, both teams have to play in inclement weather, and arguably no team has an advantage because 90% of the season is played in the late summer and fall so when it gets really cold in some places neither team is used to it. My point is that playing in such weather can be bad for the outcome of the game if it's too extreme. I'll admit this is one of my less prioritized criticisms of the playoffs, but when Wofford went to Youngstown, you could tell both teams were effected by the cold (missed kicks on both sides) and I think it's something to keep in mind. It took me this long to realize that teams in the Dakotas have Domes not for novelty sake.
I am not sure how this is a complaint, but is more of a statement of fact. Unless you are suggesting the games be played in a warm environment. If so, that would give home field advantage to the teams with a warm place to play. That would be a bad idea.

#3
It's really dumb to have games played over Thanksgiving weekend. If the justification for having some teams have home field because they'll turn out more people, then they shouldn't play games over Thanksgiving. If your team has had homefield in the last few years, I would recommend comparing attendance between each round. It's bad on Thanksgiving for obvious reasons. I'd think we'd save/make more money if we actually waiting a week to start the playoffs.

I agree with this. Delay the start of the playoffs one week and remove one week from between the semifinals and the final.

#4
Though I'm certain teams from the Patriot, NEC and Pioneer are worthy of playoff spot on a certain year, I think we should give them a bid only if they meet a certain criteria, much like how G5 teams compete for a new years 6 bowl. There are lots of examples of Patriot teams being good enough in the past few years to qualify even under this criteria (be ranked, etc), but right now we're going to see a lot of teams with stronger SOS getting let out of the playoffs because of the outbids.

I like that every conference gets to send their champ. Just like in basketball. Last year San Diego won their first playoff game.

And, contrary to many people, I like the 24 team playoff. I think it's an excellent structure which leaves little margin of error. If you get left out, usually there's a really good reason to leave you out. So that's my one praise of the playoffs.

24 teams is a good number. No need to change it.

If I could recommend a change, it would be that instead of doing home field, we do a regional bracket, much like the NCAA tournament does in basketball. Have every team go to a neutral location starting in the quarterfinals or so (milder weather or a dome or something) and have it continue until the semis. That way, we don't have teams dealing with radical weather changes or back-to-back flights in consecutive weeks.

That's my take. I'm certain many disagree with it, but what do you guys dislike or like about the current format?

[Catbooster]

Meh - I think I'd rather see a few conference champs from weaker conferences than be arguing over whether the 8th place team in the MVFC or the 7th place team in the CAA should go. Having been a fan long before the field expanded to 20, then 24, it's obvious to me that regardless how much you expand the field there will be teams feeling slighted that someone else got in over them and arguing their merits. But I'm pretty confident that no one can argue that they got screwed out of a national championship by missing the playoff as they work now. There are more than adequate chances to overcome an "any given Saturday" game.

[Reign of Terrier]

I put my responses in-line within the quote. In bold.

to the point about venue, I think cold areas should play in a neutral dome in a central location. I think the particular venue can depend upon the bracket. I'm not saying "send everyone to the warm areas" because that would obviously favor southern teams. So, if South Dakota State, South Dakota and North Dakota State make the playoffs, it may be best to find a neutral location where all teams/fans can play their games (a dome would be preferable, given the climate). Down south, the temperature isn't usually a problem, but I think finding a nice, central location would be great as well (for instance, you could do Chattanooga as a venue for southeastern teams, Frisco for Texas/Louisiana teams, a dome in the northwest for the big sky, etc. The details for this thread aren't as important as the principle behind them.).

I'm more concerned about accumulated travel than I am about the specific climate.

[Professor Chaos]

Meh - I think I'd rather see a few conference champs from weaker conferences than be arguing over whether the 8th place team in the MVFC or the 7th place team in the CAA should go. Having been a fan long before the field expanded to 20, then 24, it's obvious to me that regardless how much you expand the field there will be teams feeling slighted that someone else got in over them and arguing their merits. But I'm pretty confident that no one can argue that they got screwed out of a national championship by missing the playoff as they work now. There are more than adequate chances to overcome an "any given Saturday" game.
Agreed, I like the concept of autobids and I think every FCS conference what wants one should get one (if you want to argue that the Pioneer shouldn't be an FCS conference that's a different argument altogether). It means every FCS school in the country holds their championship hopes, however tiny they may be, in their own hands since all they need to do is win on the field to make them come to fruition.

[Reign of Terrier]

I think a simple "no teams with a losing record in the playoffs" rule is not inappropriate

[WestCoastAggie]

If you'd move the Playoffs back a week, you'd have the SWAC send eligible teams again, since the SCG is going away.

[ElCid]

Meh - I think I'd rather see a few conference champs from weaker conferences than be arguing over whether the 8th place team in the MVFC or the 7th place team in the CAA should go. Having been a fan long before the field expanded to 20, then 24, it's obvious to me that regardless how much you expand the field there will be teams feeling slighted that someone else got in over them and arguing their merits. But I'm pretty confident that no one can argue that they got screwed out of a national championship by missing the playoff as they work now. There are more than adequate chances to overcome an "any given Saturday" game.

Exactly. All conf champs is not too much to ask. Especially with three of them already not going. I think the at large are more than represented. Leave it alone.

[ST_Lawson]

to the point about venue, I think cold areas should play in a neutral dome in a central location. I think the particular venue can depend upon the bracket. I'm not saying "send everyone to the warm areas" because that would obviously favor southern teams. So, if South Dakota State, South Dakota and North Dakota State make the playoffs, it may be best to find a neutral location where all teams/fans can play their games (a dome would be preferable, given the climate). Down south, the temperature isn't usually a problem, but I think finding a nice, central location would be great as well (for instance, you could do Chattanooga as a venue for southeastern teams, Frisco for Texas/Louisiana teams, a dome in the northwest for the big sky, etc. The details for this thread aren't as important as the principle behind them.).

I'm more concerned about accumulated travel than I am about the specific climate.

Finding a place to do it might be kinda tricky though. NDSU, USD, UND (GFCC), and UNI have domes, but they obviously wouldn't be "neutral locations". The only other place that I can think of that could possibly work (I think it'd actually be ideal for the "regional" competition that you're describing, although it'll probably never happen) is the Vikings new stadium (US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (https://www.usbankstadium.com/assets/img/BowlSeats-80f05261a8.JPG)). Beautiful, located close enough to the northern half of the MVFC teams that it's fairly easy for them to drive to, good sized airport to fly into. You'd have to deal with scheduling around the Vikings though, and I have no idea what the cost/fees would be to use the stadium for the day.

Other than that, U of Minnesota doesn't have a dome now and as far as I know, none of the other cities in the region have a football dome.

[ecasadoSBU]

#4
Though I'm certain teams from the Patriot, NEC and Pioneer are worthy of playoff spot on a certain year, I think we should give them a bid only if they meet a certain criteria, much like how G5 teams compete for a new years 6 bowl. There are lots of examples of Patriot teams being good enough in the past few years to qualify even under this criteria (be ranked, etc), but right now we're going to see a lot of teams with stronger SOS getting let out of the playoffs because of the outbids.





I completely disagree. Every conference should have an auto-bid. It keeps somewhat of level playing field. The moment you start creating more differences between the have and have-nots then the more the gap widens ( you magnify the differences) with players choosing conferences with auto-bids over the non auto-bid conferences... and that's how you end up having FBS football.... Have you seen any professional league make such a move? there is obviously stronger divisions on any given year in the NFL/MLB... but everyone gets a guaranteed bid.

If an at-large team is not good enough to get in the field winning his own's conference auto-bid then there is no reason to complain. Win your conference and you are guaranteed in... otherwise... Peace out!

[dgtw]

Starting the playoffs a week later puts the semi-finals on December 23.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hammerhead]

Attendance would plummet if later rounds were at neutral locations, especially for teams out west. It's not always easy to plan a road trip or buy plane tickets with a weeks notice.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I think a simple "no teams with a losing record in the playoffs" rule is not inappropriate

As a Lehigh fan I'd have problem with that should the Mountain Hawks win the auto-bid at 5-6. They were a preseason Top 20 team (so there was national potential) but the defense is atrocious and they'll likely lose by 3+ TD's in the playoffs. I would be content with a PL Championship, a win over Lafayette and then moving on to 2018.

This should be the case for March Madness too. If you want to have a conference tournament fine. But if a team with a sub .500 record wins then your conference forfeit's the autobid. The Ivy League is smart when it comes to how they run their show.

[FUGameBreaker]

Starting the playoffs a week later puts the semi-finals on December 23.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Exactly, better to have smaller crowds in the first round, then allows better dates for better crowds in the Semifinals with ESPN in town

Semifinals at Christmas would be a disaster

[FUGameBreaker]

Attendance would plummet if later rounds were at neutral locations, especially for teams out west. It's not always easy to plan a road trip or buy plane tickets with a weeks notice.


Not to mention the cost would be astronomical and sparsely attended, to rent the venue and to travel both teams to that location, will never happen in FCS

[FUGameBreaker]

I think playoffs are pretty well setup right now, 24 teams with 8 seeds, when a game takes place outside of the 8 seeded teams only makes sense to play at the highest paying team given the money situation in FCS football, and teams 9-24 are not really all that much different as far as resume anyway (for the most part).

The only problem you run into is how a team could have the chance to buy their way into the playoffs, if on the bubble with another team but put up a bunch of money to host, I don't know if that could be an issue or has been, but does not seem that far fetched from happening though.

[Cocky]

Move the championship game to a dome or warm weather.

[Professor Chaos]

I think playoffs are pretty well setup right now, 24 teams with 8 seeds, when a game takes place outside of the 8 seeded teams only makes sense to play at the highest paying team given the money situation in FCS football, and teams 9-24 are not really all that much different as far as resume anyway (for the most part).

The only problem you run into is how a team could have the chance to buy their way into the playoffs, if on the bubble with another team but put up a bunch of money to host, I don't know if that could be an issue or has been, but does not seem that far fetched from happening though.
The selection committee "claims" that bids are not even looked at until the field has been chosen and the bracket has been set. But you'll get no argument from me if you say that bid reputation plays a part, even if just a small one, in determining who gets in when it's close and how the bracket gets laid out.

[Bluefish845]

1) Continue to seed the top 8 overall in order to act as your #1 and #2 seeds.
2) From there pool teams into groups of 4; 9-12 are the #3 seeds, 13-16 are the #4 seeds, 17-20 are the #5 seeds, and 21-24 are the #6 seeds.
3) Match up geographically the #3 seeds with the #6 seeds and the #4 seeds with the #5 seeds. Match up the 3/6 pairings geographically with the #5-#8 overall seeds. Match up the 4/5 pairings with the #1-#4 seeds.

You can continue to pinch pennies by only guaranteeing the top 8 seeds get home games (everyone else still bids) and continuing the rule where regular season rematches are only avoided if it's both team's first game of the tournament. I feel that this would create a much more fair and balanced bracket if nothing else and wouldn't cost that much more money (maybe 2-4 extra flights per year).

I like this with just a few caveats: Keep all autobids regardless of the record of the conference winner. Home games should either go to a team based on any of this 3 criteria:
a)seed each team , higher seed hosts
b) team with better record hosts, if tie, coinflip
c) Each conference is granted at least one home game, ie if the NEC Champ is matched up with #4 CAA team, NEC hosts (Only 1 team in)

No more bidding for hosting rights, this is skewed in favor of larger state schools
No Home dome games, far too much of an advantage.

[TheKingpin28]

Just go back to how things were before regionalization. Seed the damn field and leave it as is. Another reason why the NCAA sucks as a "non-profit".

[POD Knows]

I like this with just a few caveats: Keep all autobids regardless of the record of the conference winner. Home games should either go to a team based on any of this 3 criteria:
a)seed each team , higher seed hosts
b) team with better record hosts, if tie, coinflip
c) Each conference is granted at least one home game, ie if the NEC Champ is matched up with #4 CAA team, NEC hosts (Only 1 team in)

No more bidding for hosting rights, this is skewed in favor of larger state schools
No Home dome games, far too much of an advantage.Are you serious? Yea, NDSU will just get the #1 or #2 seed and go on the road and play, Blow Me.

[phoenix3]

I completely disagree. Every conference should have an auto-bid. It keeps somewhat of level playing field. The moment you start creating more differences between the have and have-nots then the more the gap widens ( you magnify the differences) with players choosing conferences with auto-bids over the non auto-bid conferences... and that's how you end up having FBS football.... Have you seen any professional league make such a move? there is obviously stronger divisions on any given year in the NFL/MLB... but everyone gets a guaranteed bid.

If an at-large team is not good enough to get in the field winning his own's conference auto-bid then there is no reason to complain. Win your conference and you are guaranteed in... otherwise... Peace out!
I agree. The reason the playoffs were expanded to a 24 team field was so that all conferences could send at least 1 team and the the at larges would still be dealt with fairly.

[SoDakSA]

to the point about venue, I think cold areas should play in a neutral dome in a central location. I think the particular venue can depend upon the bracket. I'm not saying "send everyone to the warm areas" because that would obviously favor southern teams. So, if South Dakota State, South Dakota and North Dakota State make the playoffs, it may be best to find a neutral location where all teams/fans can play their games (a dome would be preferable, given the climate). Down south, the temperature isn't usually a problem, but I think finding a nice, central location would be great as well (for instance, you could do Chattanooga as a venue for southeastern teams, Frisco for Texas/Louisiana teams, a dome in the northwest for the big sky, etc. The details for this thread aren't as important as the principle behind them.).

I'm more concerned about accumulated travel than I am about the specific climate.

Down south could be too hot for teams that don't play in that weather. So we should move those games to a centralized dome. Heat has killed more players than cold has. /s

Weather is apart of football. If your team can't handle it, maybe they were not that good to start out. Perhaps if you don't want your team to get chilly they need to win enough games to get seeded

[jacksfan29]

If I could recommend a change, it would be that instead of doing home field, we do a regional bracket, much like the NCAA tournament does in basketball. Have every team go to a neutral location starting in the quarterfinals or so (milder weather or a dome or something) and have it continue until the semis. That way, we don't have teams dealing with radical weather changes or back-to-back flights in consecutive weeks.

That's my take. I'm certain many disagree with it, but what do you guys dislike or like about the current format?

That is so high school it is hard to even respond. The top 8 seeds have earned home field. The #1 seed has really, really earned home field. Yes, the bid system is a joke but to send everyone to a neutral site? No freaking way.

Seed the field 1 - 24. Top seeded team plays hosts. Done.

[Grizalltheway]

I saw it slightly alluded to in the Celebration Bowl/NC A&T thread, but I think it deserves its own thread.

How do you think the playoff system can be improved? The system right now is designed in such a way to minimize cost for colleges/universities/the NCAA but I think it fails on those fronts. Attendance is down as well. What do you think can fix it. Here are my personal thoughts.

#1
I think the way home field is determined is really unfair and I think home field advantage does have a greater impact on teams than people think. In this way, that's not to say that the home team will always win, but teams that have to make a trip on the road are more likely to lose games, especially when they play multiple games across the country on a week-to-week basis. There are a couple examples of teams being road warriors in the playoffs and defying this trend. But in many ways they are the exception, not the rule.

#2
I think we underestimate how changing weather impacts player performance. Obviously, both teams have to play in inclement weather, and arguably no team has an advantage because 90% of the season is played in the late summer and fall so when it gets really cold in some places neither team is used to it. My point is that playing in such weather can be bad for the outcome of the game if it's too extreme. I'll admit this is one of my less prioritized criticisms of the playoffs, but when Wofford went to Youngstown, you could tell both teams were effected by the cold (missed kicks on both sides) and I think it's something to keep in mind. It took me this long to realize that teams in the Dakotas have Domes not for novelty sake.

#3
It's really dumb to have games played over Thanksgiving weekend. If the justification for having some teams have home field because they'll turn out more people, then they shouldn't play games over Thanksgiving. If your team has had homefield in the last few years, I would recommend comparing attendance between each round. It's bad on Thanksgiving for obvious reasons. I'd think we'd save/make more money if we actually waiting a week to start the playoffs.

#4
Though I'm certain teams from the Patriot, NEC and Pioneer are worthy of playoff spot on a certain year, I think we should give them a bid only if they meet a certain criteria, much like how G5 teams compete for a new years 6 bowl. There are lots of examples of Patriot teams being good enough in the past few years to qualify even under this criteria (be ranked, etc), but right now we're going to see a lot of teams with stronger SOS getting let out of the playoffs because of the outbids.


And, contrary to many people, I like the 24 team playoff. I think it's an excellent structure which leaves little margin of error. If you get left out, usually there's a really good reason to leave you out. So that's my one praise of the playoffs.

If I could recommend a change, it would be that instead of doing home field, we do a regional bracket, much like the NCAA tournament does in basketball. Have every team go to a neutral location starting in the quarterfinals or so (milder weather or a dome or something) and have it continue until the semis. That way, we don't have teams dealing with radical weather changes or back-to-back flights in consecutive weeks.

That's my take. I'm certain many disagree with it, but what do you guys dislike or like about the current format?

Coastal Carolina and your own team didn't seem too bothered by the frigid temps when they played up here. xeyebrowx

[POD Knows]

Coastal Carolina and your own team didn't seem too bothered by the frigid temps when they played up here. xeyebrowxIt is probably because the players aren't as pussy as their fan bases appear to be, at least the ones that don't like to travel or play outside, or play in a heated dome because it is too noisy.

[FUGameBreaker]

In the FCS we are mainly talking about breaking even, which is aided by (non top 8 seeded) schools bidding as much as they can to host games. For that reason it will not change, its basically a necessity.

- - - Updated - - -


The selection committee "claims" that bids are not even looked at until the field has been chosen and the bracket has been set. But you'll get no argument from me if you say that bid reputation plays a part, even if just a small one, in determining who gets in when it's close and how the bracket gets laid out.


Agree

[FUGameBreaker]

Dealing with weather and crowd noise is part of football, one of the things I enjoy about it!

[ST_Lawson]

The selection committee "claims" that bids are not even looked at until the field has been chosen and the bracket has been set. But you'll get no argument from me if you say that bid reputation plays a part, even if just a small one, in determining who gets in when it's close and how the bracket gets laid out.

I could see them being technically following the rule by not opening the envelopes before setting the field, but if you know enough about the teams, it's not too hard to figure out that Montana is going to outbid WIU, for example. If we're both on the bubble with similar records and against similar SoS, I'd bet they'd be strongly inclined to go with the team that draws 25k over the team that draws 2.5k.


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[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Coastal Carolina and your own team didn't seem too bothered by the frigid temps when they played up here. xeyebrowx

I was suppose to fly into Bozeman that Friday (CCU-Montana next day)but due to the extreme cold and ice storm in Texas my flight was delayed 4 days. What CCU did in Missoula was extremely impressive!

[WrenFGun]

The only thing I'd say is I wish they'd seed teams and when they regionalize, give the higher seed the game. Again though, if the money is a necessity in FCS, I can deal. Easy for me to say though when UNH draws the Patriot regularly.

Not so easy when the MVFC has to play itself early.

[PantherRob82]

I miss the days of the whole field being seeded.

[wcugrad95]

Regardless of MVFC or CAA or SOCON, rematches are tough in all sports but extremely tough in football. I agree with the comments about just seeding, but if not doing that somebody else mentioned trying to have them try and avoid rematches until farther into the playoffs whenever possible (seems like this is attempted as best they can in the first round, but we all see the rematches as common things starting in round 2). Financials are going to dictate bidding for the first round and regionalization for the first 2 rounds, so I don't expect anything to change unless FCS is going to just try and split-off and figure out a way to find a partner and host our own tournament (like the BCS and now CFP did).

[thebootfitter]

This sounds like a lot of dumb ideas and suggestions that haven't been thought all the way through, along with some whiny bitching. Yes, I'm intentionally being a little overly harsh. I guess if you're going to start a thread like this, at least have some viable solutions to offer.

There are a lot of ways the playoffs could be better if money were not an issue. Any real-life solutions, though, need to take money into account. Come up with a way for the playoffs to be self-supporting financially, and a lot of the issues with regionalization, etc. would disappear.

#1??? Really??? Go cry me a river! Life isn't fair. Get over it. Teams work hard throughout the season to EARN a seed. The selection committee overall does a pretty fair job of selecting the seeds. (If you disagree, I challenge you to form a rational argument to the contrary based on facts.) You can always argue a spot up or down here and there, but overall... they are pretty solid. Neutral sites would cost way more and generate lower attendance overall. Two losing propositions to make up for the perception of home field advantage being "unfair."

C'mon, YT! Ya gotta do better than this.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I still would like to see a neutral site that hosts the D3, D2 and FCS National titles. Have the D2 on a Friday night then do a double-header on Saturday with D3 and FCS. I think an "event" like that with 6 different fan bases would be a hit. Technically it would be the 3 NCAA sanctioned championships as the FBS title is still somewhat "ficticious"'...

I'd use Lucas Stadium in Indianapolis for a 3 year trial....

[TheKingpin28]

I still would like to see a neutral site that hosts the D3, D2 and FCS National titles. Have the D2 on a Friday night then do a double-header on Saturday with D3 and FCS. I think an "event" like that with 6 different fan bases would be a hit. Technically it would be the 3 NCAA sanctioned championships as the FBS title is still somewhat "ficticious"'...

I'd use Lucas Stadium in Indianapolis for a 3 year trial....

And support Jim Irsay and his lifestyle/assholeish personality, no thanks!

Also, I would rather spend the 1K I would probably spend on the trip and go see somewhere else besides Indianapolis in the winter.

[Reign of Terrier]

Coastal Carolina and your own team didn't seem too bothered by the frigid temps when they played up here. xeyebrowx

The principle behind it isn't "woe is the southern teams who cannot play in the cold" as that's been proven not to be the case in the past.

The point is that the weather compromises *both* teams ability to play as well as they could. For instance, when we played Youngstown and Montana, the vast majority of games either of them played were probably not that cold.

There's a reason why bowl games are played (for the most part) in warm weather destinations. It's cold as balls in some places in December/January.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

And support Jim Irsay and his lifestyle/assholeish personality, no thanks!

Also, I would rather spend the 1K I would probably spend on the trip and go see somewhere else besides Indianapolis in the winter.

If Indianapolis is good enough to host the Super Bowl and FBS National Title (in 2021) in the winter then a lower level championship weekend should be no trouble.

[Reign of Terrier]

This sounds like a lot of dumb ideas and suggestions that haven't been thought all the way through, along with some whiny bitching. Yes, I'm intentionally being a little overly harsh. I guess if you're going to start a thread like this, at least have some viable solutions to offer.

There are a lot of ways the playoffs could be better if money were not an issue. Any real-life solutions, though, need to take money into account. Come up with a way for the playoffs to be self-supporting financially, and a lot of the issues with regionalization, etc. would disappear.

#1??? Really??? Go cry me a river! Life isn't fair. Get over it. Teams work hard throughout the season to EARN a seed. The selection committee overall does a pretty fair job of selecting the seeds. (If you disagree, I challenge you to form a rational argument to the contrary based on facts.) You can always argue a spot up or down here and there, but overall... they are pretty solid. Neutral sites would cost way more and generate lower attendance overall. Two losing propositions to make up for the perception of home field advantage being "unfair."

C'mon, YT! Ya gotta do better than this.

the point of this thread is for people to post their general complaints about the playoffs as they're currently structured, not to necessarily posture solutions. If the only problem you have is seeding, that's cool too.

I honestly didn't expect the fans of the team that won 5 straight titles to have any complaints so perhaps this thread isn't for youxcoffeex

[wcugrad95]

If Indianapolis is good enough to host the Super Bowl and FBS National Title (in 2021) in the winter then a lower level championship weekend should be no trouble.

It is also home of the NCAA National Office, so you might be on to something there if you put all the NCAA-sanctioned championships in a single place.

And the whole warm-weather thing - they would prefer to play the Super Bowl in warmer climates or domes, but that is the last game. The home team for all the other playoff games is decided by who had the better season (just like seeds do). So I'd agree having the championship in a place that tries to guarantee a good climate or ensures weather doesn't cause an ugly game makes sense, but I believe all the other rounds are supposed to recognize who earned the right to play at home.

[TheKingpin28]

If Indianapolis is good enough to host the Super Bowl and FBS National Title (in 2021) in the winter then a lower level championship weekend should be no trouble.

Let's assume it's a combination of Montana, NDSU, and/or JMU that get sent to the game. The max one would get is 35-40K tops. That means there are still anywhere between 27-30K empty seats in the stadium, or the ENTIRE upper deck. Yeah no thanks to that one. I want a full stadium of 20,500 vs a 1/3-1/2 empty stadium any day of the week.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Let's assume it's either Montana, NDSU, or JMU that get sent to the game. The max one would get is 35-40K tops. That means there are still anywhere between 27-30K empty seats in the stadium, or the upper deck. Yeah no thanks to that one. I want a full stadium of 20,500 vs a 1/3-1/2 empty stadium any day of the week.

I've seen shots with upper deck closed off by using huge curtains. It makes for an intimate 30-35k setup. Honestly, I would love to go to a true championship weekend. As another poster said, with it being in Indianapolis the NCAA might take more of a vested interest. It doesn't have to stay there but it would be a good place to get such an event off the ground....

[JSUSoutherner]

I've seen shots with upper deck closed off by using huge curtains. It makes for an intimate 30-35k setup. Honestly, I would love to go to a true championship weekend. As another poster said, with it being in Indianapolis the NCAA might take more of a vested interest. It doesn't have to stay there but it would be a good place to get such an event off the ground....

Yup. They do it for BOA and DCI championships. Those events pull about 25,000-30,000 people. It's a nice setup.

[Bisonoline]

There is really only one thing that needs to be changed. You seed every team. That way you actually run a real tournament the way its supposed to be played.
It takes regionalization out of the picture.

[Hammerhead]

Isn’t every other NCAA tournament regionalized? The top seeds might be separated with the auto bids getting funneled into their geographic region. The #12 seed in a men’s b-ball region with the overall top seed isn’t really seeded lower than the #12 seed in the region where the #4 overall seed is located.

[ST_Lawson]

Yup. They do it for BOA and DCI championships. Those events pull about 25,000-30,000 people. It's a nice setup.

To be fair though, the setup is a little different. They essentially close off all of the seats on the backside as opposed to closing off just the upper deck like this would need. I'm sure it can still be done...I've seen other NFL stadiums do it.


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[thebootfitter]

the point of this thread is for people to post their general complaints about the playoffs as they're currently structured, not to necessarily posture solutions. If the only problem you have is seeding, that's cool too.

I honestly didn't expect the fans of the team that won 5 straight titles to have any complaints so perhaps this thread isn't for youxcoffeexFair enough. I do have a few complaints, and they are primarily having to do with the regionalization of the playoffs. I wish it didn't have to be the way it is. Here's hoping that "extra flight" and multiple teams from a conference rule makes some degree of difference.

I guess I don't see the point in having a thread to complain about something without brainstorming ideas to solve the problems, but I'll bow out and let y'all continue then. :-)

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[Go...gate]

My complaint - the Ivies should send their champion. Period.

[ElCid]

My complaint - the Ivies should send their champion. Period.

This here.

[JSUSoutherner]

To be fair though, the setup is a little different. They essentially close off all of the seats on the backside as opposed to closing off just the upper deck like this would need. I'm sure it can still be done...I've seen other NFL stadiums do it.


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They do that for the Atlanta United games in MBS from what I've heard.

[PantherRob82]

Isn’t every other NCAA tournament regionalized? The top seeds might be separated with the auto bids getting funneled into their geographic region. The #12 seed in a men’s b-ball region with the overall top seed isn’t really seeded lower than the #12 seed in the region where the #4 overall seed is located.

Men’s basketball isn’t really regionalized. It may have been at one time, but now those are just the names of the brackets.

- - - Updated - - -


Isn’t every other NCAA tournament regionalized? The top seeds might be separated with the auto bids getting funneled into their geographic region. The #12 seed in a men’s b-ball region with the overall top seed isn’t really seeded lower than the #12 seed in the region where the #4 overall seed is located.

Men’s basketball isn’t really regionalized. It may have been at one time, but now those are just the names of the brackets.

[CHIP72]

I've only read the first few posts of the thread, but for anyone who likes the NCAA Division I basketball tournament but thinks having 24 teams in the DI-AA playoffs is too many:

*Percentage of NCAA basketball tournament teams (68) relative to the total number of Division I basketball schools (351): 19.4%

*Percentage of FCS/DI-AA playoff teams (24) relative to the total number of FCS/DI-AA football schools (124): 19.4%

FWIW, I would personally advocate for the D2 football playoffs to be expanded to 32 teams and the D3 football playoffs to be expanded to 48 teams to allow roughly 20% of the teams in D2 (169 teams) and D3 (250 teams). (D2 currently has 28 teams and D3 currently has 32 teams.)

[Mattymc727]

Keep it at 24, the more, the merrier! (Does anyone think March madness is too many teams?)

Seed 1-24

Everyone gets a bye week, no games Tday weekend

Home teams are the higher seed.

Keep the championship game Neutral

Include the Ivy Champion (Ivies need to man up)

As much as possible, avoid first round rematches (will be very difficult)

Sign a better TV contract so all the games are available to stream (YouTube, Amazon, Fox Sports, Disney)

[POD Knows]

Keep it at 24, the more, the merrier! (Does anyone think March madness is too many teams?)

Seed 1-24

Everyone gets a bye week, no games Tday weekend

Home teams are the higher seed.

Keep the championship game Neutral

Include the Ivy Champion (Ivies need to man up)

As much as possible, avoid first round rematches (will be very difficult)

Sign a better TV contract so all the games are available to stream (YouTube, Amazon, Fox Sports, Disney)What would a 12 game, first round bracket look like?

[CHIP72]

The principle behind it isn't "woe is the southern teams who cannot play in the cold" as that's been proven not to be the case in the past.

The point is that the weather compromises *both* teams ability to play as well as they could. For instance, when we played Youngstown and Montana, the vast majority of games either of them played were probably not that cold.

There's a reason why bowl games are played (for the most part) in warm weather destinations. It's cold as balls in some places in December/January.

The idea that high-ranked teams can't play at home just because they play in a cold weather area is asinine, to be very frank. The best teams should earn home games through to the semifinals as a reward for their excellent seasons. Besides, as you already noted, it affects both teams equally.

It should be noted the Youngstown State (who mind you plays in a fairly cold weather area) went ACROSS THE COUNTRY and played in and won a very cold weather game against Eastern Washington in the national semifinals just last season.

[CHIP72]

I still would like to see a neutral site that hosts the D3, D2 and FCS National titles. Have the D2 on a Friday night then do a double-header on Saturday with D3 and FCS. I think an "event" like that with 6 different fan bases would be a hit. Technically it would be the 3 NCAA sanctioned championships as the FBS title is still somewhat "ficticious"'...

I'd use Lucas Stadium in Indianapolis for a 3 year trial....

I think the idea of having the DI-AA, D2, and D3 championship games all in one location is a decent one, though I'd personally prefer different locations.

The part I strongly disagree with is holding the games in a 60K+ seat NFL stadium. Holding the FCS/DI-AA and D2 championship games in modern but moderately-sized MLS stadiums has proven to be a smart move IMO. I think Frisco has worked great for the DI-AA title game, and despite some complaints about the weather last year, I think Kansas City (at Sporting Kansas City's MLS stadium) has worked well for the D2 title game too. The big thing all the title games, especially the DI-AA title game and to a lesser degree the D2 title game, really need are to be played in large enough markets that there are plenty of flight options for getting to the metro area where the games are played.

[Mattymc727]

What would a 12 game, first round bracket look like?

https://www.printyourbrackets.com/consolation/24-consolation-seeded.pdf

I suppose it couldn't be played like that, so something like the link above. 1-8 gets 2 bye weeks?

[POD Knows]

https://www.printyourbrackets.com/consolation/24-consolation-seeded.pdf

I suppose it couldn't be played like that, so something like the link above. 1-8 gets 2 bye weeks?When I read your post, I understood it to be #1 plays #24 and so on, that bracket you posted isn't a lot different that what is currently occurring. I am personally OK with the 24 team format but some of the idiocy on here with respect to "home" games for the higher seeds being unfair is just dumb. Somebody on this thread actually said that if you have a dome, you shouldn't have a home game.

[Mattymc727]

When I read your post, I understood it to be #1 plays #24 and so on, that bracket you posted isn't a lot different that what is currently occurring. I am personally OK with the 24 team format but some of the idiocy on here with respect to "home" games for the higher seeds being unfair is just dumb. Somebody on this thread actually said that if you have a dome, you shouldn't have a home game.

My gut wants it that way, but as you pointed out, doesn't work until we are back to 16 (or expand even further). This is the same as today, I just want every team seeded so there is no more regionalization. I don't think pushing the playoffs back a week is a major ask either.

[POD Knows]

My gut wants it that way, but as you pointed out, doesn't work until we are back to 16 (or expand even further). This is the same as today, I just want every team seeded so there is no more regionalization. I don't think pushing the playoffs back a week is a major ask either.Agree about the regionalization deal but if you are going to move it back to avoid Thanksgiving, you are going to bump up against Christmas because you need 4 weeks to flush this thing out before the finals in January.

[MR. CHICKEN]

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=26458&stc=1.......MAH COMPLAINT............DIS THREAD.........xdeadhorsex..........BRAWK!

[Mattymc727]

Agree about the regionalization deal but if you are going to move it back to avoid Thanksgiving, you are going to bump up against Christmas because you need 4 weeks to flush this thing out before the finals in January.

Perhaps its too many weeks off for the top seeds, but could you have another week off at xmas too? Just avoid the holidays altogether. More time off for the kids means more rest and better product on the field. If none of that is possible, then I suppose just leave the dates as they are done today and add the seeds.

[Professor Chaos]

Perhaps its too many weeks off for the top seeds, but could you have another week off at xmas too? Just avoid the holidays altogether. More time off for the kids means more rest and better product on the field. If none of that is possible, then I suppose just leave the dates as they are done today and add the seeds.
Anytime shortly before or after Christmas will be even more problematic than Thanksgiving Saturday. That's why I think leaving the current schedule in place but reducing to 20 teams, thereby halving the amount of Thanksgiving weekend games to 4, is the best solution. Or if they would go down to 16 teams I'd be all for giving everyone a bye. As a fan I like the break between the semis and the title game although I know the coaches do not (since it's usually a 3 week break).

[ST_Lawson]

The idea that high-ranked teams can't play at home just because they play in a cold weather area is asinine, to be very frank. The best teams should earn home games through to the semifinals as a reward for their excellent seasons. Besides, as you already noted, it affects both teams equally.

It should be noted the Youngstown State (who mind you plays in a fairly cold weather area) went ACROSS THE COUNTRY and played in and won a very cold weather game against Eastern Washington in the national semifinals just last season.

I'd like to volunteer us to not have any home games in the playoffs (5-1 on the road, 1-2 at home this season). I don't care if it's cold or hot, just not here.

[Sycamore62]

I like the idea of Indy and I like the idea of moving the championship games together maybe have a 3 day 3 game championship. Indy does things up pretty well. I wonder if the Edward Jones dome in St Louis is available? I think they have temporary pop-up CVS stores available to burn down as a diversion after a win/loss already in place.

I also assumed that they are having the championship at the location that bids the best on it. I also suspect that the front office NCAA employees dont want to have the game in town because they wouldnt get a per deim and a free trip somewhere warm.

- - - Updated - - -


I'd like to volunteer us to not have any home games in the playoffs (6-1 on the road, 1-2 at home this season). I don't care if it's cold or hot, just not here.

I just go and fix that so its accurate all next week too

[KPSUL]

to the point about venue, I think cold areas should play in a neutral dome in a central location. I think the particular venue can depend upon the bracket. I'm not saying "send everyone to the warm areas" because that would obviously favor southern teams. So, if South Dakota State, South Dakota and North Dakota State make the playoffs, it may be best to find a neutral location where all teams/fans can play their games (a dome would be preferable, given the climate). Down south, the temperature isn't usually a problem, but I think finding a nice, central location would be great as well (for instance, you could do Chattanooga as a venue for southeastern teams, Frisco for Texas/Louisiana teams, a dome in the northwest for the big sky, etc. The details for this thread aren't as important as the principle behind them.).




I'm more concerned about accumulated travel than I am about the specific climate.

This weather talk is ridiculous. Football is an outdoor game, weather is part of the game. And there is no guarantee that the more northern teams will win in frigid weather. In 2013 Coastal Carolina traveled to MT and won in subzero temperatures colder than normal for early December. It should be completely obvious that playing games in domes in centralized locations would be prohibitively expensive from transportation and a lost revenue standpoints - Most FCS fans are not going to travel any significant distance to attend a playoff game. Enclosed football facilities afford home teams an even bigger advantage due to the fact the noise at field level can be deafening. Also domes are not even available in part of the nation. I can think of only one in the Northeast: in Syracuse. The Bills, Patriots, Jets, Giants, Eagles, and Steelers all play in open stadiums.

[SoDakSA]

The principle behind it isn't "woe is the southern teams who cannot play in the cold" as that's been proven not to be the case in the past.

The point is that the weather compromises *both* teams ability to play as well as they could. For instance, when we played Youngstown and Montana, the vast majority of games either of them played were probably not that cold.

There's a reason why bowl games are played (for the most part) in warm weather destinations. It's cold as balls in some places in December/January.

And our bowl game, the championship, is played in a warmer climate.

[Reign of Terrier]

Fair enough. I do have a few complaints, and they are primarily having to do with the regionalization of the playoffs. I wish it didn't have to be the way it is. Here's hoping that "extra flight" and multiple teams from a conference rule makes some degree of difference.

I guess I don't see the point in having a thread to complain about something without brainstorming ideas to solve the problems, but I'll bow out and let y'all continue then. :-)

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Well you can suggest solutions! This isn't some higher-up corporate study. Do what football fans are best at...complain!

[Sycamore62]

This weather talk is ridiculous. Football is an outdoor game, weather is part of the game. And there is no guarantee that the more northern teams will win in frigid weather. In 2013 Coastal Carolina traveled to MT and won in subzero temperatures colder than normal for early December. It should be completely obvious that playing games in domes in centralized locations would be prohibitively expensive from transportation and a lost revenue standpoints - Most FCS fans are not going to travel any significant distance to attend a playoff game. Enclosed football facilities afford home teams an even bigger advantage due to the fact the noise at field level can be deafening. Also domes are not even available in part of the nation. I can think of only one in the Northeast: in Syracuse. The Bills, Patriots, Jets, Giants, Eagles, and Steelers all play in open stadiums.

They know crazy people will sit outside and rich people will pay to sit inside

[Reign of Terrier]

The idea that high-ranked teams can't play at home just because they play in a cold weather area is asinine, to be very frank. The best teams should earn home games through to the semifinals as a reward for their excellent seasons. Besides, as you already noted, it affects both teams equally.

It should be noted the Youngstown State (who mind you plays in a fairly cold weather area) went ACROSS THE COUNTRY and played in and won a very cold weather game against Eastern Washington in the national semifinals just last season.

The argument wasn't "high ranked teams can't play at home just because they play in a cold weather area" it was

1) adverse weather impacts both teams, likely equally
2) too much travel takes a toll
3) Home field advantage tilts the scales a little bit more than what I'm comfortable with

I know point 3 probably sounds a little whiney so let me contextualize it a little better. the FCS (1-AA) used to play championship games at the home field of one of the two teams but did away with it. I don't know the specific reason why they did, but I imagine it takes an element of fairness out of the game that one group of fans has an advantage over attending the even than others (put aside the fact that influence on the game). When I'm arguing against home field (or at least how it's currently structured) I'm basically applying the same principle.

I'm not against homefield advantage entirely (and I think there are good arguments to keep it in the first and second round), but for the reasons listed above I think a neutral site for the quarterfinals and beyond, like the NCAA tournament would be a good idea to explore

[KPSUL]

They know crazy people will sit outside and rich people will pay to sit inside

True. And crazy rich people will pay to sit inside even in enclosed stadiums.

[POD Knows]

The argument wasn't "high ranked teams can't play at home just because they play in a cold weather area" it was

1) adverse weather impacts both teams, likely equally
2) too much travel takes a toll
3) Home field advantage tilts the scales a little bit more than what I'm comfortable with

I know point 3 probably sounds a little whiney so let me contextualize it a little better. the FCS (1-AA) used to play championship games at the home field of one of the two teams but did away with it. I don't know the specific reason why they did, but I imagine it takes an element of fairness out of the game that one group of fans has an advantage over attending the even than others (put aside the fact that influence on the game). When I'm arguing against home field (or at least how it's currently structured) I'm basically applying the same principle.

I'm not against homefield advantage entirely (and I think there are good arguments to keep it in the first and second round), but for the reasons listed above I think a neutral site for the quarterfinals and beyond, like the NCAA tournament would be a good idea to exploreNope

[Bluefish845]

I'm not against homefield advantage entirely (and I think there are good arguments to keep it in the first and second round), but for the reasons listed above I think a neutral site for the quarterfinals and beyond, like the NCAA tournament would be a good idea to explore
Nope

Why not?

[Professor Chaos]

I'm not against homefield advantage entirely (and I think there are good arguments to keep it in the first and second round), but for the reasons listed above I think a neutral site for the quarterfinals and beyond, like the NCAA tournament would be a good idea to explore
Nope

Why not?
1) Atmosphere is better at a home venue
2) Attendance is better at a home venue (so more revenue is generated)
3) It's cheaper travel to only have to pay one team's travel costs
4) It rewards the teams that had the best regular seasons by giving them homefield advantage in the quarters and semis

[SoDakSA]

I'm not against homefield advantage entirely (and I think there are good arguments to keep it in the first and second round), but for the reasons listed above I think a neutral site for the quarterfinals and beyond, like the NCAA tournament would be a good idea to explore

Do you want poorly attended quarterfinal games? Because this is how you get poorly attended games. All you have to do is look to the mid-major conference basketball tournaments that are held on neutral sites.

I just don't understand punishing a team for having a good season by taking away their home field.

[POD Knows]

1) Atmosphere is better at a home venue
2) Attendance is better at a home venue (so more revenue is generated)
3) It's cheaper travel to only have to pay for one team
4) It rewards the teams that had the best regular seasons by giving them homefield advantage in the quarters and semisThis, I thought the answer was self evident so I didn't reply to the post, thanks for picking up the slack. I don't understand why people can't see this, does the NFL have playoff games at neutral sites prior to the Super Bowl, hell no, this argument is beyond dumb.

[Reign of Terrier]

I don't expect the NDSU fans to agree with me on home-field advantage lol

[POD Knows]

I don't expect the NDSU fans to agree with me on home-field advantage lolI think you are on an island by yourself on this one. If the Bison end up having to play an away game in the playoffs, then so be it, and you won't hear me bitching, unless of course, the seeding was messed up.

[walliver]

Unlike March Madness, the FCS playoffs are not profitable. No network is going to pony up a billion dollars for long-term rights. The first two weeks are going up against Thanksgiving and then the FBS conference championships. The seeding system, which rightfully rewards good teams, has the downside of allowing seeded teams to low-ball their game-hosting bids (although there is a small risk to that process). Regionalization is to some extent necessary to control costs, but the recent tendency to create very small regions (the recent South Carolina brackets, for example) have taken away some of the playoff fun of playing new teams.

It is what it is, and although there are things I would change, financial constraints and time issues make radical change unlikely.

For what it's worth, I don't think a FBS playoff at neutral sites would work either (other than the championship game)

[SoDakSA]

This, I thought the answer was self evident so I didn't reply to the post, thanks for picking up the slack. I don't understand why people can't see this, does the NFL have playoff games at neutral sites prior to the Super Bowl, hell no, this argument is beyond dumb.

Exactly. You essentially double the NCAA travel budget.

The complaint that I have about the playoffs is that the way things are regionalized the best teams often play too early. Seed 1-24 and have a true playoff bracket. Try to work something out with a broadcast partner to offset the travel costs and then we have ourselves a tournament

[Sycamore62]

They could seed them 1-24 and still regionalize letting the higher seed have the home game. something like: 9 is playing 14 and we know that sucks but 9 gets the home game because they are the higher seed even though 14 is going to sell out 15,000 seats, yes we know in a perfect world 9 would play 24 but unless you want to pay for the flights this is what we are stuck with.

[Reign of Terrier]

I think you are on an island by yourself on this one. If the Bison end up having to play an away game in the playoffs, then so be it, and you won't hear me bitching, unless of course, the seeding was messed up.

you bitch in every thread you postxcoffeex

[AggieManiac704]

The odds that the FCS playoffs ever get pushed back a week?

[jmufan999]

The odds that the FCS playoffs ever get pushed back a week?

as long as it stays at 24 teams? 0%.

[wcugrad95]

They could, and remove the week off between the semis and finals. That would also avoid Thanksgiving weekend which as mentioned always lessons crowds and we have to compete with other traditional FBS big games. But that also puts the semis right around Christmas competing with the FBS bowls. The NCAA talks about being about the student-athlete, but the schools that make deep runs end up having to play an awful lot of weeks in a row. WCU plays 12 weeks straight this year - no byes, and book-ended by FBS games to start and end. If we are lucky enough to make the playoffs, and then were really lucky and won some games, it would be 13, 14, even 15 weeks in a row without a weekend off.

[Professor Chaos]

They could, and remove the week off between the semis and finals. That would also avoid Thanksgiving weekend which as mentioned always lessons crowds and we have to compete with other traditional FBS big games. But that also puts the semis right around Christmas competing with the FBS bowls. The NCAA talks about being about the student-athlete, but the schools that make deep runs end up having to play an awful lot of weeks in a row. WCU plays 12 weeks straight this year - no byes, and book-ended by FBS games to start and end. If we are lucky enough to make the playoffs, and then were really lucky and won some games, it would be 13, 14, even 15 weeks in a row without a weekend off.
I don't understand the reasoning behind moving all the games back to avoid Thanksgiving weekend because then you're just playing the semis on Christmas weekend (or the weekend closest to Christmas). If you think Thanksgiving weekend game attendance is bad wait until you have a national semi on 12/24.

Let's be honest, the top 8 has all the true national title contenders most years and very rarely will the national champion not come out of those 8 teams. Those 8 have Thansgiving weekend off so they get a bye as a reward for having a good regular season and being a national title contender. After that I don't have too much sympathy for teams that have to play Thansgiving weekend. If you don't want to do that, win more games in the regular season.

[wcugrad95]

Yep - think I mentioned that. I said they could, but it would introduce new problems.

[jadmt]

apparently they have already reserved 25 rooms at the Motel 6 for one of the MRVC schools and reserved a bus for the team headed to Missoula for Turkey day weekend. Apparently money is tight in the FCS and they know that even on a holiday 18-20000 will show up. Not sure which one but that is what the rumor is.

[Professor Chaos]

apparently they have already reserved 25 rooms at the Motel 6 for one of the MRVC schools and reserved a bus for the team headed to Missoula for Turkey day weekend. Apparently money is tight in the FCS and they know that even on a holiday 18-20000 will show up. Not sure which one but that is what the rumor is.
The Griz will most definitely be hosting on Thanksgiving weekend if they make the field so not all that surprising to me. Whether it's a MVFC schools is I'm sure still TBD.