Big East Commish sounds off on playoffs, "Don't compare I-A, I-AA"

[ChooChoo]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/01/02/bcs.future/1.html


Playoff proponents counter that plenty of other sports, such as baseball and basketball, cross over two semesters (though those sports also account for many of the NCAA's lowest APR scores), and that Divisions I-AA, II and III all hold their playoffs during the mid-December finals season.

"Don't insult my intelligence," said Tranghese. "Don't compare I-AA football to I-A football. Appalachian State-Delaware, that's a great game, but they are not operating in the limelight that I-A is. For anyone to think there could be a I-A playoff during exams -- the press demands, the television demands, they're just huge.

"People criticize us for low graduation rates -- then those same people want us to play playoffs during exams."

What a nice man. He cares about his schools and the student's education. What with all their press demands and TV demands...during finals.

"And the negative is that the value and meaning of the regular season will be diminished. Playoff proponents who say that's not true -- that's just pure stupidity."
oops...didn't you guys know you were all stupid for having a playoff? YOU are ruining the game!xrolleyesx

[Eyes of Old Main]

Better give Tranghese his way or he'll pout the way he did when the ACC raided his conference.

If anything, playoffs create more problems for I-AA players than they would for I-A players since I-AA schools as a whole are more concerned with the academic performance of their athletes.

[Poly Pigskin]

If anything, playoffs create more problems for I-AA players than they would for I-A players since I-AA schools as a whole are more concerned with the academic performance of their athletes.

FCS players are also more concerned about academic performance since they don't have nearly as good of a chance at making it to the next level. The vast majority of FCS players NEED their degree; the same can't be said for FBS players, particularly those in powerhouse programs that would be most likely to compete in a FBS playoff.

[Appinator]

In reading the article, you can really see the main focus of these commissioners. Blunt individuals like Tranghese just aren't as articulate enough to say it with class. The commissioners and the NCAA want the most money and publicity for as many schools as possible. That is quite understandable. The money from games that "continue to matter" through out the season, provides enormous funds to support scholarships for nearly all of a schools student athletes at each institution. They are willing to sacrifice legitimacy as a whole for their term "National Champion" for greater wealth and exposure at the FBS level. I do however question their intelligence overall in not addressing this in such a manner. The FBS commissioners gladly embrace a system that provides as many happy endings as possible to fuel these large programs. Yes a team might not have had a shot to play in a BCS game, but their fans, boosters, and students can go out on a high note by winning the toilet bowl. Our fans at the FCS level equate that type of success to which level of the playoffs you reached. At the end of the day, to each his own.

[JohnStOnge]

"Whenever my [league's] presidents have asked me about the positives and negatives of a playoff, I tell them the two positives are [more] money and people will stop yelling and screaming," said Tranghese. "And the negative is that the value and meaning of the regular season will be diminished. Playoff proponents who say that's not true -- that's just pure stupidity."

At least he's honest enough to admit there'd be more money in a playoff system.

The "value of the regular season" argument is, I think, the worst people on his side make. When there are playoffs there are more rather than fewer meaningful regular season games. All you have to do is look at any level of football that has playoffs to see that. The NFL, for example. As it got near the seasons a bunch of games became extremely important to teams trying to get in.

This year was unusual in FBS. Most years, once you lose two games, you're out of the picture. From then on, no game a team plays is important in terms of getting them into the "national championsip" picture.

In FCS, the last game of the regular season meant or potentially meant the difference between getting into the playoffs or not getting into the playoffs for a number of teams. I'm sure the same was true in II and III."

Playoff proponents who argue against the "diminished regular season" argument aren't guilty of "pure stupidity." It's just that they actually think about it and can see that it's a fallacious argument.

[Go...gate]

You hate to have to see self-serving garbage like this in mainstream media. It is an affront to I-AA football.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Speaking of "stupidity":


"The BCS has created what I call cross-watching," said Tranghese. "An LSU fan had interest in that game, an Ohio State fan had interest in that game. Most of that would go away if we had a football playoff -- that is one thing I'm certain of."

Come on, you're saying that cross-watching wouldn't happen if there was a playoff? Rather than one game to follow, there could be 10 or 11 - like, oh, the FCS?

THAT, Virginia, is the "insult to our intelligence". At least he could give an impression that he knows a little something about ALL of Division I football.

[Rob Iola]

I will admit that it's tough for the players and student fans for the teams that get deep into the playoffs - there is a lot of conflict with exams that doesn't exist for the majority of the bowls...

[rancher griz]

Don't compare the Big East with the SEC

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

What does he mean by "press demands"?...just let the NCAA schedule the games and let the media worry about how they are going to do their coverage of them.

[TheValleyRaider]

Wasn't this guy a driving force behind the BCS in the first place? xconfusedx

[Tim James]

I hate Tranghese. If he had any stones he'd force Notre Dame to join the Big East for football and if they refused he should kick them out. He wont do that though because he's spineless. He's also fircely loyal to the basketball only schools. He didnt see the ACC raid coming because he has no vision. He was happy with only 8 schools for football and he didnt see that other conferences want 12 teams so they could have a championship game payoff. The Big East could have been proactive and been the first ones to raid another conference so they could have 12 teams and a championship game but hes a basketball guy thats why he didnt do anything until he was raided then forced to react. He's not even trying to convince Penn State and Notre Dame to join full time because he knows nothing about football. That would be the smartest move he could make to have a Big East football conference with Penn State and Notre Dame.

[Jerbearasu]

If only we had followed the mold of the BCS we would have seen a championship game between Northern Iowa and McNeese State... Who cares about crowning a true champion??? The regular season is when playoffs are--- Bunch of hog-wash... Think if there was a BCS playoffs does anyone think it would be LSU and Ohio State right now? The way USC looked they would have steam rolled either of these teams... I'm glad we don't have to diminish our sport to politics...

[Herdman]

I hate Tranghese. If he had any stones he'd force Notre Dame to join the Big East for football and if they refused he should kick them out. He wont do that though because he's spineless. He's also fircely loyal to the basketball only schools. He didnt see the ACC raid coming because he has no vision. He was happy with only 8 schools for football and he didnt see that other conferences want 12 teams so they could have a championship game payoff. The Big East could have been proactive and been the first ones to raid another conference so they could have 12 teams and a championship game but hes a basketball guy thats why he didnt do anything until he was raided then forced to react. He's not even trying to convince Penn State and Notre Dame to join full time because he knows nothing about football. That would be the smartest move he could make to have a Big East football conference with Penn State and Notre Dame.Great post! PSU and the catholic school in South Bend should be in the Big East along with BC, but as long as the BE considers itself a basketball conference nothing will change.

[Herdman]

Ask yourself this question: How many BE teams would have made the play-off this year? 1...That why Richard Cranium doesn't want a play-off.

[Herdman]

If only we had followed the mold of the BCS we would have seen a championship game between Northern Iowa and McNeese State... Who cares about crowning a true champion??? The regular season is when playoffs are--- Bunch of hog-wash... Think if there was a BCS playoffs does anyone think it would be LSU and Ohio State right now? The way USC looked they would have steam rolled either of these teams... I'm glad we don't have to diminish our sport to politics...That's not necessarily true. You have to take into consideration who USC played...the 3rd or 4th best team in the BT. That doesn't mean USC would win a play-off, but I do agree that having a play-off is better than arguing over what teams looked better in their bowl win.

[JohnStOnge]

If only we had followed the mold of the BCS we would have seen a championship game between Northern Iowa and McNeese State... Who cares about crowning a true champion??? The regular season is when playoffs are--- Bunch of hog-wash... Think if there was a BCS playoffs does anyone think it would be LSU and Ohio State right now? The way USC looked they would have steam rolled either of these teams... I'm glad we don't have to diminish our sport to politics...

I agree with you but I must say that I don't think we know that USC would've steamrolled LSU or Ohio State. You never know.

I think the chances are pretty good that LSU would've had problems with starting a playoff right after the season ended because it was having serious injury problems. I sure wouldn't have counted Ohio State out with Tressel a the helm in a playoff tournament though.

[JohnStOnge]

That's not necessarily true. You have to take into consideration who USC played...the 3rd or 4th best team in the BT. That doesn't mean USC would win a play-off, but I do agree that having a play-off is better than arguing over what teams looked better in their bowl win.

Yep. And things can change a lot from game to game. Like if all we were looking at is how dominant teams were in bowl games I'd say Missouri and West Virginia looked as dominant as anybody. And West Virginia was probably playing a lot better team than USC was.

Yet in its previous game it got beat by Pitt. I know the QB was injured for much of the game but that's still a pretty good indication of how a team can look really different from one game to the next.

[Rob Iola]

In a sense there would have been a pseudo "and 1" FBS playoff, if Oklahoma made the title game based on their win in the Big 12 championship. With Missouri and West Virginia losing games that would've gotten them into the title game, well, there's your playoff right there...