College Football Playoffs: A better idea (2022 Edition)

For years, some of my online friends have suggested ways to improve the college football playoffs. To be clear, we're talking about Division 1-A/FBS, since Division 1-AA/FCS has had a championship since they split Division 1 football in 1979.

Our idea has been to have a 16 team playoff. Every conference champion would automatically qualify. Let's be clear, all conference champions, not just the self-proclaimed Power 5. The field of 16 would be filled in with the best teams that didn't win a conference championship.

We've been calling for this since the BCS days, and if they had done this, a lot of the conference realignment would not have happened. The college football landscape would be very different.

In a couple of years, the field of four will expand to 12. It's a good step, but I think it should include all conference championships. Winning a conference championship is a big deal. Winning the SEC is a big deal. Winning the MAC is a big deal. Not as big a deal, but still, it's a major college football conference championship. In my mind, they've earned something special, and a spot in the playoffs would be the proper reward.

Once you have more than eight teams involved -- such as the upcoming change to 12 -- you have four rounds. The season won't last any longer having 16 teams than 12 teams. The only thing 12 does is give 4 teams a bye, and leave out four conference champs.

Having said all that, the College Football Playoff Committee announced the four team field yesterday afternoon:

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Texas Christian
4. Ohio State

Two of those are conference champions, one is a conference runner up, and one didn't make the conference championship game. So, eight conference champions were left out. Our plan of a field of 16 would solved that as well.

So, what would the playoffs look like if our plan was in place? First, let's see what the 12-team version that starts in a couple of years looks like.

1. Georgia (SEC)
2. Michigan (Big Ten)
3. Clemson (ACC)
4. Utah (Pac 12)
5. Texas Christian
6. Ohio State
7. Alabama
8. Tennessee
9. Kansas State (Big XII)
10. Southern California
11. Penn State
12. Tulane (American)

In the upcoming plan, the first four teams would receive a bye, and the other eight would play each other, with 5 vs 12, 6 vs 11, 7 vs 10, and 8 vs 9.

This is actually a good start. But, if you want it done right, here is our playoff field:

1. Georgia (SEC)
   
2. Michigan (Big Ten)
   
3. Clemson (ACC)
   
4. Utah (Pac 12)
   
5. Kansas State (Big XII)
   
6. Tulane (American)
   
7. Troy (Sun Belt)
   
8. Texas-San Antonio (Conference USA)
   
9. Fresno State (Mountain West)
   
10. Toledo (MAC)
    
11. Texas Christian
12. Ohio State
13. Alabama
14. Tennessee
15. Southern California
16. Penn State

That seeds the conference champions first, followed by the non-conference champions. This is in line with how the NFL does it, and how the byes in the CFP 12-team works.

Some critics of our plan over the years don't like the MAC or Mountain West teams ranked higher than, say, Ohio State. I don't agree. I think winning a conference should give you an advantage. But, if you prefer to have non-champions above some conference champions, here is that seeding:

1. Georgia (SEC)
2. Michigan (Big Ten)
3. Texas Christian
4. Ohio State
5. Alabama
6. Tennessee
7. Clemson (ACC)
8. Utah (Pac 12)
9. Kansas State (Big XII)
10. Southern California
11. Penn State
12. Tulane (American)
13. Troy (Sun Belt)
14. Texas-San Antonio (Conference USA)
15. Fresno State (Mountain West)
16. Toledo (MAC)

I prefer the former, but if you want to do it that way, I'm okay with it. I just want all the conference champs involved. They did something great, and should be rewarded with a chance to win it all.

What does all this have to do with streaming? Well, other than that's how I watch all my games, nothing specific to streaming. But as a streamer, I appreciate the fact that I can watch any post-season game I want. My Streaming Life is good.