Brown and Leach want BCS Changes

[kepdawg]

Texas' Brown, Texas Tech's Leach want BCS changes

Coaches' ideas range from minor tweaks to a 64-team bracket

10:26 PM CST on Monday, December 3, 2007

By CHUCK CARLTON / The Dallas Morning News
ccarlton@dallasnews.com

The college football playoff plans offered Monday ranged from Mack Brown's conservative approach to Mike Leach's mammoth overhaul.

The latest unsatisfying conclusion to another regular season prompted more suggestions about revamping the Bowl Championship Series.

Even as Big 12 coaches such as Texas' Brown and Texas Tech's Leach offered their thoughts, they saw no building momentum for change among college presidents and conference commissioners.

Brown, for one, hopes this season serves as a playoff catalyst, even if it involves only four teams.

Last year, he mentioned the difficulty in casting his final USA Today coaches' poll ballot.

"I think it was at least as difficult [this season] because I thought there were four or five capable of playing for a national championship," said Brown, later offering possible considerations.

"Do you vote for the team that played the best last week? Do you vote for the team that is the best at the end of the year? Or do you vote for the team that by the system should be moved up."

Brown also expressed sympathy for teams that were not selected for BCS games, including formerly top-ranked Missouri.

"I think it's unfair for two or three teams," Brown said. "I don't know how you can keep Arizona State out of the BCS. I don't know how you can fall from No. 1 in the country out of the BCS."

As he did Sunday, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said it wouldn't be appropriate to offer his thoughts on the BCS.

Leach's proposal would solve the problem of worthy teams being excluded. He suggested 32 to 64 teams in a playoff system similar to the lower divisions of college football or high schools.

"The fear would be if they do some little thing like just have some extra game. All that is going to do is perpetuate the problem," Leach said. "I think they need a big one ..."

He said that a Plus One game "would be a complete waste of time."

Leach provided concrete underpinning to his plan. Teams would play 10 regular-season games and have one week off before the playoffs began. Non-playoff teams would fill the void with interdivisional play, a football NIT.

The playoffs would begin with on-campus sites for the first round and then incorporate existing bowl sites afterwards. Under the 64-team format, the champion would play 16 games in a season.

"It works in high school, it works in Division III, it works in Division II, it works in I-AA, it works in the NFL," Leach said. "To me, it's obvious."

LINK (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/120407dnspocoaches.265b482.html)

[JJ7997]

Both good points, its a shame their voices and the voices of many other respected HC's will fall on deaf ears.

[Gobbla2001]

neat article... I think 32 or 64 would be a huge stretch for a "start"... honestly I'd go with 16, and if that works out well enough and they want more later on so be it, but I think 16 is great enough...

like some have suggested: 11 confrence champs and 5 at-larges seeded in a 16-team playoff... higher seeds get the home games up until the championship game which would be played at one of the big bowls... hell, have it at the rose bowl every year, I don't care...

then like they've suggested, put other teams qualifying for bowls in the existing bowl games (getting rid of a few of the low low market ones)...

it's pretty simple and it WOULD work... teams would play harder for home-field advantage and teams would fight harder knowing they had a REALISTIC shot at making the championship game if they won their confrence or played well enough to get one of 5 at-large bids...

plus it'd be good for office/3adownlow pick 'em brackets :D

[Gontex]

The idea of automatic qualifiers for conference winners won't cut it. The simple fact is that some of these conferences simply do not warrant an automatic invitation to the big dance. Can you imagine only one team from the big 12 or sec or the big 10 going into this tournament. No, in fact you had at least 3 teams in the big 12 this year that would deserve an invitation to such a tournament. The other conferences could easily make the same argument. I think the way to qualify would be to use the current BCS poll to determine the best 16 to get in.

[themsu97]

what would have to happen to make all of this work would be very difficult... 1) like alot of us have always said is $$$$ 2) the bigger conferences would have to take in some of the smaller conferences and expand and then make a large conference out of what is left... Big 12 picking up Houston and TCU persay... problem is Big 10 and Pac 10 will not go for it... 3) then who gets in and who gets out... the problem really comes down to Big 10 and Pac 10 who love what they have and the Rose Bowl... without those two big players, it is hard to see anything changing

[Daddy D 11]

the money issue or argument confuses me, and this is why:

wouldnt playing more games only make more money for the schools? instead of texas playing 12 or 13 games, they would play 16! im sorry but that sounds like more revenue right there :confused: :thinking:

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by Daddy D 11
the money issue or argument confuses me, and this is why:

wouldnt playing more games only make more money for the schools? instead of texas playing 12 or 13 games, they would play 16! im sorry but that sounds like more revenue right there :confused: :thinking:

not EVERY school would play 16 games...only 2 teams would. For the 2 that play 16, 2 more that play 15, and 4 more that play 14...you have 30-40 schools that would only play 11 (10 + the 1 "NIT game")...which is less than the 13 games (12 + a bowl) that they're playing in now.

[Daddy D 11]

did not even think of that, great point.

i guess im just pissed off that college football is so stupid, its ridiculous.

[jockcity33]

so why not make the "NIT" a tournament also.

[Phil C]

I think both points are good but we really need a 16 team playoff system which I think will come some day but probably not in our lifetimes. :(

[JasperDog94]

How about taking the teams that don't make the 16 team tournament and putting them in some of the traditional (lower level) bowls so you still have college football on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day? That would give those teams 11 games.

[Phil C]

Originally posted by Daddy D 11
did not even think of that, great point.

i guess im just pissed off that college football is so stupid, its ridiculous.


Daddy D I think what you mean is that big time College Division 1 is so studpit that it's ridiculous. ;)

[buff4life]

Originally posted by Phil C
Daddy D I think what you mean is that big time College Division 1 is so studpit that it's ridiculous. ;)

Technically its FBS thats so stupid...not all of DI:D

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by Gontex
The idea of automatic qualifiers for conference winners won't cut it. The simple fact is that some of these conferences simply do not warrant an automatic invitation to the big dance. Can you imagine only one team from the big 12 or sec or the big 10 going into this tournament. No, in fact you had at least 3 teams in the big 12 this year that would deserve an invitation to such a tournament. The other conferences could easily make the same argument. I think the way to qualify would be to use the current BCS poll to determine the best 16 to get in.
I think conference champs plus five is the only way to do it. Sure, it may lead to some bad first-round games, but I want to see Central Florida and Troy play the big boys. Heck, I thought Troy could've hung with anyone this year with that QB they have.

Besides, chances are that eight of the top ten make it to the playoffs any given year. That's enough of the big boys for me.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
I think conference champs plus five is the only way to do it. Sure, it may lead to some bad first-round games, but I want to see Central Florida and Troy play the big boys. Heck, I thought Troy could've hung with anyone this year with that QB they have.

Besides, chances are that eight of the top ten make it to the playoffs any given year. That's enough of the big boys for me.

See that wouldn't work because of the money issue. I highly doubt that Troy could sell their 40,000 ticket allotment to a game...whereas that wouldn't be a problem for Texas (4th in the Big 12) to do. I did a 24-team playoff bracket last year and it can be found here:

http://bbs.3adownlow.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56538&highlight=bowl+and+playoff

let me work up a new one for this year and see what it would look like.

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
See that wouldn't work because of the money issue. I highly doubt that Troy could sell their 40,000 ticket allotment to a game...whereas that wouldn't be a problem for Texas (4th in the Big 12) to do. I did a 24-team playoff bracket last year and it can be found here:

http://bbs.3adownlow.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56538&highlight=bowl+and+playoff

let me work up a new one for this year and see what it would look like.

The "smaller conference teams" dont sell their allotment for the BBall tourney yet that makes money hand over fist

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
See that wouldn't work because of the money issue. I highly doubt that Troy could sell their 40,000 ticket allotment to a game...whereas that wouldn't be a problem for Texas (4th in the Big 12) to do. I did a 24-team playoff bracket last year and it can be found here:

http://bbs.3adownlow.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56538&highlight=bowl+and+playoff

let me work up a new one for this year and see what it would look like.
If they don't sell out by Thursday, they go on sale to the general public. Problem solved.

[Txbroadcaster]

We should just make the NCAA coaches neg a place each week like in HS lol

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
We should just make the NCAA coaches neg a place each week like in HS lol
Three conditions:

1. The game must be played south of the Red River.
2. The game must played west of the Sabine River.
3. The game must be played east of the Rio Grande.

I like that setup.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
If they don't sell out by Thursday, they go on sale to the general public. Problem solved.

Travelling to a neutral site game is easy when you have time to prepare. Look at the Cotton Bowl last year...the team's don't sell their allotment and the general public wasn't that concerned with buying tickets to the game. On short notice (2-3 days) I think the demand might be even less. How many people in Arizona would want to attend a OU vs Hawaii quarterfinal game? Food for thought definitely...

[KTJ]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
Travelling to a neutral site game is easy when you have time to prepare. Look at the Cotton Bowl last year...the team's don't sell their allotment and the general public wasn't that concerned with buying tickets to the game. On short notice (2-3 days) I think the demand might be even less. How many people in Arizona would want to attend a OU vs Hawaii quarterfinal game? Food for thought definitely...

I think you're underestimating the power of college football, fan bases and their alumni, as well as $$$. People will pay to go watch their teams try to win a NC. It doesn't matter where it is. (And if you're a Texas, Ohio State, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, VT, etc., you know for a fact that it doesn't matter where you end up playing, your fans will travel.)

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by KTJ
I think you're underestimating the power of college football, fan bases and their alumni, as well as $$$. People will pay to go watch their teams try to win a NC. It doesn't matter where it is. (And if you're a Texas, Ohio State, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, VT, etc., you know for a fact that it doesn't matter where you end up playing, your fans will travel.)

That's what I said. When it's a big school...then you know those programs will travel no matter where the game is. What I was referencing was a comment Russ had made about wanting to see a Troy or Hawaii against a big school. My worry was about the ticket sales...and how releasing tickets to the general public 2 days before the game might not lead to a sellout.

Also, consider a 32-64 team bracket and the impact of travelling 5 weekends in a row. At the very least, 5 r/t airfares would run you $1000...and that's assuming that the deep discount fares aren't sold out before you know where your team is playing. Consider these costs for a husband and wife to travel to see their team win the national championship:

- $2000 + tax for airfare (very minimum)
- $1000 + tax for hotel (2 nights/game...$100/night)
- $1000 for tickets ($100 avg/ticket/game...2 tickets to 5 games)
- $500 for food ($25/day/person...2 days/trip)
- $300 for transportation ($20/day for 10 days + gas for rental car)
----------------------
$4800 + tax is the MINIMUM you could expect a couple to pay if they had to fly to games 5 weekends in a row. Also, factor in the time associated with that much travel...and it can wear a person down. I had a similar travel schedule earlier this year where I was flying 6 out of 7 weekends:
- Atlanta for Georgia Tech/Boston College
- Las Vegas for vacation
- Las Vegas for a wedding
- Lubbock for game vs Iowa State
- Lubbock for a game vs Texas A&M
- off week
- Lubbock for a game vs Colorado

While I had A LOT of fun going to games and travelling...it can really wear a person down. I could see a scenario where a couple might go to 2 or 3 games...but you wouldn't have all of your fan base travelling to all 5 games. Also, as the games get bigger (semis/championship) you can expect to see ticket prices go UP UP UP...along with the cost of flights/hotels going up as well. As a reference point...here is a sample intenerary for an Ohio State fan going to the national championship game:

January 6
CMH-ORD-MSY = $255 x 2 + taxes
2* hotel in New Orleans = $250 + taxes
compact rental car from Alamo = $69 + taxes

January 7
2 upper level endzone tickets to OSU/LSU game = $300 face value ($1500+ through a broker)
2* hotel in New Orleans = $250 + taxes
compact rental car from Alamo = $69 + taxes

January 8
MSY-STL-CMH = $421 x 2 + taxes

Total Cost (before food/gas/misc expenses) = $2500 (tix at face value) or $3700 (tix through broker)

So...just giving a basic rundown on prices...it gets really expensive. Consider that most people go for 3 or 4 nights to party before...and the costs are even worse. Obviously this is the highest number you could expect to pay...but the biggest place you would see a price difference each week would be in the value of the tickets. Most cities will have the high hotel/airfare/car rates when they have a game heading their way.

[Gobbla2001]

Higher seed plays at home... that solves the problem right there... seed 'em how you will but the higher plays at home (like the NFL)... only neautral site would be the National Championship game...

don't feel like playing a playoff game at some bad-a team's home field? try to be a higher seed next year...

how you seed 'em I dunno... maybe we keep the BCS to rate the higher seeds etc...

or we could develop a computer system that along with human polls would decide which teams play in a National Championship game..... wait... that'd be pretty stupid...

[Gobbla2001]

I'm wondering what D1 football universites could do to "FORCE" the NCAA to install a D1 football playoff system?

What are the punishments for saying "no, I don't want to play in your BCS bowl"???

I wonder if they could get enough schools together where the BCS would be left with the option of putting Oregon State against Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl because that's all they have left?

how in the hell would this be possible (I'm not sure of contracsts etc...)???

almost like a strike, but not really, but kinda, maybe... pretty much a boycott