Could ACC be snubbed and SBC get in CFP?

[WASU 93]

I kind of have been hearing the opposite...Power conference schools are looking to reduce their power conference out of conference scheduling because the committee has not shown any benefit to strength of schedule. Only W/L.

The ACC is going to 9 conference games beginning for most of the league in 2026.

Because they have an odd number of teams, one team will play an 8-game schedule each year.

But, they are also requiring each team to play a minimum of 10 Power 4 games.

[Bigdaddyg1]

I kind of have been hearing the opposite...Power conference schools are looking to reduce their power conference out of conference scheduling because the committee has not shown any benefit to strength of schedule. Only W/L.

The ACC is going to 9 conference games beginning for most of the league in 2026.

Because they have an odd number of teams, one team will play an 8-game schedule each year.

But, they are also requiring each team to play a minimum of 10 Power 4 games.

Exactly. Play 9 conference games, one additional P4. Why add any G5 who is “typically” pretty good? Why play ANY G5 at their place? I can see most if not all P4’s just adding 2 FCS teams to pad their wins. No 9-3 ACC team not in their CCG is getting in the playoffs. Any loss to a G5 will be killer to any P4.

[hapapp]

I kind of have been hearing the opposite...Power conference schools are looking to reduce their power conference out of conference scheduling because the committee has not shown any benefit to strength of schedule. Only W/L.

The ACC is going to 9 conference games beginning for most of the league in 2026.

Because they have an odd number of teams, one team will play an 8-game schedule each year.

But, they are also requiring each team to play a minimum of 10 Power 4 games.

I also think why some aren't going to 9 next season are existing scheduling agreements.

[AtlAppMan]

ND should never get an automatic nor should any other school. The whole system is setup with conferences feeding into the CFP and it should. As such, each conference should structure their CCG to put the two best teams in that game.

[Bootsy]

Playoffs expand to 16 by 2027-2028 year, meaning a 10-2 ND with a similar weak schedule gets in.

Bowl games outside of the CFP drop to 20ish games by 2030, which leads an NIT type tournament long-term.

Can we just skip to that next year?

If things continue down this path, how many people will even care about college football by then…outside of top-tier P4 fans and degenerate gamblers?

The golden goose is dying, but no one wants to admit it.

[guitarstrat82]

Playoffs expand to 16 by 2027-2028 year, meaning a 10-2 ND with a similar weak schedule gets in.

Bowl games outside of the CFP drop to 20ish games by 2030, which leads an NIT type tournament long-term.

Can we just skip to that next year?

If things continue down this path, how many people will even care about college football by then…outside of top-tier P4 fans and degenerate gamblers?

The golden goose is dying, but no one wants to admit it.

Last 2 years have really killed the passion. None of my friends care anymore and my last bit of passion is almost out the door as well. Not even worth learning the players names anymore.

Hope CFB sees drastic reform. FBS to FBS transfers need to go back to being forced to sit a year or something because every player being a free agent every season has killed the intrigue and the sport.

[AtlAppMan]

Bowls have become a joke as most teams playing are grossly depleted of their talent. No longer can you say SBC had W/L record and it mean anything. The products on the field are essentially running practice squads against each other.

When the QB for a CFP, i.e. Oklahoma, doesn't even show up for his team, even the CFP will be diluted.

[AppStFan1]

Bowls have become a joke as most teams playing are grossly depleted of their talent. No longer can you say SBC had W/L record and it mean anything. The products on the field are essentially running practice squads against each other.

When the QB for a CFP, i.e. Oklahoma, doesn't even show up for his team, even the CFP will be diluted.

This is true. Someone on other board noted how the league was not good and bowl season is showing it but we really don't know due to many portal departures. If we are more depleted than the team in another league then our league looks bad but reality is the regular season team might have won. This whole "anytime anywhere mantra" was great in the old system but with players and coaches making business decisions I think perhaps schools need to make them as well. We aren't getting some massive payday from our bowl, many of our top players will not be available, this bowl prep is taking some of our resources away from the portal, and in the middle of making staff changes.

My internal debate is whether G6 schools need to push for our own playoff like we had in FCS and just say we will only go to a CFP or G6 playoff instead of these toilet bowls. I think a lot more money would be made off a playoff. Casual fans don't want to see losing or .500 G6 teams play in postseason but there would be interest in a SBC champ facing the American or Pac-12 champ on a campus site. Honestly, I think the play in the FCS semifinals is going to be better than several of these low level bowls.

[AtlAppMan]

Bowls have become a joke as most teams playing are grossly depleted of their talent. No longer can you say SBC had W/L record and it mean anything. The products on the field are essentially running practice squads against each other.

When the QB for a CFP, i.e. Oklahoma, doesn't even show up for his team, even the CFP will be diluted.

This is true. Someone on other board noted how the league was not good and bowl season is showing it but we really don't know due to many portal departures. If we are more depleted than the team in another league then our league looks bad but reality is the regular season team might have won. This whole "anytime anywhere mantra" was great in the old system but with players and coaches making business decisions I think perhaps schools need to make them as well. We aren't getting some massive payday from our bowl, many of our top players will not be available, this bowl prep is taking some of our resources away from the portal, and in the middle of making staff changes.

My internal debate is whether G6 schools need to push for our own playoff like we had in FCS and just say we will only go to a CFP or G6 playoff instead of these toilet bowls. I think a lot more money would be made off a playoff. Casual fans don't want to see losing or .500 G6 teams play in postseason but there would be interest in a SBC champ facing the American or Pac-12 champ on a campus site. Honestly, I think the play in the FCS semifinals is going to be better than several of these low level bowls.

But even if G6 goes to playoff that will not change the fact that players enter portal and will not play. It may even make it worse because the idea that a playoff produces the best team is nonsense. I can more easily accept that the bowls of today are merely a party reward for the players that want to attend after a long season. One of my coworkers that is a JMU grad called it a fun bowl.

[Bigdaddyg1]

Many here openly balk at a G5 playoff yet seem fine going to a completely meaningless bowl game with a depleted roster. How about the highest rated G5 gets the playoff spot and the next 4 G5 champs compete for the G5 crown. Two highest rated host the first round with a championship game in a neutral spot. If possible kill the 4 G5 championship games and play the first round before students leave for Christmas break. No G5 conferences really solve the real champ with their CCG’s so simply crown the regular season best team.

I’ll add that for these playoffs reasonable payouts to players get added. Maybe $20k and $10k each for the winners and losers. Surely between the 4 schools they can pony up a few million.

[AppStFan1]

Bowls have become a joke as most teams playing are grossly depleted of their talent. No longer can you say SBC had W/L record and it mean anything. The products on the field are essentially running practice squads against each other.

When the QB for a CFP, i.e. Oklahoma, doesn't even show up for his team, even the CFP will be diluted.

This is true. Someone on other board noted how the league was not good and bowl season is showing it but we really don't know due to many portal departures. If we are more depleted than the team in another league then our league looks bad but reality is the regular season team might have won. This whole "anytime anywhere mantra" was great in the old system but with players and coaches making business decisions I think perhaps schools need to make them as well. We aren't getting some massive payday from our bowl, many of our top players will not be available, this bowl prep is taking some of our resources away from the portal, and in the middle of making staff changes.

My internal debate is whether G6 schools need to push for our own playoff like we had in FCS and just say we will only go to a CFP or G6 playoff instead of these toilet bowls. I think a lot more money would be made off a playoff. Casual fans don't want to see losing or .500 G6 teams play in postseason but there would be interest in a SBC champ facing the American or Pac-12 champ on a campus site. Honestly, I think the play in the FCS semifinals is going to be better than several of these low level bowls.

But even if G6 goes to playoff that will not change the fact that players enter portal and will not play. It may even make it worse because the idea that a playoff produces the best team is nonsense. I can more easily accept that the bowls of today are merely a party reward for the players that want to attend after a long season. One of my coworkers that is a JMU grad called it a fun bowl.

That is why I said it is my internal debate because I can see what you said too. Would it be better to expand to 24 teams with 1 bid guaranteed to all leagues? They could improve the leagues by expanding scholarships to 105 and set minimum requirements on attendance, budget, enrollment, etc in order to be FBS? They could get rid of 10-15 bowls and have the playoffs on campus until semifinals and have a minimum requirement of like 8 wins to get in a bowl game. A lot of players are backing out of games and I feel like if they were in actual games that really matter we would see less of that. The flaw in the polls now is they will update them based on bowl games and the reality is that the bowl results really should not count with all of the current opt outs.

[spacemonkey]

Until contracts tie students to a school for 2 or 4 years....nothing will be fixed.

[WASU 93]

Until contracts tie students to a school for 2 or 4 years....nothing will be fixed.

But, do all players get contracts? Walk-ons? Third-Stringers? Contracts will fix a lot of this, but there can still be end of the year issues.
Also, contracts don't stop coaches from moving before the end of the season.

There needs to be contracts, the correct language in the contracts and the Portal should not open until the last game (CFP Championship) has been played. Perhaps National Signing Day needs to be aligned with this as well....and, there needs to be HEAVY (SMU Death Sentence) penalties for tampering....... and, agents need to be registered and regulated.