For starters, this will only include the Power Four Conferences. The Group of Five need to peel off and have their own playoff and crown their own national champion. Here’s how it will work:

1. Each of the Power Four conferences divide themselves into four divisions. So, four conferences of four divisions each.

2. Each of the Power Four conferences holds their own playoff consisting of its four division champions to decide the conference championship. So, a total of 16 teams in their respective conference playoff games. Win the conference playoff game, advance to the conference championship game. Win that, and you advance to the college football playoff.

3. Each of the Power Four conferences sends their champion to the college football playoff to decide the national championship.

Here are the advantages.

1. It gives us a meaningful 16 team playoff.
2. It preserves, and actually strengthens, the confidence championship games.
3. It eliminates the biases of both humans and computers in deciding who “deserves” to be in the playoff. Want in? Win your division, then win your conference. Can’t do that? You shouldn’t be there anyway. No excuses. No controversies. Beauty pageants are decided by a committee. Football should be decided by what happens on the field. Period.

4. Giving the Group of Five their own playoff makes those teams relevant and gives them hope. Can team like James Madison, Tulane, or South Florida ever hope to win a national championship now? No. That’s absurd. But if they’re competing against their peers, then they very much can. And it would be fun to watch. Also, it gives us even more football.

If anyone has a better plan, I’d love to hear it.

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Posted by 3down10

Member since Sep 2014

39053 posts

Posted on 1/12/26 at 9:22 pm to Darth_Vader

quote:
Power Four Conferences

There is no such thing. The Big12 is not a power conference, they were raided over and over through the years and they just kept filling the spots with former G5 teams.

The ACC barely makes it. But I think they are trying to get it down to 2 and I'm not sure how long the ACC has left.

But the Big12 isn't a power conference and people need to stop pretending they are just because they identify as one.

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Posted by GrizzlyWintergreen

Member since Jun 2025

2208 posts

Posted on 1/12/26 at 9:24 pm to Darth_Vader

You will see G5 teams surface as contenders sooner than later.

Off the top of my head:

Boise State, Tulane, Memphis, Colorado State, SMU.....

All have deep pockets. Give it time.

This post was edited on 1/12/26 at 9:25 pm

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Posted by Darth_Vader

A galaxy far, far away

Member since Dec 2011

72470 posts

Posted on 1/12/26 at 9:32 pm to GrizzlyWintergreen

quote:
You will see G5 teams surface as contenders sooner than later.

Good for them. They can dominate the G5 an possible be scooped up by a P4 conference in the future as an expansion team.

The whole point of this is that the only way to crown true champion is to have it decided on the field. The system I played out does that. Imagine college football without out the stupid polls or committee deciding who can or cannot compete in the playoff?

I mean, they’ve tried how many formats now? Four team, eight team, now twelve. And every time it’s always the same thing, arguments about who got in and who didn’t. The only thing that changes is the position number being argued over. That’s because the way it’s decided is subjective. They could expand to a 64 or 92 game playoff and there would still be arguments and controversy.

My system fixes that. And it makes winning the conference mean something. It’s the best possible solution.

This post was edited on 1/12/26 at 9:36 pm

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