Enhanced Bowl Season vs. 8-team Playoff

A 8-team playoff may resemble the "NFL-style playoff" feared by college football administrators. There are two oft-mentioned qualifying mechanisms for an 8-team system. In one, the playoff includes the top 8 ranked teams; such a system would not gaurantee access to BCS conference champions, thus devaluing the regular season conference play for these teams. In the other proposed qualifying mechanism, 6 bids are reserved for BCS conference champions and 2 for at-large teams. This method would fail to provide access to historically disadvantaged (non-BCS) conferences. As seen, there are inherent problems with either format.

Click on each symbol below (box will turn grey) to read the reasons for the specific rating.

- Yes

- Limited

- No

Criteria	EBS	8-Team Playoff
Crowns a definitive and widely accepted national champion
EBS: A 12-team tournament ensures that under most circumstances all teams worthy of an opportunity to win a national championship are given that chance. The "playoff" (one element of the EBS) is consistent with the format used by every other NCAA team sport.
8-Team: Like a 12-teams system, a well-structured playoff with sufficient teams ensures worthy contenders are not denied a chance at a national title. However, if automatic berths are given to conference champions, there are situations in which worthy teams can be excluded. For example, if 6 spots were reserved for BCS conference champions, the undefeated Utah teams from 2004 and 2008 would have been excluded from the playoff.
Ensures BCS conference champions play in premier bowl
EBS: All BCS conference champions are ensured a spot in the 12-team EBS tournament.
8-Team: All BCS conference champions are ensured a spot in the playoffs.
Maintains traditional bowl affiliations for conference champions
EBS: Teams receiving byes are placed in bowls based on traditional bowl affiliations. However, this allows for only one team to be placed per bowl and the conference champion must be one of the four bye teams.
8-Team: Like a 12-team playoff, higher seeded teams could be given preference in the bowls which they play, but conference champions with lower seedings could not.
Provides access to non-BCS conference champions
EBS: The highest-ranked non-BCS conference champion is guaranteed a spot in the post season.
8-Team: With six of the eight spots going to BCS conference champions, only two at-large spots remain for non-BCS conference champions to qualify. In 2004, a 6th ranked Utah team would not have qualified as the at-large spots would have gone to #4 Texas and #5 California.
Provides access to all teams worthy of a chance at a national championship
EBS: With all six BCS conference champions, at least one non-BCS conference champion, and potentially five at-large bids, it is very unlikely that a team deserving of a chance at the national title would be excluded.
8-Team: Even with the expanded field, the inclusion of conference champions means there are only two at-large spots. In a year with a few particularly strong conferences, it is possible that more than two non-conference champions are strong enough to be considered in the field.
Prevents unworthy teams from having a chance at a national championship
EBS: With the possibility of a weak conference champion and as many as five at-large bids, it is possible a team with several losses would be included in the tournament
8-Team: Although there are only two at-large bids, the possibility of a weak conference champion could result in a team with several regular season losses contending for a national title
Maintains the importance of the regular season for teams with the same number of losses as the #1 ranked team (i.e., an undefeated team)
EBS: By making available first round byes, even teams who have sewn up an EBS tournament berth still need to maintain their standing as one of the top 4 teams.
8-Team: With the only guaranteed invitations going to conference champions, a late season conference loss could not only cost the team a conference title, but could drop a previously undefeated team into the pool of one-loss teams seeking an at-large bid and could cost them a spot in the playoffs.
Maintains the importance of regular season games for teams with one or two more losses than the #1 ranked team (i.e., one loss teams when the #1 team is undefeated).
EBS: Quality teams with only one or two losses to top teams are still very much in the hunt for the national championship. Although their path to a championship is deservingly more difficult, for these teams, their regular season is still “the most important regular season in collegiate athletics.” Another loss would eliminate them from the tournament.
8-Team: All teams in contention for either a conference title or at-large spot still have meaningful regular season games from a national championship perspective.
Produces compelling matchups to attract a national TV audience in majority of bowl games
EBS: By the very nature of a national championship tournament and because of a lack of potentially lopsided matchups, all games are compelling.
8-Team: By the very nature of a playoff and because of a lack of potentially lopsided matchups, all games are compelling.
Advances the interest in minor bowl games
EBS: Because first round sites are hosted by minor bowls, these bowls can leverage this added interest to non-Tournament years. Non-tournament games get attention by taking place during "bowl week," sandwiched between the first round and the quarterfinals.
8-Team: A three round playoff can only promote two minor bowls and will only serve to draw attention from the remaining bowls.
Allows fans to enjoy the complete bowl experience
EBS: The byes and extended period between first and second round games allow fans to travel to bowl sites and enjoy extend stays. The later-round games will continue to be “destination events” where fans attend regardless of competing teams. In the current system, only about 1/3 of tickets for many bowls go to schools; rest are allocated to annual renewals, corporate partners, and local residents.
8-Team: Since the quarterfinal games will likely begin on Jan. 1, fans can still travel and enjoy the bowl experience for these games, but later games will require more travel and shorter stays.
Student-athletes not subjected to excessive number of games
EBS: Teams play at most four postseason games, but given the fact that the highest-ranked, and presumably best, teams receive a bye, teams expected to play in the championship game would play at most three postseason games. At most a team would play 16 games, similar to games played by national champions in Division I-AA (15 games), Division II (15-16 games), and Division III (14-15). Unlike these division, those at DI-A would benefit from a several week rest between the regular season and the postseason.
8-Team: Teams play at most three postseason games.