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Apparently the 12 team CFP will start soon. Assuming that it does, maybe we should keep divisions after all.

What got me thinking about this was the current situation with 8-4/6-3 Purdue playing 12-0/9-0 Michigan in the CG while 11-1/8-1 Ohio State sits at home. 

A lot of people feel that our best teams should be in the CG and scrapping divisions facilities that. However, it might be bad strategy in the 12-team playoff era.

As is, if we had the 12-team playoff now:
Ohio State would be safely in as would Michigan (even if they lose to Purdue) and Penn State would be basically a "bubble team".

Penn State is currently the #4 at-large behind tOSU, Bama, and TN. The risk for them is is that three CG upsets out of four (UGA, M, TCU, USC) would knock them back to the #7 at-large or "first team out".

With divisions there is very little risk for yhe league as a whole. A Michigan loss costs them a bye but might get Purdue into the playoff along with M, tOSU, and possibly PSU. A Michigan win gets them a bye and actually helps both tOSU and PSU because their loss to M is to a 13-0 P5 Champion. 

Without divisions tOSU would get a second crack at Michigan and while that might be nice for tOSU, I'm thinking it is bad for the league as a whole. Obviously there are two possibilities:

• Michigan wins again: In this case Ohio State's playoff situation becomes precarious at best. Giving a team a second chance may make some sense (see UGA last year) but if you already lost to a playoff participant twice, do we really need to see that again?
• Ohio State wins the rematch: In this case it is possible that neither gets a bye (they would this year).

I'm thinking that divisions are a better strategy going forward. 

Yeah, I think you need divisions, and I see little real benefit in having an 11th place team make the playoffs ($$$?).  With 20 team conferences ahead, possibly, they would be required.  

The same analysis is true in the SEC I think this year.  UGA would have to play Bama (or Tenn, it's not clear yet).  Both would be lesser dogs than LSU.

I guess LSU might make it if they win the CG at 10-3, probably would.  Then you have four SEC teams out of 12 in the mix.  Does anyone really want that?

If you have a championship game there should be divisions.

• Purdue at Michigan, winner v Clemson
• Tulane at Ohio State, winner v USC
• Washington at Bama, winner v TCU
• PSU at TN, winner v UGA

It's more football which is nice, but some of these are not very interesting.

Rethinking this, they probably would put Purdue ahead of Tulane just to avoid a Michigan/Purdue rematch so those first two would probably be:

• Tulane at Michigan, winner vs Clemson 
• Purdue at Ohio State, winner vs USC

CGs make money.  They won't go away.

very important items

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