Pretty good article here from Wetzel. I think this is where we are all at. I can't blame the SEC at all, but if you love all that is college football, it's also a problem
https://sports.yahoo.com/se-cs-chokehold-on-football-will-tighten-if-rose-bowl-sunsets-and-other-trivialities-are-prioritized-over-cfp-expansion-001608263.html
I like the last line
These are perilous times for those who want a true national sport, where a measure of parity exists. For many, it’s the diversity of the sport that makes it so fun, so rich, so worth the time. College football is a game, but it’s also life to millions. The idea of 60-plus kickoffs each Saturday, or traditions even at losing programs. Of MACtion and Blue Turf and Paul Bunyan’s Axe and a buffalo rumbling pregame across a field in Boulder.
Give more teams a chance to compete for a title, give more recruits more options to play in big playoff games and even contend for national championships, make more conference races and more postseason contests matter.
Or watch the sport wither over obstinance, tribalism and mismanagement.
It’s not just SEC v. SEC that is overwhelming college football now, and even more so in the future.
It’s the Alliance v. Common Sense.
As I've said before I don't think expansion will help but I do think it is inevitable.
Since I think that expansion is inevitable, I hope it is done in the best way possible. As much as I like your 5+1+2X5 proposal, I think the best way would be to have the top-4 league champions host the first round. I think this would help for at least three reasons:
- "Regular" fans could attend a lot more games. If the first round is a home game for 1/2 the teams then at least some fans wouldn't need to pay travel costs for each CFP game.
- All the fun traditions of local on campus stadiums would be added to the CFP mix.
- Over time you'd get some really fun match-ups in places where they'd otherwise rarely or never be played.
On #3, this year's first round match-ups would have been:
- #12 Pitt (ACC Champ) @ #1 Bama (SEC Champ)
- #11 Utah (PAC Champ) @ #2 Michigan (B1G Champ)
- #5 Notre Dame @ #4 Cincy (G5 Champ)
- #3 Georgia @ #7 Baylor (B12 Champ)
2020 match-ups would have been:
- #25 Oregon (PAC Champ) @ #1 Bama (SEC Champ)
- #8 Cincy (G5 Champ) @ #2 Clemson (ACC Champ)
- #5 aTm @ #3 Ohio State (B1G Champ)
- #4 Notre Dame @ #6 Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
2019 match-ups would have been:
- #17 Memphis (G5 Champ) @ #1 LSU (SEC Champ)
- #7 Baylor @ #2 Ohio State (B1G Champ)
- #6 Oregon (PAC Champ) @ #3 Clemson (ACC Champ)
- #5 Georgia @ #4 Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
2018 match-ups would have been:
- #9 Washington (PAC Champ) @ #1 Alabama (SEC Champ)
- #8 UCF (G5 Champ) @ #2 Clemson (ACC Champ)
- #5 Georgia @ #4 Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
- #3 Notre Dame @ #5 Ohio State (B1G Champ)
2017 match-ups would have been:
- #12 UCF (G5 Champ) @ #1 Clemson (ACC Champ)
- #8 USC (PAC Champ) @ #2 Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
- #6 Wisconsin @ #3 Georgia (SEC Champ)
- #4 Bama @ #5 Ohio State (B1G Champ)
2016 match-ups would have been:
- #15 Western Michigan (G5 Champ) @ #1 Bama (SEC Champ)
- #7 Oklahoma (B12 Champ) @ #2 Clemson (ACC Champ)
- #6 Michigan @ #4 Washington (PAC Champ)
- #3 Ohio State @ #5 Penn State (B1G Champ)
2015 match-ups would have been:
- #18 Houston (G5 Champ) @ #1 Clemson (ACC Champ)
- #7 Ohio State @ #2 Alabama (SEC Champ)
- #6 Stanford (PAC Champ) @ #3 Michigan State (B1G Champ)
- #5 Iowa @ #4 Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
2014 match-ups would have been:
- #20 Boise St @ #1 Alabama (SEC Champ)
- #7 MissSt @ #2 Oregon (PAC Champ)
- #6 TCU @ #3 Florida State (ACC Champ)
- #5 Baylor (B12 Champ) @ #4 Ohio State (B1G Champ)
So over the last eight years the B1G would have hosted eight CFP games and travelled to five. The visitors to B1G Country would have been:
- Baylor (@tOSU2x)
- Stanford (@MSU)
- Ohio State (@PSU)
- Bama (@tOSU)
- Notre Dame (@tOSU)
- Texas A&M (@tOSU)
- Utah (@M)
B1G teams meanwhile would have travelled to:
- Oklahoma (IA)
- Alabama (tOSU)
- Penn State (tOSU)
- Washington (M)
- Georgia (UW)
Even the tOSU/PSU rematch would actually have been a very interesting game. Penn State won the first one with 17 unanswered fourth quarter points. A lot of tOSU fans felt that the loss was a fluke. PSU fans said no. Ok, rematch is put-up or shut-up for both teams:
To Penn State: You won the first one so you get home field. Was it a fluke or can you do it again?
To Ohio State: If the first one was a fluke, prove it.
The rest are all great match-ups that are rarely if ever seen.