Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

It's the uncertainty that's the problem.  Playing, or not playing, a game, with only a few weeks' notice, doesn't give the various venues, hotels, and other needed support infrastructure, enough time to prepare and respond.  Especially considering that some or all of these games will be played around the holidays.

An 80,000-100,000 seat venue can't just line up all of the necessary employee resources for an event, from parking to concessions to security to administrative staff, and then a week before, say "sorry just kidding, go home, no pay."

That's actually a particularly asinine idea.

It's the uncertainty that's the problem.  Playing, or not playing, a game, with only a few weeks' notice, doesn't give the various venues, hotels, and other needed support infrastructure, enough time to prepare and respond.  Especially considering that some or all of these games will be played around the holidays.

An 80,000-100,000 seat venue can't just line up all of the necessary employee resources for an event, from parking to concessions to security to administrative staff, and then a week before, say "sorry just kidding, go home, no pay."

That's actually a particularly asinine idea.

My concern isn't so much the idea of an "unworthy" champion for several reasons:

• In a 12-team playoff the champion will have won three or four games against high-end opposition.  Prior to a few years ago doing that in an entire season was somewhat rare.  The winner will be "worthy" once they've completed that gauntlet. 
• I don't think it is going to happen anyway.  Expanding the playoff to two and then four has already REDUCED the chances of a weakling like BYU winning the NC and expanding it to 12 will just further reduce those chances. 
• I'm not sure how much I care anyway. 

My issue is that it degrades the importance of regular season games and I think that ultimately might end up killing the golden goose.  With no playoff, a two-team playoff, or a 4-team playoff there are 1-loss teams that miss the NC.  As an Ohio State fan I know this well because it happened to my team in 2015 (MSU) and 2018 (Purdue).  A second loss has ended the NC hope of EVERY team that has ever had a second loss except LSU in 2007. 


I care a LOT about my teams' games, even the random mid-season games because I've seen losses in random mid-season games derail potential NC teams.  I also care about YOUR teams' random mid-season games because they matter to my team in terms of spots available.  Ie, if Bama beats either Tennessee (lost by 3) or LSU (lost by 1) last year, my team misses the playoff.  Thus, it gives us a motivation to watch each others' teams' games. 

Once we expand to 12 and give guaranteed berths to the league champions, I don't think that fans like you and I will be counting spots anymore because there are too many moving parts and too many games that are effectively a wash.  Ie, Ohio State/Michigan is a wash if they are both in regardless or if they have the same record.  Same for Bama/Auburn so you no longer have a reason to care about THE GAME and I no longer have a reason to care about the Iron Bowl. 

I think that once the 12-team playoff is force, I'll care less about non-tOSU games and just figure that if Ohio State is at least decent (9-3), they'll probably get in.  I'll also care less about individual tOSU games because if they lose a random mid-season game to Purdue or MSU there will no longer be any chance of that individual loss knocking them out. 

A +1 as needed would be mid-late January and it's always treated as if it's going to be played.
Hotel cancelations, food stuffs, parking attendants, etc would know 2 weeks out if it's cancelled.
I don't see the problem.  Maybe there's a 25% payout to everyone for the trouble, which is factored into the financials.  But it's completely doable. 
The years in which it's not needed simply means everyone has more time on their hands.

It's the uncertainty that's the problem.  Playing, or not playing, a game, with only a few weeks' notice, doesn't give the various venues, hotels, and other needed support infrastructure, enough time to prepare and respond.  Especially considering that some or all of these games will be played around the holidays.

An 80,000-100,000 seat venue can't just line up all of the necessary employee resources for an event, from parking to concessions to security to administrative staff, and then a week before, say "sorry just kidding, go home, no pay."

That's actually a particularly asinine idea.