The biggest, positive difference college football has (had?) vs the NFL is the importance of every regular season game. That's the key, and it's slipping away.
We're speeding towards the regular season games meaning less and less with an expnded playoff - more specifically, more and more at-large playoff births. The 4 P5 champs + 1 G5 + 7 at-large is the model for the next 2 years, and then going the wrong way to 4+1+9 at-large after that (14 teams).
The possible (stupidly optimistic) saving grace is continued B1G and SEC expansion, at the expense of the XII and ACC. I wish they'd stop picking them apart 1-2-3 schools at a time and just skip to the inevitable end. Many think we'll get to 24 in both the B1G and SEC, but that lends itself to an AFC/NFC NFL model no "real" fans want.
Optimistically, the 2 big boys could go past 24 apiece, and go a little radical in order to go back to the good old days. With 30 teams each, that could be divided into 3 divisions of 10 teams each. With 10 teams in each division, teams could play everyone else within their own division, plus 3 OOC games.
In terms of a playoff, that'd be 6 division winners and you could include a G5 champ (which would include a few additional have-nots) if that's important. So that's 7 teams, each representative of a certain population (division). ONE at-large big is given to the biggest-boy non-division winner.
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"But what does it all mean, Basil?"
Win your division. Divisions are based on tradition, not necessarily geography (original big ten teams make up one division, 10 'other' eastern teams in another, 10 'other' western teams in the other, etc.
Everyone plays everyone in their division. Division winners make the playoff. Only 1 at-large bid (or 2, if you stop the charade with G5). You're playing the teams you want to play and still have room for OOC rivalries.
Basically, it's going way forward, to go back. Everybody happy. More teams (60 instead of 48), so more overall $$$. A move back to traditional conferences (now divisions, but who cares what you call it?). And a massive, RENEWED emphasis on theh sanctity of the regular season.
The XII and ACC dying, an even more-bloated B1G & SEC, and restricted at-large births i an 8-team playoff can be the perfect storm for the revitalization and useful nostalgia to keep college football healthy going forward.
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What's it look like?
B1G:
Big Ten Division: traditional 10 members
Pac Division: UNL, Wash, Ore, USC, UCLA, Cal, Stan, SMU, TCU, CU
Lambert Division: Penn St, UMd, Rut, FSU, Miami, GT, Pitt, SU, BC, ND
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SEC:
Original Tasty Crispy Division: founding members
SWC Division: Texas, OU, Mizzou, KU, A&M, Arky, KSU, UofA, ASU, OKSt
ACC Division: SCarolina, UNC, NCST, Duke, WF, Clemson, WV, UL, UVa, VT
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Kicked to the curb (shed a tear):
Utah, BYU, UCF, Baylor, Texas Tech, Iowa St (joins with WSU and OrSt to form newfangled Big-8, and are given 12 cents/year)
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How much does czar of college football play? I'll get my resume ready.