Time for a POWER 4 CONFERENCE ONLY Playoff. These non-power 4 conference teams are diminishing the playoff already.

LudicrousSpeedGO! said:
I'm thinking that the below is reason enough for it to matter who gets those 11 and 12 slots.

For 2025-2026, here’s how much each team will make in the College Football Playoff:
  • $4 million for each of the 12 teams that makes the College Football Playoff
  • $4 million for each of the 8 teams that makes the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
  • $6 million for each of the 4 teams that makes the College Football Playoff Semifinals
  • $6 million for each of the 2 teams that makes the College Football Playoff National Championship Game
Additionally, each team who participates in the College Football Playoff receives $3 million to cover expenses for each round.

Additionally, each conference receives $300,000 for each of its schools whose football team meets the NCAA’s APR for participation in a postseason football game. Each independent institution also receives $300,000 if its football team meets the same standard.
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When I follow a particular NFL team, I never really think about how it's positioned to make more money in the playoffs.
 
Pennstate_one said:
I’ve felt this way for a long time. These aren’t playoff games, they’re glorified scrimmages. I get there are legal and antitrust reasons why G5 teams have to be included, but from a football standpoint it’s obvious they don’t belong in the same bracket. A Power 4 playoff and a separate G5 playoff would make way more sense for everyone.

This isn't basketball and no Cinderella story will happen imo...
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The Cinderellas are over in Bball too, due to the portal and NIL. Most kids at a mid-major will jump at the chance to move up and collect more $$. Last year, for the first time ever, the Final 4 was all #1s. That isn't a coincidence.
 
LudicrousSpeedGO! said:
What I don't understand is that these power 4 conferences have to understand that they are pi$$ing away 2 shares of the playoff money to teams and conferences that clearly don't belong. At some point, the profit motive will win out. I fully understand that these conferences and ADs at schools may be incompetent but at some point, someone may press them on why 1/6th of the money is being gifted to undeserving teams/conferences that are clearly a lower tier.

Any competent people at the power 4 conferences would look at this and say, why are we pi$$ing away this money and damaging our product at the same time? Who wants to watch 1st round games that you know are going to be blowouts the moment that the bracket is released? My guess is that the non-power 4 1st round games are going to be barely watched in the future. Who wants to watch a glorified scrimmage game dressed up as a playoff game? You continue to water the product down like that and people are going to start questioning if this is even a playoff anyway (many already have). And when the ratings drop, they all lose.
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It's not about money, but antitrust lawsuits. The Group of 5 isn't going away. I thought people knew this? It's literally part of the playoff agreement.
 
Nemo said:
I would be very surprised if a 12-0 ND did not make the playoffs.
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I'd be surprised if a 10-2 ND didn't make the playoffs given that they're now guaranteed a spot if ranked in the CFP's top-12.

That said, USC dropping them certainly sends a message and I totally get why USC did that. ND-USC may be one of the great traditions of college football but the Trojans don't care much about sentimentality and I don't blame them.

So the Irish turned around and within an hour replaced USC with BYU which did after all finish ranked higher than USC this year so on paper it's not a drop-off.

I'm looking at ND's downstream schedule and seeing the likes of Texas, Alabama, Clemson, Miami, and other decent teams. They don't have to worry about losing the ACC matchups but if, say, Texas or Alabama drop them like USC did, well, that could send a loud signal.
 
Jokerman said:
Not true. Next year, if ND is in the top 12, they are in.
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They may not be a top 12 team at 12-0 by only beating 4 teams that don't totally suck and maybe top sprinkled in there that could possibly be ranked and that's if those teams don't have a dop off. It's possible that they won't play a team that ends next season ranked.

For example, Miami is the only top team that they play from this year but will lose at minimum 14 starters (and several key reserves) including their QB, their entire starting OL, most of the DL, all of their starting LBs and other key players.
 
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Jerry said:
I'd be surprised if a 10-2 ND didn't make the playoffs given that they're now guaranteed a spot if ranked in the CFP's top-12.

That said, USC dropping them certainly sends a message and I totally get why USC did that. ND-USC may be one of the great traditions of college football but the Trojans don't care much about sentimentality and I don't blame them.

So the Irish turned around and within an hour replaced USC with BYU which did after all finish ranked higher than USC this year so on paper it's not a drop-off.

I'm looking at ND's downstream schedule and seeing the likes of Texas, Alabama, Clemson, Miami, and other decent teams. They don't have to worry about losing the ACC matchups but if, say, Texas or Alabama drop them like USC did, well, that could send a loud signal.
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They play 4 teams next year that had a winning record this year. That includes Navy and 4 loss SMU who was recently a G5 team. Miami is the best team from this year that they will play and Miami is going to be decimated by those moving on including 14 starters and several key backups. They are losing their QB and entire OL. They lose most of the DL and all of the LBs. I'd be surprised if Miami finished 2026 ranked unless they spend like drunken sailors in the portal. It will take 12-0 to possibly get Notre Dame in with how pathetic their schedule is for 2026. They could go 12-0 and not even have one of the top 25 teams in the country with that schedule.
 
LudicrousSpeedGO! said:
They play 4 teams next year that had a winning record this year. That includes Navy and 4 loss SMU who was recently a G5 team. Miami is the best team from this year that they will play and Miami is going to be decimated by those moving on including 14 starters and several key backups. They are losing their QB and entire OL. They lose most of the DL and all of the LBs. I'd be surprised if Miami finished 2026 ranked unless they spend like drunken sailors in the portal. It will take 12-0 to possibly get Notre Dame in with how pathetic their schedule is for 2026. They could go 12-0 and not even have one of the top 25 teams in the country with that schedule.
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I think they're guaranteed at either 12-0 or 11-1...though it's hard to see them going 12-0 at any rate. That doesn't happen very often these days.

10-2...maybe they get in...maybe not. I'm betting they would though.

Remember most people wrote Notre Dame off early this season after the two close losses to A&M and Miami but they ended up a seeming lock going into the final ranking...and if the rules that will apply next season were in force this year, they would have made it regardless.

Rumors of Notre Dame's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Right now they're getting to have their cake...and eat it too.
 
Jerry said:
I think they're guaranteed at either 12-0 or 11-1...though it's hard to see them going 12-0 at any rate. That doesn't happen very often these days.

10-2...maybe they get in...maybe not. I'm betting they would though.

Remember most people wrote Notre Dame off early this season after the two close losses to A&M and Miami but they ended up a seeming lock going into the final ranking...and if the rules that will apply next season were in force this year, they would have made it regardless.

Rumors of Notre Dame's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Right now they're getting to have their cake...and eat it too.
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Likely over half of the teams from the top 2 conferences would be 11-1 or better with Notre Dame's 2026 schedule. Likely over 1/3 of the teams from those top 2 conferences would be 12-0. Going 11-1 with that crap schedule might be good enough to be ranked in the top 25. Going 12-0 might be good enough to make the playoff but that isn't even guaranteed.

It's just a different level of play. They play 4 teams with a winning record and that includes basically 2 G5 teams. They play one current playoff team and that team loses 2/3rds of their starters and several key backups to include their QB, their entire OL, most of their DL, all of their LBs, and other key players. And keep in mind that ND guarantees themselves to play 1 fewer game against what would be a top 10 team for everyone else because Notre Dame doesn't play in a conference and therefore no conference championship game. Their schedule is on par with most G5 teams. They may not even play a single team that ends the year ranked.
 
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