All weekend long, the visuals were striking at remote locales scattered across the country.
It was 25 degrees in Missoula, Mont., Friday night when Montana played host to Furman (S.C.) in an FCS quarterfinal playoff game. The wind chill in Brookings, S.D., for an FCS quarterfinal Saturday afternoon featuring South Dakota State and Villanova hovered around 11 degrees. By early evening Saturday in Waverly, Iowa, northwest winds gusted up to 30 mph for the Division III semifinal between Wartburg (Iowa) and North Central (Ill.). The weather wasn’t always a factor, like in the South Dakota-North Dakota State FCS quarterfinal, which was played inside the Dakota Dome.
I saw the Division II tournament up close for six years and covered the finale in 2005. That year, Northwest Missouri State was the final team to qualify for the playoffs, which then consisted of 24 teams in four regions. The Bearcats won four straight road games to advance to the national title, which at that time was held in Florence, Ala.
Northwest Missouri State faced top-ranked Grand Valley State, which was just two years removed from Brian Kelly leading the Lakers. On paper, it was No. 1 versus No. 24. In other words, a mismatch. The reality provided for an even contest. The game went to the final seconds when a Bearcats receiver dropped the potential game-winning pass in the end zone. Grand Valley State held on for a 21-17 victory.
All of the above games were hard-fought, competitive and entertaining. Next year, FBS programs will see similar environments in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The on-campus atmosphere at Power 5 venues instantly will capture the public’s interest, just as it has at a smaller level for lower-division programs. But what if the FBS version lasted for more than just four games — like the CFP first round will in 2024 — and instead took up multiple weekends? What if the CFP had a 24-team tournament like in the FCS? Or 28 teams like in Division II or even a 32-team bracket like in Division III?
Let’s envision a 24-team FBS playoff bracket this year with four six-team regions. The field includes every conference champion. Teams are arranged based on the CFP selection committee’s final rankings. Every effort is made to avoid teams from the same conference meeting until at least the regional finals. All games are held on campus until the national semifinals.
With eight games in the first two weekends, it’s too much bandwidth for one network to carry it with high-quality broadcasting teams and do it justice. In this case, splitting the tournament among four networks makes sense for the first two rounds. The first two weekends involve two Friday night games plus six Saturday in three separate viewing windows. Each round involves at least one upset.
Does this pique your interest? Here’s a look at how such an FBS playoff could go down in 2023.
First round
Region 1
Byes: 1. Michigan, 2. Oregon
5. Oregon State at 4. LSU, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
6. SMU at 3. Missouri, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Region 2
Byes: 1. Washington, 2. Ohio State
5. Liberty at 4. Louisville, 6 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN/ABC
6. Troy at 3. Ole Miss, Noon ET, ESPN/ABC
Region 3
Byes: 1. Texas, 2. Georgia
5. NC State at 4. Arizona, 9:30 p.m. ET Friday, Fox
6. Miami (Ohio) at 3. Penn State, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Region 4
Byes: 1. Alabama, 2. Florida State
5. Iowa at 4. Notre Dame, Noon ET, Fox
6. Boise State at 3. Oklahoma, 8 p.m
Notes: Region 1 was the only one to involve two sets of conference partners. But they’re lined up on opposite sides and neither is the No. 1 seed. Liberty was the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion and the only one to earn a No. 5 seed. Iowa and Notre Dame once played every November but haven’t met since 1968. Boise State and Oklahoma haven’t played since the Jan. 1, 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
Regional semifinals
Region 1
LSU at Michigan, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Missouri at Oregon, 8 p.m. ET, NBC
Region 2
Liberty at Washington, 9:30 p.m. ET Friday, Fox
Ole Miss at Ohio State, Noon ET, CBS
Region 3
Arizona at Texas, 6 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN/ABC
Penn State at Georgia, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Region 4
Notre Dame at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Oklahoma at Florida State, Noon ET, ESPN/ABC
Notes: Many sports fans consider the first two days of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament as the tipoff to sports’ most exciting weekend. A weekend like this with a smorgasbord of incredible venues and elite brands competing for a national title might rival that iconic setting.
Regional finals
Region 1
Oregon at Michigan, Noon ET, Fox
Region 2
Ohio State at Washington, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Region 3
Arizona at Georgia, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Region 4
Oklahoma at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Notes: Every game shifts to Saturday for the final on-campus round. Next year, all but one of these teams will compete in either the Big Ten or SEC. In this scenario, Arizona has become the nation’s Cinderella squad with a pair of victories, including the emphatic tournament shocker.
National semifinals
Michigan vs. Michigan Alabama, 3 p.m. ET at Pasadena, Calif., Fox
Georgia vs. Ohio State, 7 p.m. ET at New Orleans, ESPN/ABC
Notes: No commentary here. Just imagine the buildup and passion invested in these matchups.
Championship
Michigan vs. Georgia, 8 p.m. ET at Arlington, Texas, ESPN/ABC
Notes: I’ll let you use your imagination as to which team would win.
Overall, a system like this is probably at least a decade away. The bowls are too deeply embedded in college football, and that’s not a bad thing. But at some point, teams receiving byes in the upcoming CFP structure will watch on-campus matchups and want that for themselves, too. Three trips to destination locations for national title contenders will also have financial ramifications for fan bases.
Eventually, more teams and playoff rounds will generate more interest and revenue. As with the NCAA basketball tournament, it seems only fair that every conference champion will earn a CFP bid. The only question remaining: Would administrators in northern locales prefer cold-weather games filled with logistical challenges but containing great home-field advantages or travel to the current warm-weather environments that become working vacations? A committee to study that proposal has yet to be formed.
(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
2023-12-12 12:41:15
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