🏈 Stepping away from current headlines, and moving back to other conversations (probably ones some mig

[TerryP]

Over the last few days I've talked to several people I've met throughout the years in the college football world. The conversations started dealing with Penn State but eventually moved on to the 2012 season, playoffs, expansions, and other things that were on our minds just a few weeks ago.

One thing I wanted to bring up today has to do with the later part of those conversations; specifically the playoffs and the expansion talk.

The day the Champions bowl game was announced I made mention here that it was a shot across the bow of conferences like the B1G, the ACC, and the Big East. Not only was it a shot across the bow it was a shot that knocked the mast off of a few ships—or in this case dreams of 'ships coming easier for other conferences. Whether those conferences and their commissioners would admit to this isn't part of a guessing game. It's the simple truth. They were looking at their conferences as a whole and attempting to implement ways for them to have an easier path to be one of the teams selected for the playoffs.

Read More Here...

 

[UAgrad93]

This was a good piece Terry. I look forward to seeing the salvos that will be fired back and forth throughout the next season and a half.

 

[ElephantStomp]

Nice piece as usual Terry. I am under the impression that the SEC has the most say so in most of the discussions. Also, I am curious as to what's going to happen to Notre Dame? They don't have a conference and from what I read winning your conference is a big thing in the new playoff system, so are they going to have to join a conference or are they going to be allowed to compete for a playoff spot without a conference?

 

[TerryP]

Nice piece as usual Terry. I am under the impression that the SEC has the most say so in most of the discussions. Also, I am curious as to what's going to happen to Notre Dame? They don't have a conference and from what I read winning your conference is a big thing in the new playoff system, so are they going to have to join a conference or are they going to be allowed to compete for a playoff spot without a conference?

A detail to be ironed out.

Jack Swarbrick's seat at the table tells you they are in no matter what. Personally, I don't have a problem with them as an independent as long as they play a schedule like the one they have this upcoming season. On the road vs USC, Michigan State, and Oklahoma while hosting Michigan and Miami makes a schedule you could put up against some in the PAC 12 and the B1G and reasonably state they have a harder row to hoe to get to a 10-2, 11-1 mark. IF they continue with this type of a schedule and end up in the top four at the end of the season they deserve as much of a shot as a team from those two conferences with the same record.

As a side note: I feel 11 is going to be the magic number. We'll have at least four teams with that win total every year I suspect. Now, if we end up with a 10-2 ND and a 10-2 B1G team there's where the controversy will arise. But, that takes us back to the second sentence: "as long as they play a schedule..."

I think you'll agree. If Notre Dame comes out of the 2012 season with two losses and those two games are against USC and Michigan they've got a good ball team.

 

[ElephantStomp]

Terry,

I would agree that if ND comes out of 2012 with only two losses and those being against USC and Michigan they've got a dang good team. To me if it comes between a 10-2 ND and a 10-2 B1G team with the schedule ND has then ND should be in

 

[TerryP]

Terry,

I would agree that if ND comes out of 2012 with only two losses and those being against USC and Michigan they've got a dang good team. To me if it comes between a 10-2 ND and a 10-2 B1G team with the schedule ND has then ND should be in

There are a few teams I don't like; Notre Dame is one of them. But, in the same breath I have to admit a good ND team is good for college football even as tiring as Lou Holtz can be with his weekly polishing of the Dome.