We debate whether 4 or 8 team College Football Playoff is correct number

College Football Playoff debate, 4 or 8 teams the correct number?

It’s that time of year, teams are attempting to play their way into the College Football Playoff and fans are arguing about how many teams should be included. Thomas Scurlock and I are two of those fans who disagree so we have decided to debate the issue.

I will let my buddy Tom make his case for an eight team college football playoff first. Then I will use logic and reason to prove that the current format is just right.

TS Charlie and I have a running debate about the current four team college football playoff. He’s for keeping the playoff at four teams. I am in favor of expanding it to eight.

Here is why I am right and he is wrong, along with anyone else that thinks four is the correct number.

There are five power conferences and only four spots

In no other meaningful sport is the champion of a conference or division denied the right to play for a national championship.

Penn State was penalized last year, Stanford in 2015 and either Baylor or TCU in 2014. That should never happen and it is an embarrassment.

Open it up so all five champions make it plus three at-large. It makes the championship more legitimate by removing most of the subjectivity and the proverbial “eye test” garbage.

We’ll have to live with No. 9 and No. 10 griping about being left out, but that is much easier to swallow.

I could also end my argument here because this reason is enough. Here are more reasons:

Eight Won’t Diminish the Regular Season

College football purists cling to protecting the sanctity of the regular season. I get their emotional attachment, but the game has changed.

I would argue that taking the winner of the Power Five plus three will improve the regular season because the more traditionally powerful teams will be willing to schedule games against each other.

Besides, teams must win their conference to earn a guaranteed spot. The three at-large will be really good teams.

Also, teams with two losses will continue to fight as there will be an outside chance of being included. There is motivation to play harder.

The Bowl Season is Lousy Anyway

Most of the bowl games are ridiculously under-watched and under-attended. Fans have to wait almost an entire month to see a meaningful game.

Back up the playoff one week and strengthen the post-season by playing seven meaningful games instead of three.

The rest of bowl season will still be lousy. At least the playoff will be more thrilling.

Spare me the School Nonsense

December is exam month and it is demanding on the students. Guess what? They’ll be fine. You sign up to play FBS level football, then you are tough enough to grind through it. It only impacts a handful of programs.

Incorporate One More Home Game

I am in favor of the quarterfinal games being home games for the top four seeds. Provides more excitement and likely will give Northern teams a chance to prove their argument that Southern teams get an advantage because bowl games are played in warm cities and closer to their campuses.

CL Nice try Tom but your argument doesn’t hold water. As usual, those on the correct side of a debate need only to emphasize a few key facts to make their point.

First, just because a team wins their conference doesn’t give them a “right” to play for a national title. They are deemed deserving to play for one or not. I appreciate the challenges of conference play more than most, so I think teams that win a conference title should be strongly considered. However, not all deserve to play for the national championship.

As far as the regular season not being impacted by an expanded playoff. Seriously?

The interest in college football has never been greater. That’s because the playoff going on at the moment during the regular season is the most exciting one in any sport.

Going into last weekend’s action, it was nearly a playoff involving the top 16 ranked teams. Only Oklahoma State had played themselves completely out of the mix. There was still an outside chance for Mississippi State to make the SEC title game but that ended with the narrow loss to Alabama and an Auburn victory.

Now the College Football Playoff field has been reduced to about 10 teams or so that have at least some chance of making the final four. See, teams are dropping off gradually instead of four going home after the first games are played in an eight team playoff.

More from Scarlet and Game

The school issue Tom brought up about December being exam month is a legitimate concern. But another, considering the health of the players, is a much bigger one.

Teams in the playoffs will play at least 14 games which is already pushing the limit for an FBS athlete. Those who make the argument that other divisions have expanded playoffs so these players will be fine just don’t get it.

The FBS situation is entirely different. One reason is that teams in smaller divisions don’t play as many regular season games. Another, their players aren’t as big and fast as FBS players, which is why they are playing for a smaller school. The constant collisions therefore aren’t as violent so they don’t take as much toll on their bodies as 250-300 pound guys smashing into each other for 14 or 15 games.

NFL rookies often speak of the long 16 game season they had to endure and how it took it’s toll on them. How hard would it be on 18-21 year old guys if the season is extended?

I certainly hope the NCAA doesn’t attempt to fix something that isn’t broken and go to an eight team college football playoff, because we would then miss one like we have going on right now. That playoff will be whittling the field down to four teams during the next three weeks and everyone will be watching to see which ones they will be.

For that reason, as well as the concern for the student athlete, expanding the field to eight teams after the conference championship games are played would be a big mistake.

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