Doug Franz College Football Power Poll: Week 3
Originally published: Nov 2, 2011 - 12:43 pm
In case you don't know from the things I've said on air. I want a playoff in college football but I don't have a problem with the BCS formula. I just don't want it used to narrow the field from 120 to 2.
I have yet to hear any "pro current system" argument that I can't destroy on logical grounds, except one. I can't argue against anyone saying they like the current system and they don't want it changed. Other than that, I'm still waiting for someone to convince me to give up my dream for a college football playoff.
I put before you the Doug Franz College Football Playoff. Every week the BCS rankings will change, therefore changing the teams making the playoff. Check in each week and see how things have changed. At the end of the season, it's up to you to pick the winners of each game and set in motion the championship challenge.
If you want an explanation for the way my formula works, check the bottom of the blog.
Here's the playoff pairings if the regular season ended today.
16) TCU @ 1) LSU
15) Cincinnati @ 2) Alabama
14) Penn St @ 3) Oklahoma St
13) Hou @ 4) Stanford
12) Va Tech @ 5) Boise St
11) Clemson @ 6) Oklahoma
10) Nebraska @ 7) Arkansas
9) So Carolina @ 8) Oregon
OBSERVATIONS:
The game of the century is this weekend with LSU @ Alabama. If you think the playoff diminishes that game, you've never been to an SEC game before.
Michigan State made the playoff for the first time with their win over Wisconsin. Michigan State is out this week with their loss to Nebraska and the Huskers are in.
Two weeks ago Oregon was traveling in the 7 v 10 game. Last week they hosted it. Since Washington State is so bad, beating them drops Oregon to barely holding on to a home game.
0 conference games in the DFCFP. Last week there were two.
The best high school players come from Florida, Texas, California and Ohio. The DFCFP has no teams from OH or FL and it's the non-traditional TCU, Houston and Stanford representing Texas and California.
The SEC West as a division has three teams in the tourney. Not one conference has more than two.
Right now, TCU has a better conference record than Boise State so they get the automatic bid. Boise St and TCU meet next weekend in Boise. This is good news for Kansas State who got knocked out of the playoff by losing to Oklahoma but would be back in the playoff if the Mtn. West only had one bid.
How's this for a second round game: Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State.
The Ole' ball coach has to take a warm weather team up to Oregon in December. What a perfect match-up since Chip Kelly in 2011 is the Steve Spurrier of the 1990's.
In the second round we get to see how Andrew Luck handles the noise of Death Valley at night with 95,000 drunk Tiger fans.
So happy JoePa makes the tournament.
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN:
By ranking every team 1-120, you get a true representation of the best conference by taking the average BCS rank of every team in the conference. This playoff system makes every college football game in the country vital because it rewards teams and conferences alike.
Here's the ranking of the conferences after week 2 of the BCS and the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.
1) Big 12: 31.5
2) SEC: 35.67
3) Big 10: 48.92
4) ACC: 49
5) PAC-12: 53.25
6) Big East: 54
7) C-USA: 70.5 8) Mtn West: 72.13
9) MAC: 81.69
10) Sun Belt: 88.22
11) WAC: 88.88
CONFERENCE OBSERVATIONS:
Through all the crap that's occurred in the Big 12, the conference is stacked. Three teams in the top 14, 4 in the top 25 and Kansas is last but only in 70th place.
If the Pac-12 dumped Colorado (108) and Oregon State (101), the conference would jump ahead of the Big 10 and be the third best conference in the country.
Arizona went from 103rd to 79th with one win and now bumped up to 78th.
In the 11 years of the DFCFP, C-USA has never made the top 8.
Want proof every game matters in the DFCFP? If New Mexico State pulls off the upset and knocks off Georgia, it would lift the whole WAC into the playoff.
PLAYOFF EXPLANATION:
The magic of the DFCFP is how it highlights the regular season more than any other system. Here's the process for coming up with the teams for the playoff.
1) Rank all D-1 (FBS) teams 1-120 (from LSU to New Mexico)
2) Rank all the conferences 1-11 based on the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.
3) Reward the first place team in the top 8 conferences with an automatic bid.
WEEK 31) Oklahoma State
2) LSU
3) Penn St
4) Clemson
5) Stanford
6) Cincinnati
7) Houston
8) TCU
4) Independents—this means you Notre Dame—get no special treatment. If you're not in a conference, earn a wild card bid or join a conference.
5) Select 8 wild-card teams based on BCS rank excluding those already selected with an automatic bid.
WILDCARDS1) Alabama
2) Boise State
3) Oklahoma
4) Arkansas
5) Oregon
6) South Carolina
7) Nebraska
8) Va Tech
6) Rank the 16 teams based on BCS rank with no regard to status as an automatic qualifier or wild-card entry. The tournament would follow a bracket format. Although re-seeding would be a better way to reward the regular season, nothing is better than filling out a basketball bracket and I want that momentum and attention on college football.
7) First two rounds are at the home of the better seed.
8) Final Four and Championship game are played at a rotation among Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Rose.
I'm aware that after the first two rounds there are three games left at neutral sites with four bowl game hosts. This is leverage in case the Rose wants to stick to tradition. If they duck out I've got three games and three bowls. If the Rose does want to stay involved, there would be a new bowl game created for the two teams that just missed out on the playoff. This week would be Michigan v Kansas State.
I give you the extra bowl game just to prove that the bowls don't have to die. Michigan v Kansas State is still a great college football game with great fans. We wouldn't have 35 bowl games anymore—sorry Pinstripe Bowl— but some of the big ones with tradition don't have to go anywhere. If you're an ASU fan are you saying you wouldn't go watch the Devils against Texas in a Holiday Bowl just because it wasn't in the playoff? You'd still get the benefit of extra practices to prepare for your bowl game. Players would still get to enjoy the goodies they receive for participating. As for the fans, we get a real champion.
Feel free to ask me any questions or give me your opinions and I'll put it in the mailbag: doug@ktar.com

































