After looking at first year and the start of the second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, it clear there has to be a change with the format.
Teams with a first-round bye currently sit at 1-7, with the only team winning being one of the most disciplined and well coached teams, the Indiana Hoosiers. It’s fair to wonder if the reason for this is because teams with the bye are rewarded with almost a month long break.
Since they are off for a month most teams start off slow, as was seen in the Ohio State vs. Miami game. Ohio State came out so slow that even after its burst in the second half it couldn’t come back to win the game.
The NCAA has three options to fix this.
The first would be to start the playoffs sooner. This is something that Oregon coach Dan Lanning suggested. He mentioned starting the playoffs earlier and having the National Championship on Jan. 1. This would reduce the time off for teams awarded a bye.
The second option would be to change to an eight-team playoff system with no first-round bye. However, it might be difficult to convince invested parties and the fans that reducing the number of playoff teams is a prudent move.
The last option would be to get rid of the neutral site games in the second round and award the team that has the bye with a home game. This would give teams having a month off the boost of a home crowd, which could perhaps offset the negative impacts of a long layoff.
With the playoffs expanding to 12 teams just two years ago it’s clear there is still something that needs to be fixed. Something that benefits the four highest seeded teams will help the format.
