Dec. 24 update: So it was Florida-USC vying for the national championship and the Gators prevailed. Thanks to everyone for participating in this fictional tournament scenario -- although it's highly unlikely, let's hope we see some sort of a playoff system in 2009. It can work! Happy holidays, all.
Dec. 22 update: We finally got our first upset! Community members picked No. 2 Texas over No. 1 Oklahoma in the Midwest regional finals. And now, it's time to wrap up the playoffs. Your Final Four teams are Florida, Alabama, Texas and USC. Who will move on to the national title game and come out on top? Find out by noon on Christmas Eve!
Dec. 18 update: So our Elite Eight teams are Florida, Penn State, Alabama, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Texas, Southern Cal and Utah ... essentially the same eight teams most fans would want in an eight-team playoff (except maybe for the Utes). At this point in the tournament, expect to see a lot of big-name injuries and NFL teams scrambling to update their draft boards. And there's still three more games to be played!
Dec. 15 update: Only one upset so far in the tournament -- No. 5 Michigan State topped No. 4 BYU in the Midwest region. A few interesting matchups to keep an eye on in this round: Texas-Boise State, Texas Tech-TCU and Ohio State-Utah.
Dec. 11 update: So 64 teams have been whittled down to 32. But it may still be too much, according to some. "The regular season won't matter in this scenario!" "The athletes won't like this!" "What about final exams?!" Check, check, and check. You're all correct. Also, don't forget to factor in injuries, whether top NFL Draft prospects will want to risk playing in an extended (and grueling) postseason schedule, and a myriad of other unforseen consequences.
But the strength of a playoff system, regardless of the amount of teams participating in it, is the elimination of the arbitrary nature of the BCS. Throw out strength of schedule, "quality wins" and all that hocus pocus. It should be as simple as, "If you win, you move on; if not, you go home."
And for the millionth time, yes, a 64-team playoff is more fantasy than reality. The scale is staggering, the logistics nearly impossible and the changes that would have to be made in the collegiate and pro worlds would pretty much sink any adoption of a viable playoff system. But we can dream of such a thing, right?
Dec. 8: Last month, President-elect Barack Obama said during an interview with 60 Minutes that he would use his influence to create an eight-team college football playoff.
Since he'll be the most powerful man in the free world by 2009, why not go all out and do a 64-team playoff? Can you imagine how wild that first round would be? CBSSports.com College Football Producer J. Darin Darst spells out the ground rules and explains our methodology in selecting 64 teams:
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1. All conference champions receive an automatic bid.
2. Teams must have at least a .500 record and all teams with winning records are in (59 teams have winning records, so five 6-6 teams).
3. Four regions -- Northeast, South, Midwest and West. We did our best to keep teams in their region or close to home, but we can't just throw everybody in the Big 12 in the Midwest, so some teams are scattered. The CBSSports.com 120 was used in helping decide which teams got which seed.
4. First-round games cannot feature games between teams within the same conference. (Teams will have to be moved around in different regions to accommodate this.)
5. First and seconds rounds will be played at higher-seeded teams' home stadium. Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be bid on by numerous bowls across the country. If the Motor City Bowl wants a Sweet 16 game in the Midwest, time to pony up the cash.
6. BCS national championship game is in the Orange Bowl, Northeast/South regional final in the Sugar Bowl and Midwest/West regional final in Fiesta Bowl. Next year it will be Rose, Cotton and Capital One.
7. Don't take it too seriously. This could obviously never happen -- we can't cut the regular season down to seven games to have a six-week NCAA tournament. But have fun, fill out your brackets and post your picks on the appropriate message boards below.
