(09-18-2014 03:14 PM)Underdog Wrote:  

(09-18-2014 12:54 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(09-18-2014 11:54 AM)allthatyoucantleavebehind Wrote:  My proposal (which no one likes much around here) isn't quite ready to happen TODAY, but should be very attractive in the next five years.

The G5 should create their own playoff. They could make more money on a 7-game tournament (8 teams, 3 rounds) than they get from their measly appearance in an "access bowl" on the New Year's Six.

Round one--Friday and Saturday during Heisman/award week. These games would be very, very popular because they'd be the only games on Friday and Saturday...and they'd feature very solid (albeit, not P5) teams. Home game for high seeds. Schools are still in session so the crowds would be awesome.

Round two--Christmas Day. The "final 4" for the G5 playoff. Everybody is home. There are a few other events on TV, but it could become a tradition that sticks. G5-owned "bowls" for maximum revenue. Split most of that money among all conferences...4 participating teams get extra of course.

Championship game--The Friday between New Year's Day and the CFP championship game. Again, not much else on TV, so it would garner very strong ratings...and it'd be a great football game. Again, G5-owned "bowl."

ESPN has already shown a great interest in G5 rights (the MAC's contract for example...I laughed as a PSU fan while I watched PSU on the MAC network during our Akron game... :) ). They would pay handsomely.

An example for this year... (simply using current AP poll for top-4 seedings...just spit-balling the rest)
Friday Dec. 12
7pm--#8 UCF at #1 BYU
9:30pm--#7 Boise State at #2 ECU
Saturday Dec. 13
7pm--#6 Northern Illinois at #3 Marshall
9:30pm--# Memphis at #4 Cincy

Dec. 25
6pm--#1 BYU vs. #4 Cincy in Phoenix
9:30pm--#2 ECU vs. #3 Marshall in Orlando

January 9
9pm--#1 BYU vs. #2 ECU in Dallas

Realignment and expansion for the P5 can come and go...certain teams can move out, other programs can move in...but the G5 playoff can be a staple. Why not have "something" to play for, rather than just crumbs at the P5's table?

Noooooo!!!! A play-off would just reinforce the idea that the G5 is not really D1 FBS football. It screams that we are seperate and not part of the same division as the power conferences. Such a separate playoff is the exact OPPOSITE of what we need to do. What we need to do is more closely tie our post season to the P5 post season. Thus, I would be all for the G5 working on a "champions" bowl series like the one I outlined where some major ranked P5 schools are participants---

G5 #1 vs ranked at large----already exists as the G5 access bowl

G5 #2 vs #3-5 selection from a power conference--new G5 owned and operated bowl**

G5 #3 vs #3-5 selection from a power conference--new G5 owned and operated bowl**

G5 #4 vs G5 #5--new G5 owned and operated bowl**

**created by the G5


What I propose is just swapping out 3 of the new crappy bowls the G5 created and replacing them with upper-tier non-CFP bowls that are solid destinations for the G5 champions. Yes, it will cost us money to attract high quality ranked P5 opponents. But it will also make us money in the long run.

Right now, if your G5 conference champ doesn't make the access bowl, the typical G5 champion is looking at a very bleak post season destination. If we improve the post season destination and make it a nice payday for a #3-5 P5 school---then we make those bowls a big deal because a upper tier P5 schools will be going there. By having a post season destination that is important---then becoming a G5 champion is more important. That will increase the interest in ALL the G5 conference races. If you increase the interest in the G5 conference races---then you increase the value of those media rights.

@Attackcoog

What part of: we make less money, have the worst bowls, and about a 99.99% chance of not playing in "their" playoff do you not understand.... The term "G5" means "we are not like the P5." You and I have had this discussion before, and you seem to think this is fantasy football we’re talking about. If you would look at reality, “we are separate and not part of… the power conferences.” Out of all the American fans, I respect you the most and even nominated you to be a moderator. However, as very intelligent as you are... you baffle me with your logic that if the G5 attempts to have a playoff, it will cause a further separation in perception between the P5 and us. How? We would be playing to determine the best G5 school to play one of them. Furthermore, the purpose is to do what the P5 refuse to do: Decide who gets our only access spot on the field—not by a committee. Nevertheless, I will admit that the term “playoff” is not the best one to use. Instead, a "play-in" tournament is a more appropriate term in my opinion….

In closing, I still respect you a lot and hope that you one day become a moderator……

Thanks for the kind words. Its nice to see civility isn't dead around here. Trust me, I get it. The gap between the G5 and P5 is growing. My personal opinion is schools have about a decade--maybe two--to try to make it into what will become the new upper division of football (d4).

My thoughts echo CommuterBob's to an extent---I didn't see anything about getting the access bowl as a prize in the proposal. That said, I would be interested in a single play-in game for the top two ranked G5--if the reward was access to the actual playoff (not an access bowl). ArkStfan said a similar proposal (for a BCS bowl) was offered to the non-AQ conferences during the BCS era but was stymied because CUSA and the MW wouldn't accept it (they both were more interested in acheiving straight up AQ access). I think tossing that offer aside was a mistake.

What I believe is football life for those G5 schools left behind when D4 hits will be grim. Thus, my feeling is that the G5 is best off doing ANYTHING it can to tie its post season to the P5 post season.

If it costs us money to pay P5 teams to be in our biggest bowls---so be it. The key is to make the G5 post season relevant for its champions and playing in a big bowl vs ranked P5 opponents does just that. If the champ of the ACC played in Birmigham vs a 6-6 SEC team, the ACC championship race isn't nearly as interesting to America. If America knows the AAC champ is going to play a ranked team from the P5 in a big "signature" bowl---the question of who the AAC will send to that bowl becomes far more interesting to the casual fan. Your post season destination gives the conference race context---and the G5 has no decent post season destinations. That's the key to fixing the G5 value issue in my opinion.

If you separate in any way from the top level of football---you become invisible to the American public. You see that truth in FCS football. Nobody cares if Sam Houston State wins the FCS playoff. But if Sam Houston State is in the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament---its a HUGE national story. To stay relevant in any way---the G5 needs to stay tied to the P5 post season. To stay relevant in any way, a G5 conference champ must have a meaningful post season destination. Otherwise---what does it matter if you win the AAC---the champ is just going to play in the same type of generic Birmingham/BocaRaton type bowl as the 5th place finisher in the AAC.

Look, its just my opinion---but I think the G5 really needs to be investing money in their post season. Yes, it will cost money at first, but I think over a period of years it will elevate the G5 and increase their intrinsic media value. That is the one way I can see them reducing the huge financial gap that exists with the P5 (a gap that will continue to grow at a faster and faster rate due to conference networks). Frankly, we in the AAC have said we want to become more like the power conferences. Well, we are the one conference that can easily elevate a bowl by investing in it. We have a 100 million dollar war chest. All we would have to do is set aside 5 million for that purpose, and place 1 million of our CFP earnings per year for the next 6 years into that fund. After 6 years, when it is once again time to renegotiate bowl ties, we would have an 11 million dollar fund to beef up the pay out of the conference owned Miami Beach Bowl and to provide it the financial security to attract a solid P5 opponent.