If I Was King of Sports- College Football Playoffs 2015 Final Postseason

I was very happy when the NCAA dumped the BCS and went to a playoff to decide the national champion. However, four teams are not enough. What I don't like is a team like Middle Tennessee State could have the quality of a SEC team one year, go undefeated, and not have a chance at the national championship, even if it is the best team that particular year, because it plays in a weak conference. If I was king of sports, the college football national championship would be a 12-team playoff. The ten conference champions would qualify plus two wildcards. The bowl system would be used like NIT is in basketball, as a reward for teams with a good season, but who did not qualify for the main tournament. For those who say 12 teams is too many, every other division in the NCAA or NAIA uses at least a 16-team playoff, including Division III that has a 32-team playoff.

In my vision, a committee would seed the teams from 1-16. The top 4 would be granted a bye in the first round. A wildcard would not be allowed to have a top-4 seed, unless it has a top 4 record, regardless of the strength of the other conferences.

This would be my bracket after week 6. Unless a head-to-head matchup has actually occured, I used point differential to break a tie. At this point, it is just a model. Things will happen the way they are supposed to be at the end of the season. (Update 11/5 Now that the college football playoff rankings are now out, if two teams are tied and have not had the opportunity to play each other, yet, the higher ranked team will be considered "the conference leader".  Also, the record for Toledo is reflected before the week began, which is when I would have updated the project if I had time).

*=Wildcard
(1) Clemson (8-0 ACC, 13-0) would have a bye
(9) Western Kentucky (8-0 CUSA, 11-2) @ (8) Houston  (7-1 AAC, 12-1)
(12) Arkansas St. (8-0 SBC, 10-3) @ (5) Iowa (8-0 Big 10, 12-1)*
(4) Oklahoma (8-1 Big 12, 11-1) would have a bye
(11) Bowling Green (7-1 MAC, 10-3) @ (6) Stanford (8-1 PAC-12, 11-2)
(3) Michigan St. (7-1 BIg 10, 12-1) would have a bye
(10) San Diego St. (8-0 MWC, 10-3) @ (7) Ohio St. (7-1 Big 10, 11-1)*
(2) Alabama (7-1 SEC, 12-1) would have a bye)

First two teams out: Notre Dame (10-2), Florida St. (10-2)

Week 5 High School Football playoffs

I wanted to see what the playoff field would look like if the regular season ended today. There is one change in the way teams qualify for the playoffs. Seven leagues will receive an extra automatic bid due to the playoff success (DL, PVL, SFL, SL, TVL, TCC, and VOL). That means the number of at-large bids drops from 28 to 21 (at this point, all but one team in the leagues with the extra bids would have made the playoffs anyway. Pioneer is the team that wouldn't have, and Gregori would now be out.) There are two changes in division placement. League champions now have to play in the division the league is assigned. For example, Wood is small enough for Division III, but since it is leading a Division I league, it would have to play in Division I. The second one is that the definition of "competition success" has broadened. The only team that would have moved up because of the playoffs would not be in as of now (but expect that to change at the actual end of season).

Last 4 teams in: Vintage, Highlands, St. Mary's, Franklin (Elk Grove)

First 2 teams out: Gregori, Golden Valley (I would have done 1st 4 if I thought about it earlier, but I remember these are the first two.)

Division I

(16) Enochs (Modesto) @ (1) Folsom

(9) Woodcreek (Roseville) @ (8) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove)

(12) Modesto @ (5) Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove)

(13) West (Tracy) @ (4) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills)

(11) Monterey Trail (Elk Grove) @ (6) Turlock

(14) Chavez (Stockton) @ (3) Wood (Vacaville)

(10) McNair (Stockton) @ (7) Franklin (Elk Grove)

(15) Kennedy (Sacramento) @ (2) Elk Grove

DIVISION II

(16) Tokay (Lodi) @ (1) Grant (Sacramento)

(9) Whitney (Rocklin) @ (8) Turlock

(12) Downey (Modesto) @ (5) Antelope 

(13) Sacramento @ (4) Napa

(11) Jesuit (Carmichael) @ (6) Rocklin

(14) Vanden (Fairfield) @ (3) Del Oro (Loomis)

(10) Del Campo (Fair Oaks) @ (7) St. Mary's (Stockton)

(15) Vintage (Napa) @ (2) Granite Bay

DIVISION III
(16) Pioneer (Woodland) @ (1) Oakdale
(9) Vista del Lago (Folsom) @ (8) Los Banos
(12) Sierra (Manteca) @ (5) River Valley (Yuba City)
(13) Christian Brothers (Sacramento) @ (4) Patterson
(11) Burbank (Sacramento) @ (6) Placer (Auburn)
(14) Central Valley (Ceres) @ (3) Manteca
(10) Benicia @ (7) Inderkum (Sacramento)
(15) El Dorado (Placrrville) @ (2) Central Catholic (Modesto)

DIVISION IV
(8) Lindhurst (Olivehurst) @ (1) Sonora
(5) Weston Ranch (Stockton) @ (4) Union Mine (El Dorado)
(6) Dixon @ (3) Calaveras (San Andreas)
(7) Center (Antelope) @ (2) Lathrop

DIVISION V
(8) Amador (Sutter Creek) @ (1) Bear River (Grass Valley)
(5) Orestimba (Newman) @ (4) Escalon
(6) Marysville @ (3) Hughson
(7) Hilmar @ (2) Highlands (North Highlands)

DIVISION VI
(8) Rio Vista @ (1) Capital Christian
(5) Summerville (Tuolumne City) @ (4) Ripon Christian
(6) Golden Sierra (Garden Valley) @ (3) Gustine
(7) Mariposa @ (2) Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento)

DIVISION VII
CCAA 1 Stone Ridge Christian would have a bye
SMAL 3 Valley Christian (Roseville) @ CCAA 2 Brookside Christian (Stockton)
SMAL 1 Woodland Christian would have a bye
CCAA 3 Big Valley (Modesto) @ SMAL 2 Delta (Clarksburg)

Three teams I think will be in the playoffs who are not there now: Colfax, Gregori (Modesto), Modesto Christian

Three teams 1 think won't be in the playoffs who would be there now: Monterey Trail (Elk Grove), West (Tracy), Weston Ranch (Stockton)