oldretiredguy wrote:

DucksReign wrote:

He does make a credible point that hopefully the Pac-12 can get some much needed dollars for media rights that might not have been available had expansion happened more quickly.

https://www.ksl.com/article/50351821/college-football-playoff-expansion-delayed-officially-what-it-means-for-the-pac-12

Good points by Wilner. However, I'm not convinced expansion will mean more opportunities for the PAC. Right now, the PAC needs to get more competitive, and stop losing to FCS and MWC opponents. I  am glad to see U$C coming back, but other teams have to step up as well. Oregon has been recruiting well, and we can continue to do that even with Socal being tougher to recruit with Riley down there, but other schools need to improve in this area.
 

You are exactly right and the competitiveness has to have some continuity to it. Not just a team having a single great season.

I feel there needs to be at least 2 such teams in the North Division...ditto for the South Division. Division races that generate interest and gets teams battle tough / ready.

Two-years ago Oregon backed into the Pac-12 Championship Game because of Covid issues with the uw.

Last season the North Division was not so good.

Both years Oregon was handled in bowl games to end the season...and they were supposedly one of the better teams in the Pac-12!

Orygun303 wrote:

For what it's worth I'd like to hear what Ken Goe has to say about this. He was always saying the playoff should  go to 16 teams, though he did later say he'd be content with 8.

I always backed him in the comments section on that. saying that it would generate more interest and money. On the flip side, many commenters thought 4 teams were the best format. Status quo thinkers is what i labeled  those type of comments,

I think Goe is now retired from the Oregonian but I somehow know what his arguments would be all about.  And he would probably catch a lot of flack for his views on that just like he did on the old OL column he did.

I don't want expansion of any number just for the sake of expansion. Nor do I want anything that the SEC / ESPN rams down everyone's throat i.e. which is what triggered the formation of The Alliance.

Personally I have never been disappointed when the #16 team in the nation didn't get a chance to play for a National Championship in college football.

What generates interest are competitive Division races leading to conference championship games leading to a playoff.

Plus what is never addressed in playoff chatter is weather. College football now barely finishes the regular season ahead of cold weather i.e. how many college teams have indoor stadiums? Syracuse and?

So when you make the playoffs bigger(16 teams = another month of games) there are 2 options...teams like the luckeyes get to host games in December or January in frigid temperatures OR every game is in a warm weather location or in a dome stadium. That sounds interesting? How many Oregon fans can or will travel possibly consecutive weekends out of state for a month?

"Generates interest" = television not the actual attending games in person or reality of what that would involve.

The Pac-12 doesn't need expansion...they need to create a better product first and foremost.

Orygun303 wrote:

For what it's worth I'd like to hear what Ken Goe has to say about this. He was always saying the playoff should  go to 16 teams, though he did later say he'd be content with 8.

I always backed him in the comments section on that. saying that it would generate more interest and money. On the flip side, many commenters thought 4 teams were the best format. Status quo thinkers is what i labeled  those type of comments,

I think Goe is now retired from the Oregonian but I somehow know what his arguments would be all about.  And he would probably catch a lot of flack for his views on that just like he did on the old OL column he did.

He wrote a number of track related material last year. He did a couple football articles, but it seems to me that he's lost his enthusiasm for football. 

I've been a long time proponent of the 8 game playoff. I was a little surprised nothing was changed.