To be fair, the majority of games in the 4-team playoff were won by double digits, and we saw plenty of blowouts in the BCS era as well. Even in professional leagues, plenty of playoff games end in blowouts. I don't think there's any way to design a playoff with no blowouts.
My question Tyler is very simple. Who was expecting anything else?
This sport was not built on parity. In fact, it's exactly the opposite. College football was built on the lack thereof. I think the sport is going down the wrong road in trying to encourage more parity, because why would you attempt to change the entire identity of your sport?
Regardless, that identity hasn't changed yet, and therefore the split between the top and the bottom is crazily wide still. I feel like anybody coming into this weekend expecting any less than three blowouts (and mentally preparing for four) can charitably be described as a wishful thinker. I personally was expecting three blowouts plus a mid-off, but four blowouts is likely a better scenario. I can do without a mid-off in my life.
P.S. Did the fans just not understand what they were asking for? There is no point to expanding playoffs other than to encourage first round blowouts. Asking for more playoff games is the same thing as asking for more blowout playoff games. Look at the scores of the new 2 vs 7 playoff games the NFL has given us over their last three seasons: 42-21, 31-15, 34-31 (with the Bills still reeling from the Damar Hamlin thing. Not sure if this is representative), 41-23, 31-17, 48-32.
Yippee. Look at all that close action.
Looking at it through this lens, I look at last weekend as mission accomplished. The games were blowouts, as history overwhelmingly always knew they were going to be, and likely always will be, but I think the organisers knew that. The whole point was to put the shine on the winners, and show off some of these awesome home environments, and in that sense, it all went off without a hitch.
“Even as the afternoon turned to evening and all eyes were on modern heavyweights Texas and Clemson, the big game in the biggest football state in the country was more hat, than cattle and never got closer than two scores.”
Clemson trailed 31-24 in the fourth quarter. Otherwise, I’d say you nailed it.
WENT TO MONTANA; BEEN TELLING MY FRIENDS THIS THE WHOLE WKND
To be fair, the majority of games in the 4-team playoff were won by double digits, and we saw plenty of blowouts in the BCS era as well. Even in professional leagues, plenty of playoff games end in blowouts. I don't think there's any way to design a playoff with no blowouts.
My question Tyler is very simple. Who was expecting anything else?
This sport was not built on parity. In fact, it's exactly the opposite. College football was built on the lack thereof. I think the sport is going down the wrong road in trying to encourage more parity, because why would you attempt to change the entire identity of your sport?
Regardless, that identity hasn't changed yet, and therefore the split between the top and the bottom is crazily wide still. I feel like anybody coming into this weekend expecting any less than three blowouts (and mentally preparing for four) can charitably be described as a wishful thinker. I personally was expecting three blowouts plus a mid-off, but four blowouts is likely a better scenario. I can do without a mid-off in my life.
P.S. Did the fans just not understand what they were asking for? There is no point to expanding playoffs other than to encourage first round blowouts. Asking for more playoff games is the same thing as asking for more blowout playoff games. Look at the scores of the new 2 vs 7 playoff games the NFL has given us over their last three seasons: 42-21, 31-15, 34-31 (with the Bills still reeling from the Damar Hamlin thing. Not sure if this is representative), 41-23, 31-17, 48-32.
Yippee. Look at all that close action.
Looking at it through this lens, I look at last weekend as mission accomplished. The games were blowouts, as history overwhelmingly always knew they were going to be, and likely always will be, but I think the organisers knew that. The whole point was to put the shine on the winners, and show off some of these awesome home environments, and in that sense, it all went off without a hitch.
Totally agree with your last part.
I do think some sections of the sport expected some closer games, though. But agree that perhaps it was more wishful thinking than anything.
“Even as the afternoon turned to evening and all eyes were on modern heavyweights Texas and Clemson, the big game in the biggest football state in the country was more hat, than cattle and never got closer than two scores.”
Clemson trailed 31-24 in the fourth quarter. Otherwise, I’d say you nailed it.
Really good stuff here. I made a good chunk of change this past weekend based off this type of data (same thing happens in D3 football).
Thanks for reading!