Another CFB Playoff Option That Pleases Everyone

The BCS wasn't good enough, and now apparently the 4 team playoff produces too much controversy as well. Would 8 teams finally make everyone happy? 16? Here's a fresh take: how about 12? See my selection stipulations, bowl affiliations, where games will be played and how the bracket would look this year. Feel free to leave feedback, (positive or negative, I can take it) below.

12 Team Playoff Guidelines:

- All 5 power conference champions must included (This shouldn't be an issue with 12 teams, but in the rare year, we still include the 5 conference champions)

- Top ranked non-power 5 team will be included (This year UCF made it into the top 12 rankings, but if they had lost to Memphis, the top ranked team between those two would have received the bid)

- Teams are still seeded based on the college football committee's rankings. So just because Ohio St and USC won their conference title, doesn't guarantee them a top 5 ranking. Winning your conference title just guarantees that team a berth in the playoff.

- Top four ranked teams get a bye. This still gives a big advantage to being one of the four best teams in the nation. Committee would still be necessary, and being ranked in the top four would still mean something.

- Another advantage to being ranked in the top 4, hosting the second round playoff game. Based on the bracket below, let's assume USC beats Penn St, they would then travel to Clemson a week later. This adds something in the second round that college football loses with the playoff and bowl games: an actual college football atmosphere on a college football campus. The bye coupled with playing at home in the quarterfinals still gives great value to being a top 4 team.

- To avoid doing away with any bowls, the four first round games would be the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls. They would be played at their normal, neutral locations. Since all games in the first round are theoretically even, after the match-ups are revealed, bowl affiliations can then be determined. Looking at this year, USC/Penn St could be the Rose Bowl, Auburn/Miami the Sugar Bowl, ect. Same things with the Cotton and Peach bowls for the semifinals.

- There is always such a long gap between championship weekend and the big bowls being played, the first round games would be the Saturday before Christmas, the next Saturday around Christmas would be the quarterfinals, with the semis on January 1st, and the championship game on the following Monday.

Below is the bracket, game dates and locations.