ESPN’s Playoff Coverage Makes for a Miserable Watch

[YaketySax]

Column:

ESPN's College Football Playoff coverage makes for a miserable, negative experience

ESPN spent the first weekend of the College Football Playoff bashing underdogs, criticizing fans, and living in the negative.

awfulannouncing.com

Agree 100% with this

 

[YaketySax]

 

[truebluewildcat]

To be fair, there’s not a lot of whining in CBB because not a lot of teams get left out and the ones that do still play in a tournament…the NIT.

Overall agree with the sentiment. CFB tends to bitch more about everything. For being the tougher sport, the entire culture collectively acts like babies more than other sports. From coaches to Talkers and writers.

There’s also a tribalism with CFB that you don’t get anywhere else at any level. Not only with fandom of individual teams, but this conference tribalism is insane.

You got fans arguing for their rivals to get in or get better seeding.

In the NFL, baseball, hockey, etc it’s “f*ck them leave ‘em out…even if they are undefeated and/or had a tough road”

 

[UKWildcats1987]

As has been stated, a lot of the 4 team playoff games were the double digit wins as well. This isnt new for a sport with little parity due to NIL.

 

[Bluegrass79]

How about you don't let those playoff games be on home teams field?

How About trying neutral field?

Bunch of shit had to go play at Penn State and go play at Notre Dame and go play at Texas and think you're going to win!!!

All the playoff games should be on the neutral field that is equal distance from both teams.
The only way.
There is no other way.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

How about you don't let those playoff games be on home teams field?

How About trying neutral field?

Bunch of shit had to go play at Penn State and go play at Notre Dame and go play at Texas and think you're going to win!!!

All the playoff games should be on the neutral field that is equal distance from both teams.
The only way.
There is no other way.

Neutral field wouldn't have changed one of these results. The quarters, semis and title game are neutral. Don't think they want to make 2 teams fans travel longer distances potentially 4 games in a row.

 

[YaketySax]

Home games reward having a good regular season.

I’d rather see different seeding. I think BSU and AZSt should have gotten in but not gotten two of the four byes.

 

[Thecycle27]

They just need to seed it properly so you don’t increase the chances of back to back weeks of blowouts.

ESPN is devaluing their own property, the ACC, which is an interesting approach. It really is interesting to see the reaction. All the chirping early in the day then silence after UT beat down. It is all unnecessary because the SEC doesn’t need to lobby for their teams. The top SEC teams are good enough to win it all. When you try to script out sports it becomes a TV show instead of the randomness of live sports.

 

[know1]

People should try just watching the games and stop listening to commentary, halftime shows, etc., if they are so thin skinned.

 

[dvillecatfan]

People should try just watching the games and stop listening to commentary, halftime shows, etc.,

what i do...for the most part. Will not watch or listen to any of em that wanna entertain more than inform.

 

[Deeeefense]

How about you don't let those playoff games be on home teams field?

How About trying neutral field?

I think they most certainly should move to that. Why not have some of the lower tier bowls, like the Music City or Liberty host first round games? Most of these sites would be at lower latitudes where it isn't 24 degrees with 20 knot winds like it was in State College, Pa.

 

[Bluegrass79]

Neutral field wouldn't have changed one of these results. The quarters, semis and title game are neutral. Don't think they want to make 2 teams fans travel longer distances potentially 4 games in a row.

I believe Indiana beat Notre Dame at Indiana

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I believe Indiana beat Notre Dame at Indiana

Well they wouldn't play at Indiana. If they played neutral I'm still taking ND easily.

 

[Girthang]

Don't have time to read much, so SIAP.

Their big mistake is allowing the teams outside of big conferences directly into the playoff vs the likes of Georgia. Also should've been 8 teams.

-8 team playoff. They should've had play-in games for the teams with much lower SOS. Indiana should've been playing SMU for a chance to play the next level up in seeding. Georgia and the next best team should've had a 2 round bye. The games would've been more interesting to watch, and the competition would gradually ramp up.

4 teams in the 1st round
3&4 seeded teams get a bye to the 2nd round
Top 2 teams get a bye to the 3rd round

No auto-bid seeding. SOS and objective valuation of teams in the 8 teams selected. Top 2 conference winners get double bye. Most likely SEC and Big10 but not automatic. Next tier are the 3&4 seeds from conf champs and at large . Play in tier for non P5(4)conf champions and at large selections.

-12 team playoff could also do an 8 team play in level that would ramp up to playing at large and conf champions, so the 1st and 2nd round games are more competitive.


Or

1st round. 4 lowest seeded teams or non-P5 with 2 winners getting a bye
2nd round. 4 highest seeded at large and non-P5 conf champs with winners playing the following week.
3rd round. Play-in winners reseeded and matched up with Top4 overall seeds.
Semifinal
Championship

This would reward teams that won against much tougher schedules with longer rest before engaging in the playoffs. It would also make for more competitive games in the first 2 rounds.