DBWI: No college football playoff

As we come to the close of yet another college football season, I wonder about all the opposition there was to instituting a playoff to determine the national champion in the years immediately after World War II. What if the system of each team playing no more than a single postseason bowl game had stayed in place? Some people think that there might be as many as 15 or even 20 bowl games being played today! Any thoughts?
 
As we come to the close of yet another college football season, I wonder about all the opposition there was to instituting a playoff to determine the national champion in the years immediately after World War II. What if the system of each team playing no more than a single postseason bowl game had stayed in place? Some people think that there might be as many as 15 or even 20 bowl games being played today! Any thoughts?

Nah, too unlikely. The cost and trouble of setting up so many bowls would eventually force them to adopt a united championship system. Besides, even if that DID happen, attention would naturally gravitate to whichever bowl the most interesting teams were playing in, making it a defacto but broken championship system. I doubt even the most ardent "bowl" partisans would defend it under those conditions.
 
No college football playoffs? That's completely ASB. You'll be bringing up a certain sea mammal next, I suppose. ;)
 
The SEC schools might do better in a system without a playoff, because in the old days most of the "bowl games" were played in warm-weather cities like Miami and Los Angeles. The playoffs directly led to the dominance of the Big 10 and Big 8 conferences, because southern teams can't compete in cold-weather games in December and January.
 
The SEC schools might do better in a system without a playoff, because in the old days most of the "bowl games" were played in warm-weather cities like Miami and Los Angeles. The playoffs directly led to the dominance of the Big 10 and Big 8 conferences, because southern teams can't compete in cold-weather games in December and January.

*ahem*

1998: Texas A & M
1999: Tennessee
2000: Washington
2001: Illinois
2002: Miami
2003: LSU
2004: USC
2005: Penn State
2006: Ohio State
2007: Oklahoma
2008: Oklahoma
2009: Iowa

Recent Big 8 and Big 10 dominance merely dates from the last half decade or so.
 
*ahem*

1998: Texas A & M
1999: Tennessee
2000: Washington
2001: Illinois
2002: Miami
2003: LSU
2004: USC
2005: Penn State
2006: Ohio State
2007: Oklahoma
2008: Oklahoma
2009: Iowa

Recent Big 8 and Big 10 dominance merely dates from the last half decade or so.

I would have Miami three-peating from 00-02, Kansas State winning in 98(after getting revenge for giving A&M the Big 12 title game), Texas winning in 05, and Penn St. winning in 08.
 
As we come to the close of yet another college football season, I wonder about all the opposition there was to instituting a playoff to determine the national champion in the years immediately after World War II. What if the system of each team playing no more than a single postseason bowl game had stayed in place? Some people think that there might be as many as 15 or even 20 bowl games being played today! Any thoughts?

Maybe a little less controversy in college football? After all, if everyone gets to go to a postseason game, there's no arguing about who gets into the tournament every year like there is now.
 
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