Rose Bowl agrees to amended deal

[Tnphil]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35152132/rose-bowl-agrees-amended-deal-paving-way-early-cfp-expansion

[BanditVol]

A source told ESPN's Heather Dinich earlier this week that the Rose Bowl was essentially given an ultimatum this week to agree to terms or risk being shut out of the next television contract, which begins in 2026.

Good!  I am about sick of their prima donna arses.  I get that they are the "Grandaddy of them all", but I think the Rose Bowl has a bit too high an opinion of itself

[Tnphil]

A source told ESPN's Heather Dinich earlier this week that the Rose Bowl was essentially given an ultimatum this week to agree to terms or risk being shut out of the next television contract, which begins in 2026.

Good!  I am about sick of their prima donna arses.  I get that they are the "Grandaddy of them all", but I think the Rose Bowl has a bit too high an opinion of itself

I said several weeks ago to cut them out...Never understood the issue.

[tshadow]

I guess everyone is onboard the 12 team format now? It won't do any good for me to say I think that is too many teams? Where's the whistle emoji? 

[droner]

I guess everyone is onboard the 12 team format now? It won't do any good for me to say I think that is too many teams? Where's the whistle emoji? 

I think 12 is too many. I have always said 8.

[Tnphil]

Glad it's being expanded. It will keep more schools and fans excited longer.....Teams will be playing for first round byes and home field the last part of the season.... Much like the wildcards in pro sports. Bowls have lost their luster and players are opting out left and right.....and players going into the portal before you find out what bowl you're going to like UT yesterday.....IMO college football is a pro farm team now...treat it like one.

[Creek Walker]

I guess everyone is onboard the 12 team format now? It won't do any good for me to say I think that is too many teams? Where's the whistle emoji?  

You'll get no argument from me. Twelve is too many, and it won't solve anything. Case in point: If the 12-team system were in place this year, we're currently having a debate on why Florida State and LSU are being left out and Kansas State and Utah are in. Every time the playoff is expanded, the regular season is cheapened a little more. Under a 12-team format, our game against South Carolina would've been completely meaningless. It shouldn't be that way.

[BanditVol]

I get it CW, but what matters to me is that the VOLS would be a lock this year in either an 8 or 12 game system.

Can Heupel ever go 11-1 or 12-0? I am uncertain.  How importante was Hooker to our success this year?  Will Heupel ever have a decent defense?  Was this year a fluke?  Etc, etc, ad nauseum. 

What we can be confident about is that under Heupel we almost certainly will make a 12 team playoff at some point. I would legit question if we could make four.  Granted, its a lot more feasible than the previous three stooges, but still very difficult in the SEC.  Now I am confident we will.

And yes, I get the dispute about 12.  Dude...the NCAA bball tourney is controversial and they have 68!  It doesn't matter how many, those on the bubble will always whine.

So I'm not sure you have a point.  Whining with 2, whining with 4, whining with 8, whining with 12, whining with 68.   

The only way to have zero whining is to do the old Indiana tourney where literally every single team is in, no classifications even.   

[JeffCountyVolFan]

Every time the playoff is expanded, the regular season is cheapened a little more. Under a 12-team format, our game against South Carolina would've been completely meaningless. It shouldn't be that way.

I have to disagree. First round byes and home field advantage are huge incentives to win in the regular season.

I get that regular season losses should matter, but when Bama finishes 4th in the SEC with 2 losses and still has a chance at a 4 team CFP spot, I think it's already cheapened regular season losses

[Tnphil]

I have to disagree. First round byes and home field advantage are huge incentives to win in the regular season.

I get that regular season losses should matter, but when Bama finishes 4th in the SEC with 2 losses and still has a chance at a 4 team CFP spot, I think it's already cheapened regular season losses

110% agree...

My son played DIII football for 4 years and had 16 team playoffs every year....as did the NAIA....as did DII....FCS. Never understand the complaint for more than 4 teams in DI.

[Creek Walker]

My son played DIII football for 4 years and had 16 team playoffs every year....as did the NAIA....as did DII....FCS. Never understand the complaint for more than 4 teams in DI.

But you also don't see 100,000 people packing out a stadium for a regular season game at any of those levels of football.

[Creek Walker]

I get that regular season losses should matter, but when Bama finishes 4th in the SEC with 2 losses and still has a chance at a 4 team CFP spot, I think it's already cheapened regular season losses

Absolutely it has, which cements my concern. We've already cheapened the regular season with a 4-team field. How much more are we going to cheapen it by expanding it to 12 teams? As great as it was that we were still in the conversation after our loss to UGA, I much prefer a system where a game like UT vs. UGA and a game like UM vs. tOSU are de facto playoff games. Under a 12-team format, even after our disaster against South Carolina, we could've turned around and lost to Vanderbilt and still had an excellent shot of getting in.

[JeffCountyVolFan]

Absolutely it has, which cements my concern. We've already cheapened the regular season with a 4-team field. How much more are we going to cheapen it by expanding it to 12 teams? As great as it was that we were still in the conversation after our loss to UGA, I much prefer a system where a game like UT vs. UGA and a game like UM vs. tOSU are de facto playoff games. Under a 12-team format, even after our disaster against South Carolina, we could've turned around and lost to Vanderbilt and still had an excellent shot of getting in.

First of all, I understand your point of view. I don't agree with it, and while I think that it will change the dynamic of the regular season to some degree, I don't see it as a huge change in the importance of having a great regular season resume.

I think you are just plain wrong to think that if the 12 team playoff was currently being used, this Tennessee team could have ended the season with losses to USC and Vandy while still making the playoff. No way that would have ever happened imo.

As for Bama and the two losses, I would suggest that the problem isn't the expansion to 4 teams. I think it's bias towards certain programs. Tennessee, with our two losses, is out of the CFP picture (as we should be imo), but Bama should also be eliminated in the current scenario.

I could be in favor of a system that allows only conference champions a spot in the playoffs. The argument can be made, imo, that if you want to win the NCAA football national championship you first need to win your conference championship on the field.

I think that we can all agree, however, that a system that only takes conference champions will likely always leave out a few teams that are better than some of the conference champs. For that reason, I think the expansion to 12 teams is a good compromise.

The controversies arise when humans and their biases, and not the players on the field, are allowed to decide who deserves to be in the playoffs. That will never change, but I don't think that means that 12 teams is worse than 4 (or 2, as in the old BCS). I just feel that expansion of the playoffs is a great move for the sport.

I suppose that in a couple of years we will all find out. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[BanditVol]

I think you are just plain wrong to think that if the 12 team playoff was currently being used, this Tennessee team could have ended the season with losses to USC and Vandy while still making the playoff. No way that would have ever happened imo.

This.  No way could we survive a loss to Junior AND Vandy.  Not even with 16.  Maybe with 32, but no one wants that.   

[Creek Walker]

I can almost guarantee you that had Tennessee lost one more game, the Vols would have been the top three-loss team in the rankings. The excuse would have been that Hooker was hurt and UT's body of work, with wins over Alabama and LSU, was still worthy. I mean, are pollsters really going to rank a three-loss LSU team that lost 40-13 at home to Tennessee and is coming off an awful loss to Texas A&M ahead of a three-loss Tennessee team? If they did, all UT fans would be gnashing their teeth...and rightfully so.

[BanditVol]

I can almost guarantee you that had Tennessee lost one more game, the Vols would have been the top three-loss team in the rankings. The excuse would have been that Hooker was hurt and UT's body of work, with wins over Alabama and LSU, was still worthy. I mean, are pollsters really going to rank a three-loss LSU team that lost 40-13 at home to Tennessee and is coming off an awful loss to Texas A&M ahead of a three-loss Tennessee team? If they did, all UT fans would be gnashing their teeth...and rightfully so.

I think they might well, because they have proven their stated criteria are easily trumped by "optics".