clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Rich Rodriguez, Pac-12 coaches discuss college football playoff

By Kevin Zimmerman
Getty Images

Never will the college football postseason be unanimously satisfying, but it's apparent unsatisfying enough these days to warrant deep conversations across the nation regarding a potential college football playoff.

That's exactly what's going down in Phoenix this week, where Pac-12 officials are meeting to discuss a four-team playoff and how it'll affect the Conference of Champions itself, according to ESPN.

There's too many issues to expect any big changes to the BCS system in the next few months, and that's because of how many issues you can find in the conferences alone.

A couple issues from the get-go

  • How many in-conference games should be played, and should it be equal amongst all BCS conferences? A big issue in the Pac-12 stems from the nine-game conference schedule, which is similar to the Big 12 but unlike the ACC, SEC and Big Ten, who play eight games in conference. Apparently, coaches in the Pac-12 are leaning toward dropping one game to put all conferences on the same plane of judgment come playoff time. However, athletic directors aren't so sound on that idea, as it obviously hurts in-league rivalries and, in a business mindset, costs the league some revenue.
  • How many teams make the playoff? Right now, the proposed answer is four. But is that too few? After all, there was a bit of controversy this season about Oklahoma State getting kicked to the curb and deserving a shot at the national title. The same will happen at a semi-final level, too. At which point is the NCAA going to set the cut-off for teams that are elite enough to throw an upset or two and surprise in the national title game?
  • How does the NCAA judge who makes the playoff? People sure don't like the BCS computers. At the same time, fans don't really trust human judgment calls, either. This weaves into how many teams will make the playoffs as well, because the more teams in the playoff -- theoretically -- will make this question have more room for error. But if that's the case, how many football games are you making the good teams play, and how does that reduce the regular season for teams not in the playoff? Rodriguez says there should be a committee, and a big one at that. "I'd hate to go to just one little group or one committee that picks the teams," Rodriguez said. "I think it's way too important. The more people you have involved, probably the better."
  • What happens to tradition? Oh, the Rose Bowl. Will it exist anymore? Arizona Wildcats fans surely hope so, you'd think. The Wildcats have never gotten over the hump to play in the storied bowl game, and it's not exactly a monkey off their backs if the Rose Bowl were shut down due to a new system. League-wide, there's no consolation prize better than the Rose Bowl for winning the conference and missing the championship game. The Big Ten probably feels the same way about it.

    • Rodriguez also caught up with ESPN to chat about the upcoming season.

    "I'm more concerned about getting one first down," Rodriguez said when asked about the playoff discussions.

    Rodriguez on Matt Scott: "I wish I had him for a couple years. He picked it (the offense) up very quickly. I think he's hungry, like all of us, to try to prove himself."

    Rodriguez on the implementation of the new defense: "It's been good. There's so much made about schemes, and really everybody, whether they have odd fronts or even fronts, they do about everything depending on down and distance and who you're playing. I like it because it's a little bit different. But more than anything because that's what our coaches know. And it's a relatively simple system to teach. Our guys took to it pretty well."

    More From Arizona Desert Swarm