Why shouldn't he lead? Is there a single sound argument
by gregmorrissey (2021-06-24 12:42:29)
Edited on 2021-06-24 12:44:12

In reply to: Stewart Mandel reports that Swarbrick has been the leading  posted by VaDblDmr

Post Reply Return to Rock's House

against 12 teams making the playoff? It benefits Notre Dame and our goal of maintaining independence in nearly every conceivable way. The only knock is the lack of 1st round bye/top 4 seed. I already laid out that those two items should not be linked.

In 7 years, there have been 28 playoff spots filled by 11 teams. We've been twice. Alabama (6), Clemson (6), Ohio State (4), Oklahoma (4) have taken 20 of the 28 spots. Edit: we are the only other team with multiple berths). Is that fun or good for the long-term health of the sport?


And, personally, I think it's better to include a team that "has no shot" than exclude a team that does.


Are ND/Swarbrick/Kelly perfect? Not by a mile, but as it relates to Notre Dame's football independence, I am struggling to see how Jack has done anything but masterfully navigate the last decade of change. Again, it's not been perfect (gave ACC 1 too many games, maybe 2; and his learning curve with regards to his role overseeing the leadership of the individual sports has been too long). But, for all intents and purposes, a 12 team playoff without automatic conference bids does more to ensure Notre Dame's independence for the foreseeable future than any amount of "more complicated schedules and program improvement".


Seriously, am I looney? Other than nostalgia, or the difficulty of running a 4 game top 10 gauntlet (5 on certain years when USC is good), I don't understand the negative reception here for this proposal.

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