Sitting your starters during Championship week to rest them for the Playoffs.

I just finished watching PTI talk about how the Big 10 is wanting to go to a 14 team tournament, so they can get 4 Automatic bids, and it hit me.... Would College teams on the last week before the playoffs began choose to sit some of their starters to get them rested for their Playoff run?

In the old 4 team playoff system, you could not sit your starters as you needed that final win to make the playoffs. Now you are going to have teams qualifying for the Playoffs before the season is even over. Does this turn the final week of the season into the NFL's Week 18; when most of the teams that have already made the playoffs, choose to sit their starters.

Is there going to be a Championship week in college football anymore?

https://www.espn.com/college-footba...icials-discuss-expanding-14-team-playoff-2026

 

I suppose it is possible and part of it would be how the seeding is done. But in general I think teams will need and want to win to ensure a home game. Also, there are already several weeks between the championship game and the playoffs for rest. Granted avoiding a major injury would make it worth it; Another thing is potential opt-outs, maybe coaches are forced to agree to sit guys until the bigger games.

 

To me Players Choosing not to play in Bowl games was the driving force in getting a NCAA playoff system off the ground..

I don't remember healthy players choosing not to play in bowl games 10+ years ago. Player are like "I have enough on tape, I am not going to play in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl".

 

You need to win your conference to be in the top 4,so a bye in the first round.....

 

Really it is about money. The playoffs ratings and hence TV contracts will be way more than those meaningless bowl games.

And that is what I mean, try asking the players to play even more games. The boosters are gonna have to really step up with playoff NIL $$$. Or the conferences/teams will need to start sharing those riches with the players.

Heck on the news tonight they were talking about NIL money for high school kids.

 

Hey that is a interesting idea; Should the players be entitled to the Playoff money? In the NFL the teams do not pay the players for playoff games, the players salaries are 100% based on regular season games. All Playoff paychecks come straight from the NFL to the Players, and each Player gets the same amount based on if they win or lose.

I wonder if the NCAA would consider paying the players for playoff games? I don\t even know who is paying the schools to play in the new playoffs?

 

ESPN is paying $1.3B yearly to the CFP, who pay the conferences:” The entire revenue breakdown is expected to look as follows: Big Ten 29%; SEC 29%; ACC 17.25%; Big 12 14.75%; Group of Five/Independent 9%; Notre Dame 1%”
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.c...ball Playoff's new,better part of three years.

 

In the NFL the winners get more

Players on the winning team in Super Bowl 58 will get $164,000 each.Players on the losing team will get $89,000

https://fortune.com/2024/02/11/super-bowl-58-winners-losers-compensation/amp/

 

Certainly not if it stays at twelve teams. I think the real question is...are super conferences still going to exist? With this many teams in the playoff...I wouldn't be surprised if we go back to having real conferences...where everyone plays everyone once a year.