Opinion: Abandon Playoff, Return to Regional Championships

All of the drama about the college football playoff at the FBS level has been good for business, and I worry the same will soon be said about FCS. That is, if it hasn’t been already.

The FBS level is dominated by the playoff conversation to the point that it excludes other leagues and teams- even during the games that are currently being played. That latter fact is one of the reasons we’ve started leaning into radio in the first place. I announce the Redshirt Sports Top 25 during the broadcast, but it’s never in the context of letting the top 25 overtake the game. We don’t discuss playoff implications aside from the ones pertinent to the game that’s being analyzed. This is in stark contrast to major networks where there might even be a vested interest in promoting specific teams for the playoff. It’s a mess, but it does generate clicks and conversation. The issue is that it steers the conversation towards the playoff, and not towards the other schools in FBS. Over 100 won't make the playoffs, and they all have stories worth talking about.

The FCS playoff is likely not far behind, if it isn’t there already. There wasn’t much outrage towards the amount of MVFC teams that made the playoffs, but when the conversation is led by and directed by outlets with an interest in Big Sky and MVFC fanbases, well… would you expect that?

When it comes to fanbases, bigger is really only better from a financial standpoint. Passionate fans are everywhere. We certainly have them in the Northeast.

Since this tends to be the point where I get accused of this, no, I do not think the NEC should have more teams in the playoff. I think the problem is actually participating in the playoff at all.

Okay, okay, hear me out.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I wonder about the likelihood of the autobid remaining in the future. The conversation in FBS always seems to veer towards whether or not specific conferences or groups of conferences deserve a bid to the playoffs, anyway.

How long before that comes to the FCS? Or even more radical changes as the G5/6 is forced to react to predatory maneuvers by the big conferences?

And so, opinion: abandon the playoff, get out before it loses the soul of college football, and start holding a regional bowl game.

This is something the NEC has done in the past with the Patriot League prior to either school participating in the NCAA playoffs. Now that they do participate, though, there would have to be some added creativity here. I think I’ve got it, though.

The conference champion hosts the best remaining regional team. This season, Central Connecticut State would host Monmouth. It probably would have been a big game, but it definitely would have been a good one. And, financially, there’s probably a better chance of attracting Eastern oriented companies to sponsor this than the cut received from ESPN and the NCAA at large.

I don’t think this solves every problem. In terms of perception, there’s a chance this actually exacerbates it. The usual cascade of voices will either ignore the initiative or imply that the NEC felt it couldn’t compete in the playoffs, and so decided to abandon them to play in a game the league felt it had a chance to win. But to me, this isn’t really about winning. Given enough time, the league will post playoff wins and in the past two seasons CCSU has almost upset Rhode Island in the playoffs. The perception is probably the issue more so than the actual level of competition. A top NEC squad can compete with the top of the country. This has been demonstrated and will continue to be demonstrated. Whether or not anyone decides to acknowledge it is a different problem.

But as there’s more and more talk of private capital getting involved in the FCS playoff, there’s certainly a risk that the voices will start rising to include even more MVFC and Big Sky schools and to exclude the OVC-Big South and the NEC, among others. I really don’t think this is a stretch. If the playoff leaves the control of the NCAA or if there’s ever a push for an alternative tournament- maybe even one that includes the G5/6- the issue is bound to rise.

At the very least, there’s a need to be prepared for a contingency.

If the league is committed to staying in the playoff, then be ready to push. I think the fight is probably coming. But much like some other conferences at our level have found ways to have a meaningful postseason without having to participate in the playoff, it’s high time that the NEC at least has a plan in place to give our schools something real and meaningful to play for. An Eastern Bowl.

Regionality is what made college football beautiful in the first place. Let’s at least consider the possibility of leaning into that once again.