FCS Playoffs expands seeding to 16

[Danster21]

https://x.com/SamHerderFCS/status/1783676111429292518

Looks like the committee is going to seed 16 teams now! This is great news, no more playing an amazing team as a high seed because they’re regionally close (*cough* NDSU *cough*) or just missing out on the top 8 and worrying about playing another top-flight team that just missed out as well. And it was never an issue for us but this will also mean that poorer schools that have top-16 seasons will be guaranteed a home playoff game instead of having to bid for it.

The top 8 teams still receive a bye like normal, but teams 9-16 will play an unseeded 17-24 ranked team. These matchups will be slotted in standard tournament order (1 v 16, 2 v 15, etc.) and be irrespective to geography.

[Montanabob]

posted a longer comment about this on another thread. But watch the bracket still be regional with head scratching seeding.

[coloradocat]

posted a longer comment about this on another thread. But watch the bracket still be regional with head scratching seeding.

I think it will be less regional than before but still somewhat regional. The biggest difference may just be that 8 more teams have numbers next to their names. I'd be surprised if the number of cross-Mississippi matchups in the first couple rounds increases very much. Who's really going to care that much of the double digit seeds complain about their order?

[BleedingBLue]

posted a longer comment about this on another thread. But watch the bracket still be regional with head scratching seeding.

I think it will be less regional than before but still somewhat regional. The biggest difference may just be that 8 more teams have numbers next to their names. I'd be surprised if the number of cross-Mississippi matchups in the first couple rounds increases very much. Who's really going to care that much of the double digit seeds complain about their order?

The big difference will be the 9 seed going to the 8 seed in round 2, 10 to the 7 etc. NDSU would have been going to Villanova. Sac State would have come to Bozeman or gone to Furman. Southern Illinois would have done one or the other as well.

[luckyirishguy25]

Does a seed really matter if you can't beat an unseeded team? This is extremely small potatoes in the grand scheme of a national championship, I feel like we need to beat the teams we're supposed to beat and hold people accountable when it turns into a ****** show. Figure that out and seeds don't matter.

[MSU01]

Does a seed really matter if you can't beat an unseeded team? This is extremely small potatoes in the grand scheme of a national championship, I feel like we need to beat the teams we're supposed to beat and hold people accountable when it turns into a ****** show. Figure that out and seeds don't matter.

It probably isn't a huge deal and nobody other than SDSU was ever going to win the national championship the last two years no matter how the bracket was set up, but I definitely think it's an improvement to get rid of a system in which the #1 seed can be matched up with the 9th best team and the #8 seed can be matched up with the 16th best team in the second round.

[tetoncat]

Does a seed really matter if you can't beat an unseeded team? This is extremely small potatoes in the grand scheme of a national championship, I feel like we need to beat the teams we're supposed to beat and hold people accountable when it turns into a ****** show. Figure that out and seeds don't matter.

It probably isn't a huge deal and nobody other than SDSU was ever going to win the national championship the last two years no matter how the bracket was set up, but I definitely think it's an improvement to get rid of a system in which the #1 seed can be matched up with the 9th best team and the #8 seed can be matched up with the 16th best team in the second round.

Biggest change is rewarding those 9-16 seeds with a home game regardless of their bid. 9-24 have been matched up geographically and then best bid hosted. I do think next round should be 1-8 playing teams in order of seed left. So if 9 gets knocked off 8 doesn't necessarily get an unseeded team while 7 has to play the 10 seed as an example.

[TomCat88]

Does a seed really matter if you can't beat an unseeded team? This is extremely small potatoes in the grand scheme of a national championship, I feel like we need to beat the teams we're supposed to beat and hold people accountable when it turns into a ****** show. Figure that out and seeds don't matter.

I’m kind of tired of not seeing the top teams playing each other in the late rounds. Upsets are fun but it’s kinda played. It was great for me to see Purdue vs UConn in the national championship. I would’ve liked to have seen MSU and NDSU in the semis last year with UM and SDSU. Regardless of seeding those were the four best teams last year. The way it was setup there was no way to make that happen.

[smith427]

Idk if this is the right channel for this question, but here goes:

I’ve never seen a straight answer as to how UMs athletic director being the chair of the playoff committee isn’t a huge conflict of interest. Is there an obvious explanation I’m missing or is that pretty messed up?

[coloradocat]

Idk if this is the right channel for this question, but here goes:

I’ve never seen a straight answer as to how UMs athletic director being the chair of the playoff committee isn’t a huge conflict of interest. Is there an obvious explanation I’m missing or is that pretty messed up?

He has to step out of the room when they discuss things that could impact Missoula. Just ignore the fact that he's involved in everything else and definitely campaigning for his team (and the BSC to a lesser extent) every other second he's around the rest of the committee. That's the rule for everyone on the committee. I think his term is over though and rotates to someone else in the conference now.

[MSUBRONCO]

Good!

[PapaG]

posted a longer comment about this on another thread. But watch the bracket still be regional with head scratching seeding.

Beat me to it! I need to wait and see how this plays out this Fall. See it to believe it, although I am a believer in you have to beat whoever they put in front of you to win a title, and I still think MSU outplayed NDSU other than a few defensive breakdowns and a horrendous kicking game.