Tramel's ScissorTales: 16-team College Football Playoff would've given us this fun OU game

A 16-team College Football Playoff was a hot topic at Big Ten Media Days.

In all likelihood, it’s the Big Ten’s counterpunch to Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey saying his league would start from scratch on post-season considerations and would consider all options. Including an SEC-only playoff.

I tend to think the 12-team playoff that was proposed last year will be implemented, with the only variable being automatic qualifications for conference champions. Anywhere from zero to six would be considered.

But a 16-team playoff would not be kooky, and the general format for the 12-team playoff could be applied to a 16-team playoff, simply by making the top four seeds play games instead of getting byes to the quarterfinals.

The advantage of the 16-team format is more money – 15 games in the television package, as opposed to 11 in the 12-team format – and more opportunity for teams.

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The disadvantage is, more opportunity for teams. College football is a top-heavy sport. The best teams rarely are challenged, and games matching seeds 1-16, 2-15, 3-14 and 4-13 might get out of hand quickly.

Or at least that was my original thought. But maybe not. What kind of matchups would a 16-team playoff provide that a 12-team playoff would not?

I went back over the last five seasons and found the matchups that would have transpired, using the playoff committee’s rankings.

I looked at both systems – no automatic qualifiers and six AQs. It made a difference only in one season, 2019, when 17^th-seeded Memphis would have made the field, replacing No. 16 Iowa. In every other year, the top 16 ranked teams included at least six conference champions.

So here are the extra games we would have seen.

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2017 College Football Playoff

16-Michigan State at 1-Clemson

15-Texas Christian at 2-OU

14-Notre Dame at 3-Georgia

13-Stanford at 4-Alabama.

OU-TCU, of course, was the Big 12 Championship Game that year, with the Sooners winning 41-17. Nobody would have been excited over a rematch. Maybe the committee’s discretion would allow moving the seeds one line to avoid rematches.

In that case, it could have been Notre Dame at OU and TCU at Georgia.

I’m a big proponent of the 12-team format, but I’m hard-pressed to argue against a system that could bring Notre Dame to Norman for a playoff game.

2017 was a little bit of an outlier season. Clemson was the No. 1 seed, but the next three teams in the four-team playoff were incredibly close in strength. In the playoff, Bama dominated Clemson 24-6, but Georgia beat OU 54-48 in double overtime, then Alabama beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime.

Stanford was 9-4 going into the 2017 postseason, 7-2 in the Pac-12. The Cardinal had wins over Notre Dame (38-20) and 11^th-ranked Washington (30-22), plus two losses to 8^th-ranked Southern Cal (42-24, 31-28). Stanford also had some dubious losses to San Diego State and Washington State. Bama-Stanford would not have all that competitive, but David Shaw’s team was at least hard-nosed.

TCU we know well. The Sooners swept those Horned Frogs, winning in the regular season 38-20. TCU-Georgia or a third OU-TCU game would not have been particularly enticing.

Clemson-Michigan State? The Spartans were 9-3, 7-2 in the Big Ten. They beat eventually ninth-ranked Penn State 27-24 but were waylaid 48-3 at Ohio State and also lost 38-18 to Notre Dame and 39-31 to Northwestern. Probably wouldn’t have stayed close with Clemson.

And the same thing goes for Notre Dame at Georgia as Notre Dame at OU. Who cares if the game got out of hand. Notre Dame between the hedges would be quite the spectacle.

In 2017, the four extra games would have enhanced college football.

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2018 College Football Playoff

16-West Virginia at 1-Alabama

15-Texas at 2-Clemson

14-Kentucky at 3-Notre Dame

13-Washington State at 4-OU.

I love me some Mountaineers. You know that. But that WVU team, 9-3 overall and 6-3 in the Big 12, would have been dump-trucked by Alabama. That West Virginia team lost 30-14 at Iowa State, 45-41 at OSU and 59-56 at OU. Bama would have made quick work of Dana Holgorsen’s final WVU team.

Washington State at OU? Well, yes, a playoff game on Owen Field against anybody would have some sizzle around here. But would anyone else in America be fired up for the big Sooners-Cougars matchup? WSU rode a relatively easy schedule to a 10-2 record, 7-2 in the Pac-12. The Cougars beat nobody that ended up in the top 16.

Kentucky at Notre Dame would have had intrigue. The Wildcats beat eventual 10^th-ranked Florida 27-16. And UK was marginally competitive against Georgia, losing 34-17. So Kentucky-Notre Dame wouldn’t have been a bad game.

Texas at Clemson? That was the Sam Ehlinger Longhorn team - “We’re baaaack!,” he said after beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. UT wasn’t back, but that was a solid Longhorn team. Texas beat OU 48-45 in October and played the Sooners tough before losing 39-27 in the Big 12 Championship Game.

You’d have to say the 2018 matchups would have been at least interesting.

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2019 College Football Playoff

16-Iowa/Memphis at 1-Louisiana State

15-Notre Dame at 2-Ohio State

14-Michigan at 3-Clemson

13-Alabama at 4-OU

Game, set, match in this discussion. That’s the Bama team that finished 10-2, 6-2 in the SEC, losing two classics, 48-45 to Auburn and 46-41 to LSU. The Crimson Tide on Owen Field, against former Bama quarterback Jalen Hurts, would have been the marquee game of the playoffs and would have been a whale of a showdown. Alabama would have been favored.

Iowa or Memphis against LSU would have been an horrific mismatch. Ugly early and over quickly.

Michigan was not a great team – those Wolverines were blasted 56-27 by Ohio State – and would have been somewhat non-competitive with Clemson.

But Notre Dame at Ohio State? The Buckeyes might have rolled, but everyone would have watched.

Again, the mythical 2019 bracket is a huge endorsement of the 16-team playoff.

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2020 College Football Playoff

16-Brigham Young at 1-Alabama

15-Iowa at 2-Clemson

14-Northwestern at 3-Ohio State

13-North Carolina at 4-Notre Dame.

Not a great lineup. BYU in the playoff would have been cool, but that was a Crimson Tide juggernaut. Blowout.

Iowa was 6-2 in that pandemic-stricken year; the Hawkeyes lost 24-20 at Purdue and 21-20 to Northwestern. Iowa didn’t have a marquee win. I don’t know why the Hawkeyes were ranked 15^th, but it was a difficult year to measure teams, with no significant non-conference games. Clemson would have rolled.

Northwestern had just played Ohio State tough before losing 22-10 in the Big Ten Championship Game, and Carolina had lost to Notre Dame 31-17 in the regular season.

It’s possible the committee would have flipped those matchups. North Carolina at Ohio State, and Northwestern at Clemson.

It wouldn’t have helped. Four extra playoff games in 2020 would not have enhanced anyone’s viewing pleasure.

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2021 College Football Playoff

16-OU at Alabama

15-Iowa at Michigan

14-Oregon at Georgia

13-BYU at Cincinnati.

OU-Bama in 2021 would not have offered the same intrigue as OU-Bama two years earlier. The Sooners were not nearly as potent, Lincoln Riley had two feet out the door and the Crimson Tide would have won big in Tuscaloosa.

Iowa-Michigan would have been a rematch of the Big Ten Championship Game, won 42-3 by the Wolverines. So a committee swap could have produced Iowa at Georgia and Oregon at Michigan.

No better. It’s possible the Hawkeyes would have left Athens without so much as a first down, and Oregon was a ghost ship of a team – coach Mario Cristobal seemed Miami-bound already. Michigan likely would have dominated.

Now, Cincinnati-BYU would have been grand fun. Two outsiders fighting for a quarterfinal berth, a home playoff game for UC, a future Big 12 preview.

But hardly worth those three other debacles.

All told, the five years show the 16-team playoff would offer more good games than bad.  And a lot of money.

The 16-team bracket might be hard to reject.

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Farewell, Vin Scully

Vin Scully’s career was beyond description.

Literally.

How else to explain a broadcaster who began calling games in 1950, when baseball barely was on television and reached the nation almost exclusively via radio waves, and who retired in 2016, when many people consumed games via internet streaming.

A 67-year career, from Jackie Robinson and the Boys of Summer, to Clayton Kershaw and the modern Dodgers. Scully called the games of Preacher Roe, a pitcher born in 1916, and Julio Urias, a pitcher born in 1996.

Scully died Tuesday at age 94, an American treasure.

His baseball career spanned longer than the span between the advent of Studebaker using gasoline engines (1904) and man walking on the moon (1969).

Scully’s sweet tone became the standard for baseball voices. I remember in the early 1980s, when KNOR radio hired a broadcaster to call OU baseball games. I’ve long forgotten his name, but I still remember his voice. He sounded just like Vin Scully, and that was on purpose. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

But Scully’s personality is what won over fans, Dodgers or not. He was simple and pleasant, telling you the story of the players and the story of the game.

Hearing Scully’s voice, be it in Brooklyn or Los Angeles, be it in 1956 or 2012, be it television or radio, be it in a car stuck in LA traffic or in a farmhouse far from city madness, made everyone feel better about baseball. Made everyone feel better about life.

And after Scully’s final game, in 2016, when he signed off for the final time, here were his words:

“You know friends, so many people have wished me congratulations on a 67-year career in baseball, and they’ve wished me a wonderful retirement with my family. And now, all I can do is tell you what I wish for you.

“May God give you for every storm, a rainbow, “For every tear, a smile, “For every care, a promise, “And a blessing in each trial. “For every problem life sends, “A faithful friend to share, “For every sigh, a sweet song, “And an answer for each prayer.

“You and I have been friends for a long time, but I know in my heart that I’ve always needed you more than you’ve needed me, and I’ll miss our time together more than I can say.

“But you know what? There will be a new day, and eventually a new year. And when the upcoming winter gives way to spring, rest assured it once again will be time for Dodger baseball.

“So this is Vin Scully, wishing you a very pleasant good afternoon, wherever you may be.”

Scully said what I’ve always known. I need my readers far more than they’ve ever needed me. Scully realized that early in his life, and a blessed career, a blessed life, ensued.

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Northeastern State needs to stay healthy

J.J. Eckert has an older football team at Northeastern State. That doesn’t mean he has an experienced team.

The RiverHawks legacy coach was hired in December 2018 but is about to enter just his third season. That’s what a pandemic will do.

And here’s what the pandemic did to schools like Northeastern State.

Many high school seniors in the 2018 season redshirted in 2019. Then the 2020 season was wiped out. Most of those players played in 2021, but a good number saw only spot duty.

Now those guys are fourth-year collegians, with a relatively small amount of gridiron time since 2018.

Our series of state-college football previews continues today with Northeastern State.

“If you look at us on paper, we’re a lot older, obviously, than we were last year, but we don’t have a lot of those game reps,” Eckert said. “Those guys who have started 33 games, we don’t have that piece yet.”

The RiverHawks had fallen on hard times in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Northeastern State went winless under Eckert in 2019, then got off to a 2-2 start in 2021, before injuries mounted and the ‘Hawks limped home 2-9.

“We’ve got to get lucky and stay healthy to have the ability to make it through an 11-game season, in a very tough conference, from September through November,” Eckert said.

But he believes in the Tahlequah school. Eckert’s father, Tom, coached Northeastern State to the 1994 NAIA national championship, a team that included J.J. as a freshman.

J.J. Eckert, a successful junior college head coach, has worked to get the culture restored in Tahlequah.

“Do a lot of things within the program from a recruiting standpoint, retention,” Eckert said. “At least it moves the needle in the right direction. Create a good experience for the student-athlete, be something they can be proud of.

“You work hard on trying to create things from a leadership standpoint.”

Eckert easily rattled off his team leaders.

Sophomore defensive linemen Jamie Cortez (Royse City, Texas) and Blake Corn (Tahlequah).

Junior tailback Isaiah Davis (Gladewater, Texas) and senior defensive back John Joseph Jr. (West Palm Beach, Florida). Sophomore defensive back Ramsey Turnage (Charleston, South Carolina).

Sophomore offensive lineman Logan Furnish (Norman North), offensive lineman Caleb Davis (Tulsa Memorial) and Matthew Harker (Tulsa Union).

Senior linebacker Isaac Little (Whitehouse, Texas). Senior quarterback Jacob Frazier (Magnolia, Texas). Sophomore kicker Tyler Crawford (Broken Arrow), a Nebraska transfer.

“I’m proud of the steps we’ve made, taking steps in the right direction,” Eckert said. “We’ve got a good list of guys that have been here and done a good job of leading.”

But those players need to stay healthy to help the RiverHawks navigate the MIAA.

“We need to get where we’re not limping across the finish line but sprinting,” Eckert said. “What we want to be able to find a way to do is, be a healthy football team when it matters.”

2022 Northeastern State football schedule

Sept. 1 at Emporia State 7 p.m.

Sept. 10 Missouri Southern 6 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Pittsburg State 7 p.m.

Sept. 24 Lincoln 2 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Central Missouri 1 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Central Oklahoma 7 p.m.

Oct. 15 Missouri Western 4 p.m.

Oct. 22 at Northwest Missouri State 2 p.m.

Oct. 29 Washburn 2 p.m.

Nov. 5 at Fort Hays State 1 p.m.

Nov. 12 Nebraska-Kearney 2 p.m.

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The List: NFL conference-championship game droughts

The Dallas Cowboys last played in the National Conference championship game in the 1995 season. That’s 27 years. Amazing.

Here are the franchises with the longest conference-championship game droughts in the National Football League:

1. Washington 1991: On January 12, 1992, Washington beat the Lions 41-10 in the NFC title game, en route to a Super Bowl victory over Buffalo. Incredibly, neither Washington nor Detroit has returned to the NFC finals in the 31 years since.

1. Detroit 1991: Since that 1991 season, Washington at least has three playoff victories. The Lions have zero.

3. Miami 1992: The last time the Dolphins reached the AFC title game, Dan Marino was the quarterback and Don Shula was the coach. Miami has four playoff wins since then.

4. Dallas 1995: Barry Switzer’s Super Bowl champion was the last Cowboy team to make the NFC championship game. Dallas has four playoff wins since. The same number the Rams won last winter alone.

5. Cleveland 1999: The last time the Browns made the AFC title game, the 1989 season, they were the original Browns. The franchise moved to Baltimore in 1996, and the Ravens soon enough became a playoff regular. Cleveland got an expansion franchise that started play in 1999; those Browns twice have made the playoffs, but Cleveland’s only win came with the 2020 team, and the Browns lost a step shy of the AFC title game.

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Mailbag: NFL salary cap

The many versions of major-league sports finance can be confusing.

Jim: “Hey Berry, help me out with something. How is the NFL salary cap different than NBA & MLB? If teams in those leagues choose to have payrolls over the cap, they just pay the luxury tax & go about their business. Yet, I never hear of any NFL team going over the cap. NFL teams are constantly losing valuable veterans to stay under the cap. What’s different?”

Tramel: The NFL is a hard cap. No going over. No wiggle room. No nothing.

All of this was collectively bargained. The NBA owners have tried, though perhaps not very hard, to get a hard cap. Baseball doesn’t even try, since its players association is the most successful and powerful in labor-union history. But the NFL has a weak union and generally gives in quite easily.

However, the NFL does have a sort of backdoor entry into cap circumvention, with contract bonuses. Let's say you get a $30 million bonus as part of a five-year contract; the franchise writes a check for the $30 million but can spread the payroll hit over five years, at $6 million a year.

But going over the payroll limit is not allowed. That's why you see really good players, in the last year of their contract, get cut, as you mentioned. The teams have no other choice.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU could have hosted Alabama in expanded 2019 College Football Playoff