Quote Originally Posted by coogrfan View Post
What it indicates is that the only games that really matter in CBB are the ones after the regular season is concluded. UConn finished 9th in the Big East (9-9 in it's conference). They got hot in the conf tourny, and continued that hot streak thru the NCAA's to the title. In other words, the 2010-11 MBB regular season was even more pointless and meaningless than it usually is...and that's saying something.
The regular season has always been pointless and always will be. Just like the NBA and the NFL. When you have more than 10-12 games, the regular season doesn't matter because there are games that you can lose without it being a big deal. I can guarantee you two things though:

1: The end of the regular season absolutely matters for the teams fighting to get in the playoffs/better seedings in the playoffs.

2: In a season like college football's season (12 or 13 games a season before the postseason begins) and the setup that I have posited (win conference to get bid, top 4 unless they don't fit criteria #1, take top ranked team that fits criteria #1 in place of top 4), you have a postseason where the regular season absolutely matters. Being in the top 4 with a conference win is a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. Being outside of the top 4 means you have to hope someone in it loses their conference, giving you a chance.

Quote Originally Posted by coogrfan View Post
Even if it means sacrificing the thing that sets cfb apart from all other sports?
You mean, the thing that sets the FBS portion of college football from all other sports since the FCS has been doing a playoff system since 1978 without any issues at all (including slowly expanding the number of playoff teams from 4 in 1978, to including 20 teams starting the 2010 season).

No controversy over who won and who didn't get a chance. No bullshit. Just games decided on the field when it matters the most.

FCS playoffs are exciting as hell. I can only imagine how exciting FBS playoffs would be in a stadium with 75,000 fans screaming for their teams to win.