Expansion is one thing when something starts out small, and even then it can become too much. See the College Football Playoff as an example. Yes money talks. I get it. Doesn't make it right or a good idea. Four teams was enough. I don't want to see say a one seed LSU destroy a 12 seed Southern just because they won the SWAC and got into the playoff.
Same thing goes for College Baseball. I don't want the field expended to 72 or even altered to a 32 regional 2 out of 3 series format as KP and Roons suggested on the selection show. You can change the selection process which obviously needs changing with RPI being a flawed metric that needs to be re-evaluated. You don't demolish a whole house just because you need a new dining room set and a new paint job in the living room.
Just like in College Football, somebody deserving will miss out in College Baseball, even with more spots in the tournament. Expansion won't solve it in either sport. Someone will still miss out. Someone will still get under/overseeded. Someone will get in that shouldn't have. It happens. It's a part of the fabric of sports, society, and life. Sometimes it isn't fair.
In the Final 64, there were some examples of all the above mentioned things. Guess what? The tournament is still going to happen. It won't stop because something wrong was done that in all honesty will be forgotten about in a couple weeks.
But I digress. Expansion is not the answer in this case. Stop it.
Brenton, I tend to agree with all of that. The one thing I've always believed is that when a team misses out they need only to come back next year and do better. Take the decision out of the hands of the committee. Do better and then claim a spot in the tournament. It's really that simple.
Charleston (41-14, RPI 42, regular season CAA conference champ) was left out this year. Who knows why but maybe because they were swept at home by Nebraska leaving them with three Q2 losses. Well guess what? In the prior two season Nebraska sat at home for the tournament. This year the Huskers have 39 wins, a RPI 28 and a 2 seed in a regional. Do that.
If you're left out, well, don't fume and quibble, come back next year and do better. Welcome to tournament life. There is simply no tournament plan or design that will solve the woes of those all most ins. Expanding the tournament simply shoves the woes further down the line.
Hey people, it's a sport. the season has to end somewhere. Come back next year and do better and let's all play ball. It's a great sport. Enjoy it.
Oh yeah, and college football? A 13-0 1 seed vs a 9-3 12 seed? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Whew! What a laugher.
I personally like the current playoff format and agree that 64 teams is enough. The only way I would personally favor expansion is if it got rid of the conference post season tournaments. I hate them. No offense to Brenton's Green Wave, but they only punish teams that were good for 14 weeks while rewarding teams that don't deserve a spot in the playoff. No postseason tourney and no complaints from Charleston.
As for moving to 32 series, best 2 out of 3, I'm generally ok with that, but only if you also change Omaha to mirror that. The current post season format is (1) Regional - 4 team, double elimination; (2) Supers best 2 of 3, (3) Omaha - 4 team double elimination; (4) CWS championship - best 2 of 3.
If you got rid of the regional best of 4 because it "doesn't mirror our season" them I think you also have to rework Omaha.
Moving to Best 2 of 3 through the entire post-season (assuming normal rest to "mirror the season") adds an additional three weeks to the season. I don't see that happening.
