college football playoffs

as the college football season winds down, let's revisit the idea of a college football playoff. granted, i understand the pageantry of the bowl games and the money it brings to universities (the real reason we will never get a playoff). an idea, though, to tie in the spatial aspect, is to divvy up the top 10 bcs teams (those which would make the bcs anyway) and create a regional playoff system. those other 34 teams which go to bowls still could - this would be on top of that. i'll update again after conference championships before the actual bowls begin.

the big six conferences get a team automatically entered (sec, big 10, big 12, big east, acc and pac 10). the other sixspots are based on the bcs rankings. if a conference champ is outside the top 12 in the bcs, the lowest ranked, non-champion team does not make it. top four teams get a bye. (think nfl playoff system) that simple.
games - regionals played at home sites for higher ranked team

Southeast Regional: (7) georgia tech v. (12) oklahoma state
Western Regional: (6) boise state v. (8) oregon
Northeast Regional: (9) pittsburgh v. (10) ohio state
Central States Regional: (5) cincinnati v. (11) iowa

West Finals: (4) tcu vs. western regional winner (played at rose bowl)
Southeast Finals: (1) florida vs. southeast winner (played at orange bowl)
Northeast Finals: (2) alabama vs. northeast winner (played at sugar bowl)
Central States Finals: (3) texas v. central states winner (played at fiesta bowl)

National Semifinal #1: lowest remaining ranked team vs. highest ranked team
National Semifinal #2: second lowest remaining ranked team vs. second highest ranked team
(these games could be played at rotating sites, as the national championship game - but not at the four major bowls. sites could include indoor cold weather sites or nfl stadiums)

National Final: remaining two teams (played at national championship site)

how would i see this shaking out? aside from the influx of funds for more teams and greater opportunities for students and fans to see a true national champion?

• Southeast Regional: (7) georgia tech v. (12) oklahoma state
• Western Regional: (6) boise state v. (8) oregon
• Northeast Regional: (9) pittsburgh v. (10) ohio state
• Central States Regional: (5) cincinnati v. (11) iowa
• West Finals: (4) tcu vs. (8) oregon
• Southeast Finals: (1) florida vs. (7) georgia tech
• Northeast Finals: (2) alabama vs. pittsburgh
• Central States Finals: (3) texas v. cincinnati
• National Semifinal #1: (8) oregon v. (1) florida
  
• National Semifinal #2: (3) texas v. (2) alabama
• National Final: oregon v. alabama

ok - so maybe oregon makes it through because i wanted an upset. still - it could work.

spatial series #2: the space between

not counting the 16 times the world series has featured two teams from the same city (including the match ups between the brooklyn dodgers and new york yankees and the oakland a's/san francisco giants match up), the distance between the two teams in the world series has fluctuated from 100 miles to over 2,000 (see chart to left). quick analysis...

1. it is again obvious to note where teams moved west with the spike right after 1960
2. it is an anomaly for teams to be so far apart...and this does not mean that teams have to be in the northeast (where there traditionally is a higher concentration of teams). for example: oakland/san francisco, anaheim/san francisco, kansas city/st. louis, etc.

so where does this series match up? this series between new york and philadelphia ties for the second shortest distance (not including same-city matchups) with 109 miles (tied with the 1905, 1911, 1913, and 1950 matchups between these two cities). the only series closer? when baltimore won the 1983 world series against the philadelphia phillies. the two cities are only 102 miles apart. the top ten closest city matchups...

1. baltimore v. philadelphia
2. new york city v. philadelphia
3. baltimore v. new york city
4. boston v. new york city
5. washington dc v. new york city
6. cincinnati v. detriot
7. cincinnati v. chicago
8. pittsburgh v. baltimore
9. pittsburgh v. washington dc
10. kansas city v. st. louis

the furtherest distances teams have traveled? the series that went near/over 2,500 miles...

• new york v. san francisco/oakland (2,944 miles)
• new york v. san diego (2,836 miles)
• los angeles v. new york (2,824 miles)
• baltimore v. los angeles (2,681 miles)
• phoenix v. new york (2,482 miles)

...and for the record, east coast teams won 5 out of 9 - so it seems that there is no real advantage there...or just needs some more analysis...