Bigger is not always better. Making the tournament, having a right to
play for the national championship, should be an honor given only to
those teams that are truly deserving. It's good to have bubble teams
that don't get in - if you're on the bubble then you haven't played at
a sufficiently high level to be guarnateed a spot. If everyone that
can make some sort of case for a tournament bid gets in (I'm not
talking about PWR here, just teams that, going into the final weeks of
the season feel like they should have a chance) and others besides, you
end up with a watered down field.
 
Yes, the bye situation is horrendous. I've been in favor of having an
eight team tournament. With expansion in the Div I ranks an expansion
in the tournament field is probably inevitable but I still don't think
it's a good thing.
 
Disclaimer: I'm a Cornell alum so I'm not a fan of a team that has
consistently been in the top five in the country (at least not the
past couple decades). A smaller tournament would tend to hurt my
teams chances, yet I still support it.
 
 
 
Keith Kannenberg
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://mae.cornell.edu/kannenb/
 
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