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/ HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.