35-Team Playoff Post-Season

[Dj2360]

Hey guys! I know this sounds crazy, but I successfully did it!!!

A 35 TEAM PLAYOFF! Instead of a traditional Bowl Season, I replaced it entirely, with a complete, maximum, playoff.

FOREWARNING: successfully implementing this takes hours of time, and is not for the impatient. However, it is very rewarding, and honestly makes the game or dynasty feel very fresh, and exciting!

So, to help you better understand how this is possible : There are exactly 34 bowl games in NCAA FOOTBALL 14, including the NC... So, the only playoff system that plays EXACTLY 34 games is a 35-team playoff. Here is a link to the bracket I used: http://www.printyourbrackets.com/pdf...ngleseeded.pdf

With that being said... Here's how I implemented it.
First things first, you need to pick a bowl game for each match-up. In the editor, the bowl games are numbered... I believe the values are 8-41, in Weeks 17-20.....
SO I looked at my bracket, and simply started at 8, and numbered each game all the way up to the championship game, ending with "game 41", the National Championship game.

You have to choose a SCAPEGOAT team. I'll explain what I mean... I chose Airforce, because they're at the top of the list of teams, and it's easy to scroll to them and pick them in XAN's editor. You can pick any team however, as long as they're not in the playoff.

I used bowl games 8-10 as my 3 "play in" games, with teams seeded 30-35 playing in those games. Then, in the first round, I used games 11-26 for the round of 32 in the playoff. I used games 27-34 for the "sweet 16". Games 35-38 for the elite 8. and finally, games 39 and 40 for FINAL FOUR. Game 41, obviously the NC, for the final game.

So, when I first set up my match-ups, this is how it looked.

Games 8-10: #30 vs #35. #31 vs #34. #32 vs #33.

Games 11, 12 and 13 (waiting for the winner of the play in games): #1 vs Airforce. #2 vs Airforce. #3 vs Airforce.

Games 14-26: #4 vs #29. #5 vs #28. #6 vs #27. #7 vs #26... ETC... Finishing with #16 vs #17.

Games 27-40 (temporary): AIRFORCE vs AIRFORCE... I know, super weird... Just bear with me here.

PLAY GAMES 8-10 FIRST, After they're played, you must save your file, and go back into the editor...

Move the winners to games 11, 12 and 13... To face the 1,2,3 seeds...

To replace the winners of 8-10, (momentarily, until the playoff is finished) Place your scapegoat team their, I used Airforce... Eg: In mine, #33 LSU defeated #32 Central Michigan... So I moved LSU to game 10 to face #1 Oklahoma, and put Airforce in LSU's old spot, as if they just beat Central Michigan... I know this seems super weird and Airforce will be everywhere. but just bear with it.

After you've moved you're play in winners to play their games in the round of 32, Open up you're dynasty on the system and play games 11-26.

When you're finished simming or playing, save it, and go back into the editor.

Now, move all the winners to their appropriate match-ups in games 27-34. To replace the winners, move you're scapegoat team their, as if they just won... So mine looked like this: Airforce beat LSU. Airforce beat ULL. Airforce beat Boise, etc... At this point, Airforce is everywhere... Airforce vs Airforce should still be in games 35-41 at this point as well.

Anyways, once you've moved your winners and replaced them with your scapegoat... Open up your dynasty again in the system and PLAY GAMES 27-34! Once these games are played, again, save it, and go back into the editor with your saved file.

Move the winners of the sweet 16 to the ELITE 8, games 35-38, replacing the winners with your scapegoat.

games 39-41 should still be AF vs AF.

Open up the updated file in your system, and play or sim your ELITE 8... once youre finished, save it, and open up the editor again..

AGAIN, move your winners to games 39 and 40, and replace the winners with your scapegoat..

FINAL FOUR... Open your system with your fresh file, and sim or play your games... At this point, the nerves and satisfaction of successfully implementing your playoff will be setting in... SO CONGRATS! Give yourself a big pat on the back, because you've been going at it for at least an hour or two! When you're finished, save it, and open it in the editor.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!! Move your winners to game 41, replacing them with your scapegoat.

Go back to your game system, and load your dynasty... At this point this is what your "BOWL GAMES" should look like.

Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Airforce vs team
Texas vs Alabama (National Championship game, this is what mine looked like, as UT and BAMA made it to the dance.)

Now PLAY YOUR GAME!!!! this is the best one yet!!! Once the game is finished, save your file, write down on your bracket who won, and go back to your computer and open the editor...

(This step is technically optional, you could leave your scapegoat team where they are, but it will mess with rankings.) Now, we see that AIRFORCE is still all over the place, now it's time to fix that. Grab your bracket, and go back to each game, and replace AIRFORCE with the ACTUAL TEAM that won the game... This will take some time, but once you're finished, give yourself a pat on the back, and go back to your system.

Load your dynasty, and look at each game if you want to, to make sure you didn't make any mistakes.... And when you feel ready... ADVANCE to the END OF BOWL SEASON...

Now, once you've done this, the game will release it's own generated rankings, to the best of it's knowledge... But usually I still go in and edit the final rankings, just making a few tweaks here and there.. BUT, THAT's IT GUYS!!! 35-team playoff postseason!! Best of LUCK!

[jello1717]

Thanx for the info. I've been doing 8 team playoffs forever and I'll stick with that as I feel it's the perfect number of teams, but you taught me something new. I've always used several different teams as my placeholder ("scapegoat") teams but I never thought to use only 1 team as my placeholder. My brackets look like this:

Capture.PNG

where the teams highlighted in yellow are my placeholders. This means every time I need to use a placeholder I need to find 1 specific new team every time (okay 1 of 6 different specific teams). This would obviously be easier if it's always the same team either at the top or bottom of the list of teams in the editor.

Have you had any issues using 1 team as your placeholder? I know that the game can't handle a team having multiple games in the same week (which is why I've always used different teams as my placeholders), but I guess it shouldn't matter since I'd never be playing/simming a game with a placeholder in it. And of course when I'm done I have teams that are in 3 different bowl games (like Michigan and Virginia above) so it should be fine.

[Dj2360]

Quote: Originally Posted by jello1717

Thanx for the info. I've been doing 8 team playoffs forever and I'll stick with that as I feel it's the perfect number of teams, but you taught me something new. I've always used several different teams as my placeholder ("scapegoat") teams but I never thought to use only 1 team as my placeholder. My brackets look like this: Attachment 129852 where the teams highlighted in yellow are my placeholders. This means every time I need to use a placeholder I need to find 1 specific new team every time (okay 1 of 6 different specific teams). This would obviously be easier if it's always the same team either at the top or bottom of the list of teams in the editor. Have you had any issues using 1 team as your placeholder? I know that the game can't handle a team having multiple games in the same week (which is why I've always used different teams as my placeholders), but I guess it shouldn't matter since I'd never be playing/simming a game with a placeholder in it. And of course when I'm done I have teams that are in 3 different bowl games (like Michigan and Virginia above) so it should be fine.

Actually, the game can handle a team being in multiple games in the same week. Of course, you don't actually go in and SIM the games WITH your scapegoat team, they simply replace the winners, or, sit still in the future game slots. But yeah, I used to "swap out" teams and use multiple teams in my 4-team and 8-team playoffs. But, after using 1 Scapegoat, it's much easier.