Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

[icvu42]

So after I finish my current season, I was going to re-align the conferences. I was going to go back to a PAC-10, recreate the AAC as the old Big East (though adding Penn State to it), and then use CUSA to recreate the old Southwest Conference. So in essence, I will have 7 power conferences.

For people who have done something similar. Will the playoffs recognize teams from those conferences and give them more than the 1 Group of 5 bid?

Rick

[DLev4552]

Re: Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

For people who have done something similar. Will the playoffs recognize teams from those conferences and give them more than the 1 Group of 5 bid?

Rick

Yes, because there is no such thing as the one G5 bid, in real life or in the game.

The 5 automatic bids go to the 5 highest ranked conference champions, period. It isn't tied to the P4 whatsoever.

If, say, Boise State (MWC Champions) and Army (AAC Champions) finish the regular season ranked higher than BYU (Big 12 Champions), then Boise State and Army would both get conference champion autobids and the Big 12 wouldn't.

If no Big 12 team was ranked inside the Top 12 for an at-large bid, then the conference would miss the playoffs entirely. Even as a P4 conference.

[Potatoes002]

Re: Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

One more thing to add to this, Independents can’t get a Top 4 seed/bye regardless of their ranking.

[sherrane]

Re: Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

So after I finish my current season, I was going to re-align the conferences. I was going to go back to a PAC-10, recreate the AAC as the old Big East (though adding Penn State to it), and then use CUSA to recreate the old Southwest Conference. So in essence, I will have 7 power conferences.

For people who have done something similar. Will the playoffs recognize teams from those conferences and give them more than the 1 Group of 5 bid?

Rick

The game implements the playoffs correctly, but the media hasn't reported it as such. The P4 does not posses an automatic bid per se. The top 5 Conference Champions have automatic bids and it is assumed 4 of those bids will go to all four P4 champs. While unlikely, the 5 conference champions with automatic bids could be the champions of the MAC, C-USA, SBC, MWC, and American.


I added teams to rebuild the Pac-12 in my dynasty. The first season saw champions of the SEC, B1G, Big 12, American, and Pac-12. I initially thought it was wrong because the ACC did not get an automatic bid until I read the rules and realized the game was correct.


You will have the highest ranked champions get the 5 automatic bids. So, using the current CFP Rankings based on your alignment, your bids will be:
1: Oregon, Pac-12
2: Ohio State, B1G
3: Georgia, SEC
4: Miami, Big East / American
5: Texas, SWC / C-USA



The ACC and Big 12 (8?) will not get automatic bids. They will probably miss the playoffs based on the current rankings because their top teams are 23 Clemson and 19 Kansas State

[moTIGS]

Re: Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

For those with experience using custom conferences, does that work OK? I feel like I've read a lot about them being kinda buggy.

For the past few seasons, I've wanted to do some realignment similar to what OP mentioned (rebuild the PAC, but Texas and Oklahoma back in the Big 12, get rid of some of the bottom feeders in the Mountain West, which in my save is the top conference but is dragged down a bit by some teams that are just awful, etc). I've held off, though, because I don't want to do all that only to find out it messes up scheduling.

Anything people need to know to make realigned conferences function properly?

[icvu42]

Re: Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

For those with experience using custom conferences, does that work OK? I feel like I've read a lot about them being kinda buggy.

For the past few seasons, I've wanted to do some realignment similar to what OP mentioned (rebuild the PAC, but Texas and Oklahoma back in the Big 12, get rid of some of the bottom feeders in the Mountain West, which in my save is the top conference but is dragged down a bit by some teams that are just awful, etc). I've held off, though, because I don't want to do all that only to find out it messes up scheduling.

Anything people need to know to make realigned conferences function properly?

So my first attempt was very buggy with the schedules. But then I read in another thread that if you have a lot of 12 team conferences it messes up the schedules. I read that the ideal is 10 teams with 9 game conference schedule. So I created 7 conferences with ten teams and 3 have 20 teams. All play 9 conference games The schedules for the first year are perfect. I checked several teams and they all have either 4 or 5 home conference games. Hopefully they just flip the home and away in future seasons.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

I have custom conferences with 14 teams in each conference except the Sun Belt and Conference USA, which have ten. I have each conference play nine games and schedules have been just fine. 12 team conferences seem to mess up the game. I started with 12 team ones, but some teams would only play like four conference games.

[Dave2554]

Re: Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

For those with experience using custom conferences, does that work OK? I feel like I've read a lot about them being kinda buggy.

For the past few seasons, I've wanted to do some realignment similar to what OP mentioned (rebuild the PAC, but Texas and Oklahoma back in the Big 12, get rid of some of the bottom feeders in the Mountain West, which in my save is the top conference but is dragged down a bit by some teams that are just awful, etc). I've held off, though, because I don't want to do all that only to find out it messes up scheduling.

Anything people need to know to make realigned conferences function properly?

So i just realigned conferences, reduced the size of some, increased others, etc. When I got to the season there were only 4 Conference games on the schedule (Big Ten reduced to 14 Teams). I don't know if I did something wrong, but it appears to have hosed my entire Dynasty. To say I wish I had left well enough alone is an understatement. The reason I am on the forums today is to see if there is anyway out of this for me, or if I have permanently hosed it.

[icvu42]

Re: Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

So i just realigned conferences, reduced the size of some, increased others, etc. When I got to the season there were only 4 Conference games on the schedule (Big Ten reduced to 14 Teams). I don't know if I did something wrong, but it appears to have hosed my entire Dynasty. To say I wish I had left well enough alone is an understatement. The reason I am on the forums today is to see if there is anyway out of this for me, or if I have permanently hosed it.

When you start making changes to conferences, it switches each to 4 conference games. You then have to go into the conference rules(settings?) and set the number of conference games. You will want to check every conference. You can also edit championship game location, divisions, etc. What I did after my first season before I started making changes was create a save point, so that if I messed anything up, I could just go back to that save point.

[sherrane]

Re: Custom Conferences - Playoff Effect

So i just realigned conferences, reduced the size of some, increased others, etc. When I got to the season there were only 4 Conference games on the schedule (Big Ten reduced to 14 Teams). I don't know if I did something wrong, but it appears to have hosed my entire Dynasty. To say I wish I had left well enough alone is an understatement. The reason I am on the forums today is to see if there is anyway out of this for me, or if I have permanently hosed it.

One thing that I have started doing is making a backup. Save the dynasty to a file named "Duplicate" or "Backup" and then save to your dynasty name to make it the active dynasty. Make your changes. You can then Load "Backup" if your changes mess things up. 2nd time a charm? Save the loaded Backup to your dynasty file name to make it the active dynasty and try again.

When you start making changes to conferences, it switches each to 4 conference games. You then have to go into the conference rules(settings?) and set the number of conference games. You will want to check every conference. You can also edit championship game location, divisions, etc. What I did after my first season before I started making changes was create a save point, so that if I messed anything up, I could just go back to that save point.

Regarding the conference rules, you should check them twice (cycle around the conferences confirming changes you made). It could be user error, but every once in a while conference settings do not persist.


Also, this only applies to changing the structure of the conference. I run a relegation dynasty, so the conferences change every season. However, the number of teams remain constant. When I move a team to a new conference, I swap teams in one action rather than adding a team to the conference and then move the other to get back to the desired configuration. I do not know if the latter would change the conference settings, but by "trading teams" I can confirm it does not.