In Reply to: Re: Reasons why 16 would be a better tournament posted by SehornBlew on December 22, 2024 at 08:08:42
Of course there's less controversy. There's a big difference between leaving out a team like Alabama who has a great case for being included over several teams who were and has a real chance to do some damage. Millions of college football fans care about this. On the other hand, only fans of the last team out of the basketball tournament really care and they won't get very far even if they are in.
Yes, there is an important reason for playing more games. It's not just to identify the best team. As was already pointed out to you, expansion of the tournament means a lot more money coming in. How many more fans will watch a minor bowl game if it's now a first round playoff game? The basketball tournament is phenomenally successful and popular but only a small fraction of the teams have a chance of winning the championship.
Yes, 16 teams would be a big improvement (assuming seeds equal rankings).