Conference championships pose a weird problem in the 12-team playoff era in that it can be better to miss the championship game altogether than to play it and lose, since you're likely not getting a playoff bye in either case, yet you played an extra game, which risks injury and increases fatigue.
The solution? Have a handful of extra bowl games that take place during conference championship week. All the teams that aren't playing in a CCG but have a solid case to be in the playoffs would be paired up. These bowl games would serve as a win-and-in for the playoffs, while the playoff-bound teams who are playing in a CCG don't risk losing their spots with a loss. Then, you can get your final rankings, this time based on 13 games for all teams involved, and have your 12-team playoff bracket play out as usual.
It's a super interesting idea, and I think it's a great workaround for the extra game problem.
The solution? Have a handful of extra bowl games that take place during conference championship week. All the teams that aren't playing in a CCG but have a solid case to be in the playoffs would be paired up. These bowl games would serve as a win-and-in for the playoffs, while the playoff-bound teams who are playing in a CCG don't risk losing their spots with a loss. Then, you can get your final rankings, this time based on 13 games for all teams involved, and have your 12-team playoff bracket play out as usual.
It's a super interesting idea, and I think it's a great workaround for the extra game problem.
