I've lurked on this board since its creation, but I rarely post. So I'll break my silence with this proposal: Use the present conference championship games and advance all five winners to the playoffs. The top-ranked three get a bye and the other two play an extra game, more or less like the baseball playoffs.

I know it adds an extra week for two teams, but all major conferences would then have a seat at the table. Of course, this would bar all the other conferences and would possibly lead to lawsuits and the like. Also, it bars a number of Alabama-like teams. Nothing's perfect.

OTOH, it strengthens the regular season and conference championship games. It also helps objectify and de-mystify the playoff selections.