The Grounds

Update on the four-team playoff proposal for FBS:

"In the plan Delany discussed, a conference champion automatically would qualify for the playoff if ranked in the top six. If fewer than four conference champions were among the top six, the remaining spots would be filled by the highest ranked teams."

ESPN covers the Sims announcement:

"Virginia has not yet said whether Sims will seek an NCAA appeal citing family circumstances as the reason for his transfer, which, if granted, would give him eligibility for the 2012 season."

RTD on Sims:

"Sims carries more hype than all of them, and a week of speculation will turn into three months of anticipation before he hits the field in orange and blue."

Hootie on Sims:

"According to sources, Sims must first enroll at UVa before he can begin the appeal process with the NCAA, ending speculation that he might jump to a FCS (formerly Division I-AA) school so that he could play the 2012 season."

Pilot update on ODU's big decision:

"A few days aren't enough time to weigh the pros and cons of a move that would chart the future course of the athletic department, sources familiar with the decision-making process said Wednesday."

Another OT story, but this one does a tiny bit to counterbalance the Caps' loss:

"Desmond ultimately was the hero, but rookie Bryce Harper was the star of this win. In his fourth major league game, the wunderkind went 3-for-4 with two runs and two doubles. He injected some life into an offense that had mustered only seven runs during the five-game skid."

More fun times in College Park:

"Maryland has announced that Lukas Foreman, who redshirted during the 2011 season, has been suspended from the football team for one year because of a violation of the school’s Student-Athlete Code of Conduct."

I really don't want a neutral site except for the championship. Can you imagine a home game for a Final Four in college football? And it's a guaranteed sellout in stadiums that are usually larger than NFL arenas. And more dramatic. I do not understand putting both rounds in neutral sites and making fans pay huge bucks to travel twice.

Why can't we just copy the FCS/NFL model? It's awesome. 8 teams with school sites until the Natty.

Probably because you're going to have to factor the big bowls into this somehow or they are going to lose a huge chunk of cash. So if you don't, for example, rotate the three playoff games between Miami, Glendale, Pasadena, and New Orleans, you're going to have some ticked off bowl organizers and chambers of commerce.

I don't think it's necessarily a problem as long as you can send the teams to appropriate regional sites. And if you think about it, it's the same way in NCAA basketball. One weekend you're in DC for a regional final, the next weekend you're in Dallas for the Final Four. Those games still tend to sell pretty darn well. (Granted, up until the Final Four the games are held in arenas that hold about 20,000 people vs. 70,000 for football.)

Ugh - he also calls Tim Smith "Tim Scott". Isn't Giannotto the VT beat writer for the Post? Why is he writing this article and not Yanda?

And why are reporters who cover UVA so lazy (present company excluded, of course!!)?