Quote:
Originally Posted by EricH
#1: If you sort into an A and a B, then one of the two is NO LONGER a CHAMPIONSHIP.
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That's sort of true. I'm not sure how much of a sports fan you are, but the winners of the NIT are still called "champions". Does that mean that anyone remembers that George Washington won this year? Besides GW and some really hard-core fans, everyone else remembers Villanova as the "real" champions. It's fine. Everyone recognizes this. I doubt even anyone at GW thinks they could have won the NCAA tournament. Anyway, my point is that it happens for every sport at every level. There is only one World Series champion, but there are plenty of minor league championships, college baseball championships, high school championships, little league championships... None of them would beat the World Series champions. I am in danger of beating a dead horse here, so I'll stop.
Actually, I was going to leave it at that, but I would argue that the A and B scenario is actually better than the geography scenario for determining a champion. I think in the geographic / random distribution of teams, your quote could be amended to "neither of the two is a championship". We'd be where college football was before the playoff system, where the champions were not determined on the field but in the sports editors' offices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EricH
#2: As I said before, ANY solution that results in teams having zero time to make travel arrangements
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I'm not sure why geography is the only way they know before the season. I am suggesting that teams are "sorted" (including those declaring) before the season. Same situation as before - teams know where they are going, if they qualify.