Playoff Seedings

[mtgrizrule]

It looks to me, 3 of the top 4 seeds will be considered Western seeds this season. The exception being JMU. If it plays out this way, would the NCAA seed 1 of the western teams in the opposite bracket? It seems unfair to put regional match ups ahead of what a team actually earned.

 

[dupuyer griz]

They usually only make “regional matchups” for the first round.

 

[BadlandsGrizFan]

They usually only make “regional matchups” for the first round.

I dont think this is accurate. They still generally try and follow the 400 mile rule in the 2nd rounds I believe.

Thats why were always playing NDSU or SDSU in the 2nd round it seems.

 

[IdaGriz01]

They usually only make “regional matchups” for the first round.

I dont think this is accurate. They still generally try and follow the 400 mile rule in the 2nd rounds I believe.

Thats why were always playing NDSU or SDSU in the 2nd round it seems.

From the NCAA manual:

2. The remaining 16 teams will play first-round games and will be paired according to geographic proximity and then placed in the bracket according to geographic proximity of the top eight seeds previously placed in the bracket;

"Geographic proximity" is, of course, the 400 mile rule.

 

[dupuyer griz]

They usually only make “regional matchups” for the first round.

I dont think this is accurate. They still generally try and follow the 400 mile rule in the 2nd rounds I believe.

Thats why were always playing NDSU or SDSU in the 2nd round it seems.

From the NCAA manual:

2. The remaining 16 teams will play first-round games and will be paired according to geographic proximity and then placed in the bracket according to geographic proximity of the top eight seeds previously placed in the bracket;

"Geographic proximity" is, of course, the 400 mile rule.

Sorry, I was still considering the round of 16 as the first round because I’m dumb.

 

[Da Boyz Mom]

To answer the original question:

The top eight teams are seeded based on merit. Once the seeds are determined they are placed into the bracket according to the following guidelines:

All pairings will be made by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee. The following principles are applied when pairing teams:

1. The teams awarded the top eight seeds shall receive a bye in the first round and are placed in the appropriate positions in the bracket (Nos. 1, 8, 4 and 5 in the upper half; and Nos. 2, 7, 3 and 6 in the lower half);

2. The remaining 16 teams will play first-round games and will be paired according to geographic proximity and then placed in the bracket according to geographic proximity of the top eight seeds previously placed in the bracket

Therefore, as long as the committee follows their own rules and seeds the teams first, there is no way that SEEDED teams will be placed into a certain part of the bracket based on their geography to other teams in the bracket. The rules clearly state that the teams seeded 1, 4, 5 and 8 go in the upper half and teams seeded 2, 3, 6 and 7 go in the bottom half.

Now, as has been stated previously once the seeded teams are placed then yes the other teams are placed based on their geographical proximity to each other (for first round games) and to the seeded teams (for second round and beyond).