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This is what a 64-team college football playoff bracket would look like

The College Football Playoff is a good start. But even this postseason system, which replaces the Bowl Championship Series in 2014, might have some alterations in its future. For example, Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson told USA TODAY Sports last week that he doesn’t expect the four-team format to last the duration of its 12-year contractual obligation to ESPN.

“I can’t tell you it’s going to be two years, four years, six years, but I cannot imagine we’re going to go 12 years with just a four-team playoff,” Thompson said.

What about a 64-team playoff, like the one used to decide the men’s and women’s basketball national champions? That might be too much, seeing that there are only 125 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but it doesn’t hurt to dream.

Yes, let’s dream. Here are the rules for our 64-team bracket to decide the 2013 national championship:

1. The top two teams in each league’s final standings receive an automatic bid.

For conferences with a championship game, the two divisional winners automatically make the bracket. Independent teams receive no automatic bids but are considered by merit and strength of schedule. Various polls, rankings and standings are used to pick the teams and brackets.

2. There are no play-in games, unlike in the NCAA basketball tournaments.

College football has no need for play-in games.

3. There are four regions with 16 teams apiece.

East, South, Midwest and West. Best efforts are made to keep the nation’s most deserving teams closer to home.

4. For the purposes of this exercise, Penn State is eligible for postseason play.

5. Don’t ask what this would do to the regular season.

But if you must, implementing a 64-team bracket to decide the national champion would likely put an end to non-conference play. Let’s just enjoy the ridiculousness of the bracket and not think about its impossibilities.

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