To avoid the rust problem the bye can cause for the four best teams I would propose going to sixteen teams. And, rather than adding more at large teams (this year that would have been Alabama, Miami, Ole Miss and South Carolina), I would include all nine conference champions. So, the Committee simply ranks teams, and for each conference champion not in the top sixteen you have to drop one of those sixteen teams. I would not give conference champions automatic top four seeds.
This year it would have looked like this:
1 - Oregon vs 16 - Ohio, 8 - Indiana vs 9 - Boise State
4 - Penn State vs 13 - Army, 5 - Notre Dame vs 12 - Clemson
2 - Georgia vs 15 - Jacksonville State, 7 - Tennessee vs 10 - SMU
3 -Texas vs. 14 - Marshall, 6 - Ohio State vs 11 - Arizona State
The top 4 lose byes but get a home game against a pretty weak opponent - they don’t have to play a team that played a week earlier while they have been off three and a half weeks. They get the $$$ from parking, tickets, concessions and the benefit to the local economy. Every conference champion gets their shot. You get the David vs Goliath games that have always sparked March Madness interest. And, you still have some compelling games in Week 1.
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