Each conference has two divisions (32 div. Champs)>
Conference championship game is essentially round one.
16 teams left
Only conference champions move on into the "Bowl" games that qualify for the final four teams.
If you cannot win your conference, you cannot be the Champ.
Season would be extended to 14 games for only two teams.
Here is my idea, taken from English soccer:
You have x number of divisions of 13 teams each, the Top 13 comprise the “Premier Division”, each team plays 12 games within their division.....at the end of the season, the bottom 3 teams get relegated to the next lower division, and the top 3 teams in each division get promoted to the next level. The winner of the “Premier Division”, the team with the best record, is declared the “National Champion”.
Imagine a Premier Division consisting of:
Alabama
LSU
Oregon
USC
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Michigan
Ohio State
Texas
Boise State
Arkansas
Stanford
Nebraska
Each week, teams from these elite programs play each other, no creampuffs.