When the MLB postseason expanded to its current format in 2022, it was followed by two Octobers in a row in which teams that won their respective division and earned a first-round bye were immediately eliminated.
In 2022, the first year of 12 MLB playoff teams making up the field, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves both lost in their National League Division Series matchups. The New York Yankees and Houston Astros managed to advance past the divisional round after receiving a bye.
Houston went on to win the 2022 World Series.
In 2023, the Braves, Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles all lost after securing a first-round bye in the postseason. The Astros reached the American League Championship Series, where they were eliminated by the eventual World Series champion Rangers.
There was then a stronger reversal of the trend with the 2024 postseason, as three of four teams with a bye into the Division Series advanced to play for the pennant. That of course included the Dodgers, who went on to win the 2024 World Series by defeating the Yankees in five games.
That came after the Dodgers and Yankees and secured the No. 1 seeds in their respective leagues.
Heading into October, the Dodgers faced countless questions over not only their postseason shortcomings, but if not playing a Wild Card Series inadvertently became a disadvantage.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and several players continued to prioritize not only winning the NL West but finishing with one of the top two records in order to avoid needing to begin their playoff run with a best-of-three series.
“I guess one thing is when you’re a higher seed there’s certain expectations certainly that come with that,” Roberts said last October.
“I think in a perfect world, I would say, all things being equal as far as injuries and things like that, is to go to the Wild Card Series and come out of it because it keeps you current. There’s momentum behind it. The cost or the challenge is, do you want to take that chance?”
Whether a direct result or coincidence, the Dodgers’ World Series win came after an adjusted approach to the bye week that led into the 2024 NLDS.
College Football Playoff have first-round bye issue?
Months after the Dodgers overcame the postseason bye to win the World Series, much of the discourse that clouded MLB has now engulfed the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
Just like MLB aimed to do, the College Football Playoff committee strove to reward conference champions. Thus, the four highest-ranked conference champions received the top four seeds in the College Football Playoff bracket and byes in quarterfinals matchups regardless of where those select teams ranked in the overall top 25.
It amounted to No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 Arizona State receiving another week of rest as they awaited their opponents.
Once the College Football Playoff quarterfinal games took place at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, the four teams that received byes were all eliminated. Further fueling the narrative was Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State not always looking particularly sharp.
The Sun Devils did manage to rally as they pushed the Texas Longhorns in a double-overtime game.
But first-quarter scoring by the Ducks, Bulldogs, Broncos and Sun Devils certainly left plenty to be desired as they were outscored a combined 42-3. It’s sparked debate over whether the College Football Playoff format needs to be adjusted.
MLB has stuck with their expanded postseason schedule and time will tell if the new new College Football Playoff has the same resoluteness.
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