A full days rest is not an advantage? Are you kidding? One group would have to play 4 games in 4 days if they get in the title game and the other group would get to play 4 games in 5 days. Every coach not in the top 2 would say they want to play that first day to get that extra day off. Teams starting the second day would have a built-in penalty.
I see you didn't use any specific examples and instead used a blanket, vague generality that doesn't apply. So, I'll walk you through the games both ways assuming the best seed wins with a few comments if a worse seed advanced. You'll notice I don't use the word "
UNFAIR" at all in the correct way to do a 14 person bracket. I use the word "
UNFAIR" 9 times with the current system. It's pretty obvious one method is fair and one is
UNFAIR. This ain't rocket science.
1 bye method
Day 1, Game 1: 7 vs 10 - 7 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 1, Game 2: 6 vs 11 - 6 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 1, Game 3: 3 vs 14 - 3 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 2, Game 1: 8 vs 9 - 8 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 2, Game 2: 4 vs 12 - 4 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 2, Game 3: 5 vs 13 - 5 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 3, Game 1: 4 vs 5 - 4 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 3, Game 2: 3 vs 6 - 3 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 3, Game 3: 2 vs 7 - 2 wins - Seed #2 has played no games BUT they EARNED the bye
Day 3, Game 4: 1 vs 8 - 1 wins - Seed #1 has played no games BUT they EARNED the bye
Day 4, Game 1: 2 vs 3 - 1 wins - Seed #2 has played 1 LESS game BUT they EARNED the bye
Day 4, Game 2: 1 vs 4 - 1 wins - Seed #1 has played 1 LESS game BUT they EARNED the bye
Day 5, Game 2: 1 vs 2 - 1 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Notice in EVERY game, the teams have played the exact same # of games and same # days of rest. Now, let's say hypothetically the championship game ends up being the #10 seed Auburn versus the #8 seed Alabama. In that case, BOTH teams have played the same # of games and they have both played on the SAME day the last TWO games. There IS a discrepancy on the day they played their first game HOWEVER I think the "rest" that the #10 seed got on day 2 doesn't give them any significant advantage on Day 5 because the #8 team "rested" on Day 1. Both teams got a day off. One team just had it a day later and one a day sooner, but it was 3 days ago. It's arguably not an advantage at all and it's negligible at best. That situation would ONLY arise in the championship game and ONLY if it was two teams less than #2 seed and ONLY if the better seed played day 2 and the worse seed played day 1 - a LOT of IF's for a situation that's not really unfair.
Now, look at the CURRENT method which is RIDDLED with obvious
UNFAIRness in almost every game:
Day 1, Game 1: 12 vs 13 - 12 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 1, Game 2: 11 vs 14 - 11 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 2, Game 1: 8 vs 9 - 8 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 2, Game 2: 7 vs 10 - 7 wins - both teams had equal rest/games
Day 2, Game 3: 6 vs 11 - 6 wins - Seed #6 has played no games giving them rest they don't deserve for a 14 person bracket which is
UNFAIR
Day 2, Game 3: 5 vs 12 - 5 wins - Seed #5 has played no games giving them rest they don't deserve for a 14 person bracket which is
UNFAIR
Day 2, Game 1: 4 vs 5 - 8 wins - Seed #4 has played no games giving them rest they don't deserve for a 14 person bracket which is
UNFAIR
Day 2, Game 2: 3 vs 6 - 4 wins - Seed #3 has played no games giving them rest they don't deserve for a 14 person bracket which is
UNFAIR
Day 2, Game 3: 2 vs 7 - 5 wins - Seed #2 has played no games BUT they EARNED the bye which is fine THIS round
Day 2, Game 3: 1 vs 8 - 5 wins - Seed #2 has played no games BUT they EARNED the bye which is fine THIS round
Day 4, Game 1: 2 vs 3 - 1 wins - Seed #2 has played 1 LESS game BUT they EARNED the bye which is fine against #3 or #6 seeds but
UNFAIR if they play #11 or #14 because they shouldn't have TWO byes
Day 4, Game 2: 1 vs 4 - 1 wins - Seed #1 has played 1 LESS game BUT they EARNED the bye which is fine against #4 or #5 seeds but
UNFAIR if they play #12 or #13 because they shouldn't have TWO byes
Day 5, Game 2: 1 vs 2 - 1 wins - both teams had equal rest/games BUT
UNFAIR if either team faces a #11, #12, #13, or #14 seed
There's also a TON of other
UNFAIR combinations not listed if some worse seeds advance. For example, if the #6 seed plays the #13 seed in the championship. The #6 seed would have
UNFAIRLY played 1 less game than #13.
Again, IMO it's just ridiculous and completely unnecessary.