<<Why IS there a wild card entry anymore?
It seems like a relic from the days when the NCT was
16-team single (or perhaps double) elimination. If you're
running a full round-robin, it's at least as easy --
arguably, easier -- to schedule an odd number of teams than
an even number, assuming you're going to have byes
anyway (as the CB NCT does, last I knew).
>>
If I remember correctly, last year's CBI NCT ran 8
rooms without byes.
However, the
regional/wild-card system is stil kind of pointless. What with most
of the decent teams abandoning CBI, there are never
more than eight teams (in a good year) that have the
slightest chance of winning the thing. This year, there's
maybe six teams, and that's being generous. So I do
agree with your original point about contracting the
field--to eight, instead of fifteen, so that more people
can spend that weekend on questions that don't
suck.
--M.W.