I am in favor of only playing 11 regular season games. The 12th game only added a cupcake to everyone's schedule. I am also in favor of 9 conference games and one marquee OOC game leaving SEC schools one cupcake.
An 8 team playoff would mean 4 teams play an extra game and 2 teams play 2 extra. They will get several weeks off to rest up after the regular season is over and the playoff/bowl season starts. I think these 18-23 year old kids can handle it. They do at every other level of organized football.
I mostly agree with your first paragraph. The 12th game just adds a cupcake, which is nice to get the younger players some experience, but still subjects the starters to injuries... Cooper against W. Carolina, and a certain QB a few years ago. The team would be better off with a bye week IMO, but it's about the money, not the student athletes.
I see you agree with Saban's idea of a 9th conference game. But I'm not sure Saban includes that
and a marquee OOC game, because he talks about this game instead of playing teams like W. Virginia or Virginia Tech. 9 games plus a marquee OOC game is 10 tough games in a season. I think a marquee OOC game is becoming more important in this playoff era, and to keep SEC's position in the conference rankings solidified. (This week didn't help, though, with the SEC getting killed by the ACC, 0-4).
I don't see the need for an 8-team playoff. Many years there are two clear-cut teams, other years it is a bit more blurry, and there are three or four teams that could be in a championship game, but I've never seen a season where there were more than 4 teams, and especially not 8 teams, deserving of a championship game berth.