BCS Bashing
Is it time for a playoff system in college football?
As another holiday season whizzes by and another visit from the big man in the sleigh is
completed, I can’t help but wonder when various college football teams will get sick of the coal they
keep finding under the tree. College bowl season is marketed in conjunction with the holidays in a
feeble attempt to give fans that warm and fuzzy feeling while watching college football’s “best.” Why
then, is there almost always a feeling of emptiness surrounding the national championship game? The
BCS bowl selection process and its committee are a lot like the Bush administration. It begins with
countless false promises, continues on because no one knows how to scrap it, and ends every year with
a lot of self-assurance that a good job was done.
With that said, I think it is officially time for a change in college football, and the implementation
of a playoff system has to be the most logical choice (insert your Jim Mora joke here). If Barack Obama
can use his five minutes of air time on a Monday Night Football game prior to the election to back a
playoff system, why can’t the creators of the BCS swallow their pride and try to improve on the current
system? These head-honchos of college football can’t possibly see themselves as more important than
the president, but it certainly seems that way. Of course there is that tiny issue of the almighty dollar
that everyone knows is the real reason why defenders of the BCS refuse to crack. As an avid fan of
college football, it’s disheartening to know that a little jingle in the pockets of BCS representatives
means more to them than getting the title game matchup right.
With so much opposition to the BCS everywhere, I can only pray that the end is near for the
days of letting computers decide the best teams in college football. Pete Carroll felt the pain in 2003
when his 11-1 Trojan squad was denied a chance to play in the championship game despite being
ranked number one in the Coaches’ Poll. In 2004, Tommy Tuberville’s Auburn Tigers finished 13-0 but
were also denied a shot. In the words of Joe Patterno: “Is it the BCS or the BS-C?” Despite the fact that
he guest starred in The Land Before Time and will probably not retire until after O.J. Simpson is released
from prison, Joe-Pa commands respect and has a valid point.
Although I do not doubt that the two best teams were chosen for the national championship
this year, it is easy to make a case for a school like Texas. As a result of wacky computer logic, the
Longhorns were forced to munch on some leftover holiday ham and watch a team they beat get the
chance to put rings on their fingers and party on South Beach. If that isn’t a raw deal, I don’t know what
is.
With the winds of change blowing harder than they have in years past, countless ideas for a
playoff system are popping up everywhere. Some ideas are as subtle as a plus-one system in which only
one extra game is played, yet some ideas are radical enough to suggest a 64 team playoff. While there is
still much to debate, the most likely playoff scenario to date would probably be an eight team playoff.
The goals of top college officials should be to reward the best teams with well-earned opportunities at
the title. All teams with unblemished records deserve a shot, and that means even the “Little Engine
That Could” teams like Boise State of 2006. Billie Jean King once said, “Champions keep playing until
they get it right.” It’s time college football got it right.
(January, 2009)