Things I don't understand #63...

...How many times, and how many ways, the BCS can screw up one of the greatest sports.

I can't believe that after all these years, it's only getting worse. As a bonus, this year it was actually the team I support that got screwed (Yea BCS!). It's just almost too painful to discuss. But I'm going to go through it all, yet again. Main point: There should be a playoff in college football. Sub points: This is just really ridiculous; You've got to have 16 teams; All opposing arguments are completely ludicrous and are rendered void on a yearly basis.

I got to thinking the other day about if you met a guy who recently moved to the U.S., and who also was a big sports fan. He recognized the huge popularity of college football, yet was confused about the process of finding a champion. Imagine in your mind that scenario and then imagine as you begin your explanation. How convoluted does it sound after 30 seconds? How foolish do you feel after 60? The BCS is basically like a boxing match going to the judges if most of the judges didn't actually watch the fight but just looked at the punching stats the next day and then combined that with the boxers' reputations. I imagine the foreigner replying with one word, "Preposterous!" And that's what it is. We need a playoff system.

The playoff system should be 16 teams because there are 11 conferences and 120 teams. Obviously everyone can't play everyone else, so a weeding out process must be employed. I would eliminate any conference champion with more than 4 losses (just in case one of those "other" conference champs goes 6-6 or somethin') and then leave the empty slots to be filled with at-large bids. If you don't include all the conferences you leave a major problem unsolved. That being that every team in the top division should start the year with a chance at winning a championship. Currently, this is not true. Ask Utah and Boise St. And limiting it to 8 teams would still make that likely. Plus, you still risk leaving out teams with legitimate arguments. This year being a prime example. Either Boise St. at 12-0 or Penn St. at 11-1 would be left out of a 8-team playoff. And even with 16 teams, it is still one of the most exclusive post-seasons in sports. So 16 it is.

Now a response to the various arguments for the current system (really, what are these people thinking...or whose dole are they on?). #1) "Each week is a playoff." Really? Like the week Texas played OU? Or the week Florida lost AT HOME to a pedestrian Ole' Miss? What about the week that Boise St. lost? Oh wait, they didn't. So they won their "playoff" yet somehow find themselves playing in the...(you don't even know what bowl they're in do you? You're never gonna believe this...) the Ponsietta Bowl. I bet you don't even know where it's played.
#2) "That would be too many games and these are student athletes." Seriously? If a playoff were introduced, the regular season would most likely return to 11 games instead of 12. That means the two teams that make it to the championship would play 15 games. OU and Florida will both end up playing 14 games this year. Plus, every other level of the NCAA has a playoff. So I think they can handle it. #3) "A playoff would make games less important or exciting." Sure, OU vs. OSU did have drama, along with Florida vs. Alabama. But what about all those good teams that had been eliminated from championship contention and were just playing out the string? And honestly, OU vs. OSU would have retained much of its importance because OSU would have been playing for their playoff lives instead of just hoping to ruin OU's title run. The same for Florida-Florida St., or Georgia-Georgia Tech, or Ohio St.-Mich, or Penn St.-Mich St., or BYU-Utah, or...you get my drift? For every game that the stakes are reduced there a multiple games, no, make that teams that all the sudden become relevant with the introduction of a playoff. So, as you can see, those objections are dumb.

Now, we get to look at this year's mythical bracket. I decided to make it easier on myself and just use the last set of rankings and the winners from the conference championship games. This may seem like a no-brainer to you, but because I'm convinced that a playoff would mean the end of such games, I've ignored them in the past. But I'm going for less mental gymnastics and taking the easy way out. Sorry. Here we go. Just imagine how glorious it would be if instead of switching our attention to basketball this week we were gearing up for a tournament that sported this bracket of potential match-ups. FYI's: For the first time in 5 years, the Sun Belt winner actually qualifies, thusly Okla. St or Georgia Tech (depending on if there was a cap of 3 teams per conference) find themselves on the outside looking in. And the Mt. West conference gets 2 teams in while the Pac 10 gets 1 (ouch).

(1) Oklahoma - Big 12 Champ (BCS #1)
(16) Troy - Sun Belt Champ (NR)

(8) Penn St. - Big 10 Champ (#8)
(9) Boise St. - WAC Champ (#9)

(5) USC - Pac 10 Champ (#5)
(12) Cincinnati - Big East Champ (#12)

(4) Alabama - At large (#4)
(13) Va. Tech - ACC Champ (#19)


(3) Texas - At large (#3)
(14) E. Carolina - C-USA Champ (NR)

(6) Utah - Mountain West Champ (#6)
(11) TCU - At large (#11)

(7) Texas Tech - At large (#7)
(10) Ohio St. - At large (#10)

(2) Florida - SEC Champ (#2)
(15) Buffalo - MAC Champ (NR)

BTW, ESPN has a feature where you can simulate a 16 team playoff. It doesn't have all the teams available, but it's still kinda cool to look at.

Things I Don't Understand #2

...why must I, as a college football fan continue to be forced to put up with the BCS and not be allowed to wallow in the majesty that a playoff would be? Or, how many times will I have to write this particular post? Yes, it's that time of year. The point where I tell you how it should actually work, you agree, and then we all look at how great it would be.

First, if you don't think we need a playoff system after this most recent incarnation of college football then I guess you don't care about college football or you've ceased to produce brainwaves. Just one more argument, though, just to make me feel better. Am I the only one that detected an odor of fishiness when LSU ended up in the championship game by winning in a lackluster effort that somehow enabled them to jump over three teams that didn't lose, and one that actually had a more impressive win? The more obvious reasons? One, most years we seem to be a little too iffy on who the champion should be. Two, the current system essential locks out smaller schools or traditionally weaker conferences. A playoff system would kill like eight birds with one stone. Now to my plan.

I want to apologize to some that have been following along the whole time, but I'm going to go over the entire thing again. First, it will have 16 teams. Eight can't work because you still have some conferences automatically locked out. And any less than 8 (4 or the "Plus 1" option) still leaves us with a good probability of the same problems we now seek to alleviate. Second, and this may be the most controversial aspect of my plan. All conferences will get an automatic bid. There are currently 11. The one that you can't think of is called the Sun Belt. Yes, I would give them an automatic bid, too. I will add one caveat...more than four losses and you're out. Just in case one of those lowly conferences champions has a rough non-conference record. I include every conference because if they're in Division I, excuse me, the FBS (aka Football Bowl Subdivision) they should have a chance to win. If you don't think they should be included, then get them out of Division I...I mean the FBS. Next, I will limit each conference's participation to three teams. With only 5 at-large bids, it would rarely be implemented...but just in case. We would still use some sort of BCS poll to get our at-large teams and then seed them accordingly. Now, before we get to our mythical playoff bracket there's a couple of things I want to go over.

There are still some people out there that throw out arguments that we don't need a playoff system because each week of the regular season is it's own playoff. That is just patently false. As you can see from this year, both of the teams playing for the title lost their second to last game of the season. Which also just goes to show you that the whole, "It's okay to lose early in the season but not late," is just a sports myth. I just think a little more objectivity needs to be added to the situation. So finally the bracket. Look just look at how glorious this would be.

Oh, the Sun Belt champ. stays at home because Florida Atlantic finished the year at 7-5. That's more than 4 losses folks, so there's one extra at-large bid (Illinois celebrates).

(1) Ohio State - Big 10 Champ (BCS #1)
(16) Bowling Green - Mid-American Champ (NR)

(8) Kansas - At large (#8)
(9) West Virginia - Big East Champ (#9)

(5) Georgia - At large (#5)
(12) Florida - At large (#12)

(4) Oklahoma - Big 12 Champ (#4)
(13) Illinois - At large (#13)


(3) Virginia Tech - ACC Champ (#3)
(14) BYU - Mountain West Champ (#17)

(6) Missouri - At large (#6)
(11) Arizona State - At large (#11)

(7) USC - Pac 10 Champ (#7)
(10) Hawaii - WAC Champ (#10)

(2) LSU - SEC Champ (#2)
(15) Central Florida - Conf. USA Champ (#27)

So that's what it would look like. Just think of how magical that first week would be. With eight games, they would probably have to be played over two days. But what a glorious two days they would be. Honestly, there's probably only 3 first round games that you might be ok with missing. Oh, and the first team that got left out of the playoffs? That would Boston College at 14. As I've said before, wouldn't be better if the argument was over who was the fourteenth best team in the country instead of the third best team?

The Song That Never Ends

Apparently, this is going to be an annual occurrence. That is, me complaining about the BCS and showing you how great it would be with a playoff system. But what am I supposed to do when they keep putting this crap in front of me and asking me to eat it. In the last five years I think the BCS has actually "worked" once, and that was last year. But just realize, it only "works" if we finish the season with only 2 undefeated teams.

I'm going through this tired act now as opposed to after this weekend's conference championships because I'm almost positive that if there was a playoff system, especially with 16 teams, the conferences would get rid of that game so fast it would make your head spin. They wouldn't want to saddle one of their best teams with another loss, which is really all a conference championship game would accomplish at that point.

Now, I've tweaked the plan just a tad. Let me reiterated it for you here. You know, because I'm nice and it's the holiday season and all. There will be 16 teams. Every conference champion receives an automatic bid unless (Tweak #1) they have more than 4 losses at which point an another at large team would be added. I think that would ensure that one of the low-end conferences doesn't get a 6-5--or like the year North Texas won the Sun Belt with a 5-6 record-- team in. Conferences would be limited to no more than 3 teams. At large bids would be determined by a BCS like poll. Now a look at what this year's mythical college football playoff would look like.

OK, sorry, I actually wrote the first three paragraphs without even looking at the standings and knowing that with my new 5 loss rule, that the Sun Belt champion would not qualify with a 7-5 record. Luckily for Notre Dame, as they received that last available at large bid. Also, I should mention that I had to just pick a winner for the SEC and MAC for their conference championships are actually needed to provide a clear cut winner.

• 1) Ohio St. (Big Ten Champ.)
  
• 16) Ohio University (MAC Champ.)
  

• 8) Boise State (WAC Champ.)
  
• 9) Arkansas (At large)

• 5) L.S.U. (At large)
• 12) Rutgers (Big East Champ.)

• 4) Florida (SEC Champ.)
• 13) B.Y.U. (Mountain West Champ.)

• 3) Michigan (At large)
• 14) Georgia Tech (ACC Champ)

• 6) Louisville (At large)
• 11) Oklahoma (Big 12 Champ.)

• 7) Wisconsin (At large)
• 10) Notre Dame (At large)

• 2) U.S.C. (PAC 10 Champ.)
• 15) Houston (Conf. USA Champ.)

So there you go. The first round would feature some great games, plus you get that all-Ohio 1 v 16 game. You get to find out if Boise St.'s for real and if the SEC is really all that. Oh, and the team left looking in? The team who would be complaining the loudest? Well, the next at large team would be #11 Auburn, but they would already be ineligible under my rules because the SEC has 3 teams in. So, the next eligible team that wouldn't get in would be #14 Virginia Tech. What's my point? My point is that instead of arguing if the #2 or #3 team is the better choice to play for a national championship we would be debating about #10 through #15. That would be better...wouldn't it?