Wednesday, September 9, 2009

College Football Needs a Playoff

I am a college football fan, therefore I hate the BCS. The NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision is the only division in college football, and the only major sport in the world that doesn't use some type of post-season playoff to determine a champion. The current system that the BCS uses to choose an FBS champion MUST GO, and here are two reasons why:

1. It isn't fair.
2. It isn't fair.

Two ways that the BCS isn't fair and how they can be combated:

First, the fact that only 6 conferences get automatic bids to the high-paying BCS games. To combat this, I root for any and all non-BCS schools to have stellar, if not perfect seasons. They need to schedule tough non-conference games and they must beat everybody in their path. They need to be ranked high enough every single year to "bust" the BCS, and preferably ranked higher than a few of the BCS conference champs. At the least, one non-BCS team (preferably more) must do this every year, in order to prove that the 6 BCS conferences aren't the only leagues that should get automatic access to the huge BCS payouts.

Second, and more importantly, the fact that only 2 teams have the chance to play for a national title. This is unfair to the other 118 teams in the FBS. In any given season, if you aren't from one of the BCS conferences and/or you don't start the season somewhere near the top 10 and/or end up with a perfect or near-perfect season, it is pretty much a mathematical impossibility for you to get into the title game. So, at the beginning of any season, I'd say you can pick 10-15 teams that realistically will have a chance to play for the title. Ten teams that have a chance to play for the championship, but there are 120 teams in the FBS. And everybody knows that's the case! One hundred and ten teams eliminated from national title consideration before the season starts. Yah, that's fair. Only one thing can possibly combat this -- multiple teams finishing the season with realistic claims that they should have a chance to play for the title. As many undefeated teams as possible, as many one-loss teams as possible. The larger the log-jam at the top, the more teams that cry conspiracy, the better. And clearly, the more BCS teams instead of non-BCS teams that have that realistic claim, the better, since their voices will be heard by more school presidents, conference commissioners, and coaches.

So I hope for 2 distinctly different things every year. A BCS Buster and a bunch of undefeated BCS teams. Eventually I think we'll see a playoff, but in my opinion it will only be lots of seasons of the latter that will eventually bring that change.