Sports Betting Articles
BCS Gives In, College Football Playoffs to Begin Next Year
By: Robert Andrew
This should be a headline celebrated by college football fans everywhere. Sometime in the near future it should happen. But as it stands now, college football's national champion is largely influenced by polls and computers instead of letting the players decide the outcome - not to mention the participants - on the field. But before the playoff system can become a reality, there are several hurdles to jump.
Few college football seasons have not involved some heated debate over which teams deserve to play for the national title since the BCS was implemented. And this year is no different. Certainly Florida and Ohio State deserve their spots in the championship game. But how can you be sure the Michigan Wolverines wouldn't claim victory against both of them on a neutral field?
And how about the Boomer Sooners - Big 12 champion Oklahoma? The rankings show a pair of losses. However, officials were publicly reprimanded and an apology issued to Oklahoma because of a blown call that resulted in an Oklahoma loss. The way they're playing now, you'd have to put Oklahoma on the short list of the top teams.
How about the Broncos of Boise State? Does anyone honestly think the Broncos would have a chance to beat college football's goliaths? We'll never know for sure and that's a shame. Then again, who gave George Mason any chance of defeating such perennial championship contenders as Michigan State, North Carolina, and Connecticut on their improbable march to the Final Four last year?
The best part of a playoff is that the championship is determined objectively on the playing surface - not subjectively by a computer. OK, technically the result of the game between Ohio State and Florida will be decided on the field, but the BCS picked those two teams. It was not decided on the field. The main point is that almost every year, there are more than 2 teams who deserve to be in the mix to determine that year's national champion. And this year is no different. Is there a better solution than letting the players decide the outcome on the field? Absolutely not.
The major obstacles to a playoff system are tradition and the major bowls themselves. College football players may be amateurs but college football is big business. The schools, the NCAA, and the major bowls rake in billions of dollars annually so don't expect them to forfeit profits for the the best interests of college football. No good business person would readily get off the gravy train? And the good news is that they don't have to. The major bowls can be worked into the playoff system.
You take 8 teams and pit them against each other in the major bowl games. Play the games on the 1st and 2nd of January just like usual. Ideally, they would be played sooner but there is just no way around the tradition of bowl games on New Year's Day.
Here are the 8 teams. The first six are the champions of the six BCS conferences: SEC, Big 10, Big East, Pac 10, ACC, and Big 12. The next spots go to any other undefeated Division I teams - like Boise State. There could potentially be more than 2 other undefeated teams although I don't recall that ever happening. But if it did, the simple solution is the 2 ranked highest in the final BCS poll are in. The other(s) are out.
Any remaining spots go to the highest ranked teams that are not already in the mix - i.e. Michigan. So this years final 8 would be: Ohio State, Florida, USC, Wake Forest, Oklahoma, Louisville, Boise State, and Michigan. Matchups would be determined based on BCS rankings similar to the NCAA basketball tournament.
College football fans would love to see the following matchups on New Years Eve: Florida vs Oklahoma, USC vs Boise State, Ohio St. vs Wake Forest, and Michigan vs Louisville.
A week later, seeded on BCS rankings, the 4 winners would play for a spot in the championship game. The games could be played at two of the four major bowl sites and rotate every year. The Final Four games, assuming the favorites won the first round games, would feature: Ohio St vs USC and Florida vs Michigan.
Finally, a week later at one of the two major bowl sites that didn't host a semi-final game, the champion is crowned on the field. With a total of 7 games: 4 first round, 2 Final Four, and 1 National Championship game, each site would host 2 games 3 out of every 4 years on a rotating basis. Extra revenue to make big business happy.
What other objections remain? Too many games? Student-athletes missing too much school? Remember when the major bowl games were all played on January 1st? Now the games are spread out over a week because big business discovered they could get higher ratings and make more money that way.
The playoff system would stretch out only week past the current BCS schedule and only for teams. And the BCS Championship Game to be played January 8th is an additional game created on top of the major bowl games especially for the BCS. So what's more games?
So who wins under this playoff system? The fans and players win. The championship is decided on the field and more teams have a chance to win it. And finally, the NCAA, the universities, and big business are winners. Contrary to what anyone says publicly it's all about the money and a playoff system that creates more interest in more games means higher ratings and increased revenue.
Championships should be decided on the playing surface, not by computers or polls. Can you name another sport, any sport - high school, college, professional, or pee wee - where the championship is not decided by the players on the playing surface. I didn't think so. It's completely dumbfounding.
An open message to college & university presidents, college football coaches, the NCAA, and big business: Get off your keysters, put your heads together, and give the fans what they want. There is no reason why smart people who have the best interests of college football in mind can't put their differences aside and find a workable solution where everybody wins. So make it happen. Fair enough?
|
