The BCS: How would you change the current system?

**Fanman** · 01-07-2008, 10:16 AM

I am one that is for a real playoff system. Even if it just 4 teams to begin with, the fans would love it and the matchups would be great.

And a playoff doesn't automatically mean the bowl games have to be out of the picture.

Thoughts?

FM

**HoustonRaven** · 01-07-2008, 10:22 AM

Make the sponsored bowl games into sponsored playoff games. That's the win-win.

NCAA keeps it sponsor money and the teams play a true playoff system, leading to a true champion.

**4G63** · 01-07-2008, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Make the sponsored bowl games into sponsored playoff games. That's the win-win.

NCAA keeps it sponsor money and the teams play a true playoff system, leading to a true champion.

I agree wholeheartedly......why not keep it the same as it is now, but stretch it out over a 3-4 week period. Rotate the Title game between the Fiesta, Rose, Orange, and Sugar bowls each year. An 8-10 team (preferably 8) playoff would be fantastic. That way if a team has one tough/bad loss, they still have a chance to be champion.

When WVU beat Oklahoma handily this year, I think that gives a good example of why a playoff would be beneficial to everyone. They had a tough loss at home when their QB was injured. He gets better and they destroy Oklahoma and all of a sudden you question whether or not they'd beat a LSU or Ohio State. They were ranked #1 going into the last game of the season, but lost and were ranked 7th or 8th? when the dust settled.....

**UKRavenStockers** · 01-07-2008, 12:21 PM

I for one don't like the idea of a playoff system, it devalues the regular season which to me is the greatest regular season in all of sports. Tweak the bowl system, maybe a plus one system, whatever, just not a playoff, maintain the integrity of the regular season.

Plus, all a playoff does is shift the BCS debate from the #2 spot to the #8 spot.

**RavensNTerps** · 01-07-2008, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by UKRavenStockers

I for one don't like the idea of a playoff system, it devalues the regular season which to me is the greatest regular season in all of sports. Tweak the bowl system, maybe a plus one system, whatever, just not a playoff, maintain the integrity of the regular season.

Plus, all a playoff does is shift the BCS debate from the #2 spot to the #8 spot.

1. The regular season is alerady devalued since good teams are encouraged, by the system, to play a crappy OOC schedule. Like Texas/OSU, one of those 2 teams was basically out of the championship hunt after week 3 the other year. Unfair.

2. There's rarely more than 4 teams that you can give a legit shot to win the national championship at the end of the year. There's ALWAYS more than 2, except the Texas/USC year.

3. You still keep all the other crappy bowls (GMAC, Independence, Emerald, Music City, etc etc) so that teams can get in, but the top 4 or 8 play in a playoff of the BCS bowls....

**Fanman** · 01-07-2008, 12:56 PM

And have the SF and finals on the weeks the NFL takes off btn the conf champs and the Superbowl. Those 2 weeks w/ no football are screaming for games....talk about huge TV ratings.

FM

**jonboy79** · 01-07-2008, 01:14 PM

I would take the 4 biggest current bowls, and seperate them from the rest. Take the top 4 teams, adn allott them to these 4 bowls, and le tthe rest fo the bowls pick from the remainder, how they see fit. These top 4 bowls, on a rotating schedule host the 1-4, 2-3 games in early December, then the Championship and third place games in early January.

**Rochardrik** · 01-07-2008, 01:19 PM

I would have a 4 team playoff, or a plus 1... with the plus 1, there is still the possibility that a team below the top 4 rank could get in.(to that last game) Have all the games be sponsored, keep all the other bowls. As it is, the bowl games have been relegated to unimportance... it even seems that the final bowl game is irrelevant, because it's a championship in name only. The fans will still attend all the inconsequential bowls.... as they do now, the conversations, arguments would still exist, and the regular seasons would be just as important. After all, in years when there are NO unbeaten BCS conference teams, like this year... how are the season's games all that important anyway? We have a 2 loss team, and a 1 loss team playing...( there are other 1 loss and 2 loss teams... so how are the season records SO important?) How does that make the season more important than the NFL? Making it an 8-10 team field, would taint it too much though... IMO

**UKRavenStockers** · 01-07-2008, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by RavensNTerps

1. The regular season is alerady devalued since good teams are encouraged, by the system, to play a crappy OOC schedule. Like Texas/OSU, one of those 2 teams was basically out of the championship hunt after week 3 the other year. Unfair.

2. There's rarely more than 4 teams that you can give a legit shot to win the national championship at the end of the year. There's ALWAYS more than 2, except the Texas/USC year.

3. You still keep all the other crappy bowls (GMAC, Independence, Emerald, Music City, etc etc) so that teams can get in, but the top 4 or 8 play in a playoff of the BCS bowls....

1. That may seem to be encouraged (subversively or however you put it), but you still get big non conference games, Ohio State took a year off big OOC games and are playing USC in a home/home series the next two years. You don't get teams playing 4 top OOC games, but the big schools usually have at least one big game, there's enough of them that you don't have to knock out all the contenders. Even so, I think if you go playoff, it takes away the edge of the big OOC games and the big conference games, if the top 8 get through, you're highly rated and this is your one big regular season game, where's the pressure to win it if you'll still get a shot in the playoffs? I just think it'd undermine the knockout mentality of the regular season to install a playoff system.

2. I'll concede that, there are usually plenty of teams who feel they deserve the title shot, I don't think there is a counter argument to that.

3. I think it's a given that you'd keep the other bowls, they're the ones I love though, just waiting for my DVD of the Terps' Emerald Bowl to arrive on my doorstep.

**Fanman** · 01-07-2008, 02:36 PM

And all this stuff from the NCAA saying it's too much for the players to handle w/ their academics is BS since most schools are off the month of January anyway.

FM

**HoustonRaven** · 01-07-2008, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by Fanman

And all this stuff from the NCAA saying it's too much for the players to handle w/ their academics is BS since most schools are off the month of January anyway.

FM

Agreed. Didnt Ohio State have 56 days off????

**purplepoe** · 01-07-2008, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Agreed. Didnt Ohio State have 56 days off????

Yep. Many schools have off for some of December and alot of January.

And just look at the college basketball schedule.

You've got players missing TONS of class time throughout the entire regular season.

When MD plays GT on a Tuesday night, they basically miss 2 days of classes.

PP

**highwater** · 01-07-2008, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by UKRavenStockers

I for one don't like the idea of a playoff system, it devalues the regular season which to me is the greatest regular season in all of sports.

In another season I might agree, but not this year. I'm still amazed that LSU could lose their last regular season game, at home, to an unranked team, and still make it to the BCS championship. Losing your last game of the regular season used to be the final nail in the coffin in college football, but not this season.

In fact, LSU lost twice this season, and still made it to this game, so that to me devalues the regular season to some extent. How great is the regular season if you can lose twice and still get to play for the championship?

In the past I have advocated a four team playoff, which would obviously not extend the season much, but even that probably wouldn't work well in this crazy season. You can easily make an argument for at least five teams being the best.

**Fanman** · 01-07-2008, 03:07 PM

and I believe in 2004 Auburn and USC both ended up w/ perfect records and never had a chance to decide it on the field...that was a total joke.

I watched both of those bowl games and Auburn looked fantastic. That team had Cadillac Williams, Jason Campbell and Ronnie Brown.

FM

**purplepoe** · 01-07-2008, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by Fanman

and I believe in 2004 Auburn and USC both ended up w/ perfect records and never had a chance to decide it on the field...that was a total joke.

I watched both of those bowl games and Auburn looked fantastic. That team had Cadillac Williams, Jason Campbell and Ronnie Brown.

FM

Yup. USC smoked OU on the Orange Bowl that year while Auburn squeaked by VT in the Sugar.

That's the worst of the multiple scenarios that are nightmares for the BCS.

3 (legit) undefeated teams all with legitimate arguments to play for the championship.

In 03 LSU won the BCS while USC won the AP. The whole idea of split national champions is laughable.

PP

**UKRavenStockers** · 01-07-2008, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by highwater

In another season I might agree, but not this year. I'm still amazed that LSU could lose their last regular season game, at home, to an unranked team, and still make it to the BCS championship. Losing your last game of the regular season used to be the final nail in the coffin in college football, but not this season.

In fact, LSU lost twice this season, and still made it to this game, so that to me devalues the regular season to some extent. How great is the regular season if you can lose twice and still get to play for the championship?

In the past I have advocated a four team playoff, which would obviously not extend the season much, but even that probably wouldn't work well in this crazy season. You can easily make an argument for at least five teams being the best.

I'd agree with that, this year has been absolutely crazy for teams getting into position to cement a national title shot and then having the mother of all choke jobs (West Virginia, for example) to screw themselves out of it or have a key injury absolutely kill them (Oregon, think they'd have continued with 1 loss with a fully healthy Dixon).

**evade6317** · 01-07-2008, 06:53 PM

A playoff is the correct answer. Depending on how big the bracket will be, allow the top 2-4 RANKED teams to fight for a 1st week bye so they will have to play out. Keep the rankings, but let a playoff sort it out.