Can you hear that sound? Shhhh, wait a second…there it is; and it’s getting louder. It’s that cry for a playoff system to replace the BCS in Division I-A college football.
There is no doubt the entire concept of no true playoff format for the most popular NCAA sport is absurd. But is a two loss team getting voted into the championship game any more ridiculous then having a season end with multiple undefeated teams that never get a chance to play each other?
And now even big time school officials, like University of Georgia President Michael Adams, are touting the idea of an eight team playoff system. Isn’t the timing a bit fishy since the Bulldogs won the Sugar Bowl and ended the year with two losses just like another SEC school that got lucky enough to get into the BCS title game against Ohio State?
Why is there no playoff system in place now you ask? Two words: greed and tradition. This year there were 32 bowl games and several of the teams playing had less than impressive records. Maryland played in the Emerald Bowl with a 6-6 mark. Sure it’s great for the school to play in a bowl game and earn some extra green for a university building project. But the bottom line is the vast majority of the bowl games are meaningless.
College football has all the drama of NFL football and more. Powerhouse schools that compete for the BCS games each year have their entire season riding on every week. Are there any better rivalries in the NFL compared to Michigan-Ohio State, Alabama-Auburn, or Army-Navy?
The main arguments against creating a playoff system seem to be: 1)You can’t get rid of the bowl games because schools would lose money and it would disappoint players and alumni; and 2) The players can’t handle the extra games because it would interfere with their studies.
Here is why both those reasons are hogwash. Nobody that loves college football wants to see the bowl games eliminated. This doesn’t have to be an either, or proposition. You can keep all the bowl games you want, but allowing an 8-10 team playoff system would make ALL the big bowl games, like the Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta, mean so much more. If eight teams work for you then the big-time bowls become quarterfinal games and the winners play in the semi-finals later in January. If you would rather have 10 teams then give the #1 and #2 teams a bye.
The majority of players have several weeks off between the end of the regular season and their bowl game. Many schools have the month of January off for semester break as well. The argument that a playoff system would adversely affect academics is just simply a smoke screen and not true. If the boys can’t find time to study you can’t blame it on two more weeks of games if the 8-10 team format was given a chance.
It can all work based on how you set up the format so regular season conference opponents would not meet until a semifinal or final game. If the 10 team format was used this year we would have seen Ohio State play the winner of the West Virginia and Georgia and LSU play the winner of Kansas and USC. Nahhhhhh…nobody would watch those games.
As it works now only the BCS title game decides the national champion; only two schools get the chance to play for the crystal. If the NFL had that same system in place now the Super Bowl match up would have been decided after week 17. We would have watched Dallas take on New England and that’s it. Imagine no other teams having the chance to compete for the title….pretty lame if you ask me.
The bowl games are finished and there are only a few NFL games remaining. Don’t you hate that two week gap between the NFL conference championships and the Super Bowl with no football? Do you think some fans might watch some college football during those two weeks? Does anyone honestly think if the NCAA held semi-final games on January 27th and the title game the following week on the Friday or Saturday before the Super Bowl that nobody would watch? Talk about shooting fish in a barrel.
This is a no-brainer for everyone involved. If the schools want more money they can get if from the venues bidding to host the games, sponsors and TV. Doesn’t it make sense that alumni who might not go to a meaningless bowl game would consider going to a game where the national title was on the line? It’s also a pretty safe bet the TV ratings would be sky-high with the games being true elimination games.
It’s time the schools and NCAA tear down the outhouse they call the BCS. All the tools are there to build a new, stunning mansion that can get remodeled and expanded as time passes.
Stop the greed and silly excuses and give the fans what they want.
There’s that sound again…and it’s getting louder.
