6:58 AM
Football
By Daniel Deceuster
Before I say anything, I just want to say that the Utah Utes are my college football national champions for the 2008 season. Why? Because college football is stuck in an archaic tradition in which the national champion is decided by a poll every year. If the AP voters get to pick their national champion, why can't I pick mine?
What we all know, though, is that the postseason of college football is long overdue for a change. Yes, some years, like in 2002, the BCS was helpful. But in other years, like 2008, the BCS was a complete mess. Why? Because it is inherently flawed. The BCS is designed to match the two best teams from the regular season in a championship game. That's fine and dandy when in 2002 Ohio State and Miami(FL) were the only undefeated teams.
But what about this year? Utah and Boise state finished the regular season undefeated. Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, USC, Florida, Alabama and Penn State all finished with one loss. How in the world can the BCS claim to "know" which of those teams are the two best? Every one of them made a good case to be given consideration.
So with the thought of a college football playoff not in the agenda of the BCS, what can be done to fix this mess? The answer is a plus-one format.
Currently, the BCS matches the two best teams at the end of the regular season. A plus-one format takes the bowl season into consideration before deciding who the two best teams in the nation are. Imagine this year if the bowls had been Florida beating Texas, Oklahoma squeaking past Ohio State and Utah dismantling Alabama? Wouldn't the bowl season have made the case for Utah to play Florida in the title game? Imagine a national championship where both teams did more than just win the perceived "best" conferences in college football?
So here is a postseason proposal for college football that can actually work. First, add a fifth bowl to the BCS bowls. The Cotton Bowl seems like an obvious choice. Then, create a traditional rivalry between conference champions. The following could work:
Rose Bowl: Pac 10 vs Big 10
Fiesta Bowl: Big 12 vs WAC
Sugar Bowl: SEC vs MWC
Orange Bowl: ACC vs Big East
Cotton Bowl: C-USA, Sun Belt, MAC
The two higher ranked teams between C-USA, Sun Belt and MAC can play in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame gets in the Cotton Bowl if they are ranked #8 or higher and are also ranked higher than at least two of those conference champions.
Now these bowls will all be played in two days to bring back some New Year's tradition. Two bowls are played on December 31 and the other three on January 1. Adjust accordingly if one of those falls on a Sunday. Make these BCS bowls the last bowls played of the season. Once all bowls have been played, including these BCS bowls, then the BCS reranks the teams.
The plus-one format would call for the new number one and number two to play each other in the national championship game. Is it perfect? No, because there will always be controversy. But does anyone ever tune in to a bowl game their team is not playing in? This would bring the importance of the college football regular season into the bowl season. Losing a bowl game would be more than just a disappointment like it is now; it could derail your national championship aspirations.
A playoff is the only true way to eliminate controversy in this sport, but we all know the BCS and the powers that be will not allow that to happen anytime soon. That is, of course, unless Obama and the government intervene and cease the unfair practices of the BCS. I wouldn't hold your breath though. Until a playoff can become a reality, this plus-one proposal would be the best we could get.
Before I say anything, I just want to say that the Utah Utes are my college football national champions for the 2008 season. Why? Because college football is stuck in an archaic tradition in which the national champion is decided by a poll every year. If the AP voters get to pick their national champion, why can't I pick mine?
What we all know, though, is that the postseason of college football is long overdue for a change. Yes, some years, like in 2002, the BCS was helpful. But in other years, like 2008, the BCS was a complete mess. Why? Because it is inherently flawed. The BCS is designed to match the two best teams from the regular season in a championship game. That's fine and dandy when in 2002 Ohio State and Miami(FL) were the only undefeated teams.
But what about this year? Utah and Boise state finished the regular season undefeated. Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, USC, Florida, Alabama and Penn State all finished with one loss. How in the world can the BCS claim to "know" which of those teams are the two best? Every one of them made a good case to be given consideration.
So with the thought of a college football playoff not in the agenda of the BCS, what can be done to fix this mess? The answer is a plus-one format.
Currently, the BCS matches the two best teams at the end of the regular season. A plus-one format takes the bowl season into consideration before deciding who the two best teams in the nation are. Imagine this year if the bowls had been Florida beating Texas, Oklahoma squeaking past Ohio State and Utah dismantling Alabama? Wouldn't the bowl season have made the case for Utah to play Florida in the title game? Imagine a national championship where both teams did more than just win the perceived "best" conferences in college football?
So here is a postseason proposal for college football that can actually work. First, add a fifth bowl to the BCS bowls. The Cotton Bowl seems like an obvious choice. Then, create a traditional rivalry between conference champions. The following could work:
Rose Bowl: Pac 10 vs Big 10
Fiesta Bowl: Big 12 vs WAC
Sugar Bowl: SEC vs MWC
Orange Bowl: ACC vs Big East
Cotton Bowl: C-USA, Sun Belt, MAC
The two higher ranked teams between C-USA, Sun Belt and MAC can play in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame gets in the Cotton Bowl if they are ranked #8 or higher and are also ranked higher than at least two of those conference champions.
Now these bowls will all be played in two days to bring back some New Year's tradition. Two bowls are played on December 31 and the other three on January 1. Adjust accordingly if one of those falls on a Sunday. Make these BCS bowls the last bowls played of the season. Once all bowls have been played, including these BCS bowls, then the BCS reranks the teams.
The plus-one format would call for the new number one and number two to play each other in the national championship game. Is it perfect? No, because there will always be controversy. But does anyone ever tune in to a bowl game their team is not playing in? This would bring the importance of the college football regular season into the bowl season. Losing a bowl game would be more than just a disappointment like it is now; it could derail your national championship aspirations.
A playoff is the only true way to eliminate controversy in this sport, but we all know the BCS and the powers that be will not allow that to happen anytime soon. That is, of course, unless Obama and the government intervene and cease the unfair practices of the BCS. I wouldn't hold your breath though. Until a playoff can become a reality, this plus-one proposal would be the best we could get.
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