2014 BCS Playoffs

A four-team playoff marks a great start but more has to be better.  Once again, the 10 conference champions receive automatic bids along with 6 at-large teams.  It would be great field.  Georgia Southern gets in on its first try.  Marshall, who was the next-to-last undefeated team, takes on an Ohio State on its third quarterback.  The second round could be amazing match ups as well - FSU vs TCU or Baylor vs Ohio State.  The only difference this year is the use of the College Football Playoff Rankings (which they list to 25 even though they only use the top 4).  No matter what we are one step closer to a real playoff system.  The ratings will be huge and the NCAA will make lots of money leading to the inclusion of more teams.  Both TCU and Baylor have a legitimate gripe with the Playoff System this year, but not with my system.  Clearly the best over all.

BCS Playoffs 2014

The 2013 BCS Playoffs

Well, we have reached the end of the BCS Era ... sort of.  Next season, the NCAA Football Champion will be named after a four-team "playoff".  I will continue to assert the necessity of an inclusive, 16-team tournament to decide a True National Champion.  Every other level of football, every other NCAA sport gives each member an equal change of winning a championship.  Every conference puts forth their first place team against every other conference.  Only the FBS decides which teams have a change to play in the title game before the season even begins.  Anyways, the NCAA took a step towards correcting the wrong, just not far enough in my opinion.

So let's get to this year's unbelievable NCAA championship.  With the dissolution of the Western Athletic Conference, only 10 teams receive automatic births into the playoffs.  That means an additional at-large team comes from the BSC rankings.  Additionally, the wild ending to the season completely changed the BCS to provide some interesting match ups.

BCS Playoffs 2013

Remember the first-round games are played at the home of the higher-seeded team.  After that, the tournament heads to the sites of the major bowl games, spread throughout the states.  I really like a few, first round match-ups:  Oregon at Ohio State and two rematches: South Carolina at Missouri and Oklahoma at Baylor.

The Quarterfinals present some interesting potential match-ups: FSU-Missouri (Peach Bowl), Michigan State-Stanford (Fiesta Bowl), Alabama-Baylor (Capital One Bowl), Auburn-Ohio State (Cotton Bowl)?  Anything could happen.

Let me know that you think would happen in my hypothetical playoffs that would at once create more revenue and more parity than the current system.  Even better, everything would get started next week!  Vote for your National Championship game in the side panel and/or provide your comments below.

College Football Playoffs

So the major college football has found itself into a "playoff system".  As you can tell from my quotation marks, I think they are just getting a step closer.  They have chosen a 4-team seeded playoff system.  While it is better than a single game decided on polls, we will just have games that hinge slightly less on voters.  I maintain that the other levels have it right with a 16 (or more) inclusive playoff system.  Something will still be missing until every conference is included.  Only then can you have a true champion.

Until that happens, I am still happy that something has changed.  They even have a website and countdown time set until the first championship game.  And of course, you have to have a hype video.

BCS Playoffs - 2012 Season

Well, the BCS is finally coming to an end.  The new system in 2014 will be better than today, but I must admit that I am still a bit disappointed.  At least we now have the start of a playoff system.  Soon they will be adding more teams and may eventually get to a full field of 16.  But that is a long way off.  For now, I can only update my 2012 BCS Playoffs and present them to you here.

BCS Playoffs 2012

The 2011 BCS Playoffs

Here is a final look at the results from the 2011 College Football Season.  With my system, here's how the playoffs would have set up.  It looks like a 4-team playoff may be in the works, but hopefully soon we will see Major College Football approach a championship like every other reasonable level of competition.

So until next year, enjoy what could have been!!!
BCS Playoffs 2011

The BCS Scam

Online Colleges created this info graphic on the BCS debate.  

Via: Online Colleges Blog

The Players Favor Playoff System

Pretty much everyone other than the Powers That Be would prefer to see College Football decide the National Champion in a playoff format.  CBS's Brett Murphy reports a poll of players from the Top 4 teams of 2011: LSU, Alabama, Ok State, and Stanford.  From these teams, 43% favored a playoff system to just 19% supporting the current bowl system.  The remaining 38% were undecided.  Over half of Oklahoma State players (54%) wanted a playoff system for fairly obvious reasons.

Stanford's Johnson Bademosi provides the money quote:

The BCS [bowls] don't necessarily select the best teams," Bademosi said. "They select the teams that will provide the biggest draws, so a lot of teams like Boise State get left out. That's not fair. 

If I'm on top of a BCS committee, of course I don't want a playoff. Look how much money they're pulling in, how much money they're making for themselves and it's going well. If you create what Division I-AA has, that would be the fairest thing that can happen, but that creates a much longer season.

I would imagine extending that poll to Oregon, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Boise State, and Kansas State would have had an even higher opinion of a playoff system.