Death to the BCS
Year after year, complaint after complaint, the BCS has stood strong on their holy perch. Well, it’s time to take this stupid system down and shove it where the sun don’t’ shine.
“Why are you angry?” you ask? Funny thing is, I’m not too angry over something that has a large impact on Nebraska. I’m more ticked off about Wisconsin’s rating. Even more in depth, their ranking in the Massey Ratings.
Before I say more, I really wish that every single poll would reveal their formulas to back this absurd fact up: Wisconsin is unranked in the Massey Ratings.
Please pick your jaws up off the floor. This is what is wrong with the BCS. How can Wisconsin, who has been beating up on inferior opponents, and a pretty good Nebraska squad, be unranked! They almost (and should have without a 4 series complete breakdown) beat Michigan State.
That fact cannot be changed. But seriously, this BCS system is absurd. Their is a major SEC love going on, as an undefeated team from any other conference could get bumped out by a one loss SEC team. Yes, the SEC may be stronger top to bottom, but that does not mean they have a better team than an undefeated (before the game Saturday) Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, or Stanford. Heck, even include Boise State in there. I bet the game would be closer than most people would think.
So what’s the best course of action now?
Let’s start with an 12 team playoff. Start the week after finals (so no school is missed), then play every other week (except play in game, they play back to back weeks) until early January when a championship would be played. Have automatic berths for the ACC, Big East, B1G 10, Big XII, SEC, Pac-12, and then the top 4 teams, regardless of conference. Two of the four #1 seeds would then get the winner of the play in games. Single Elimination, may the best team win.
Any team can be any team on any given Saturday. Just ask Michigan (Appalachian State), Minnesota (South Dakota State), Virginia Tech (James Madison), or Mississippi (Jacksonville State) to name a few recent. With this format, however, Boise State could either prove, or disprove, that they belong with the big boys. Same went for TCU before they joined a new conference.
Let the rankings that determine the top 12 be derived upon something not so complicated as the BCS. I’m thinking 3 factors (which will be familiar): USA TODAY Coaches Poll, Harris Poll, and a new ranking system. This new ranking system will be based upon strength of schedule, margin of victory/defeat, and to whom, and will take into account common opponents. So say Team X and Team Y both have 11-1 records. If both teams play in different conferences, but play a common opponent, that should be taken into account.
Now, this system is by far not perfect, but it cannot be any worst than what is currently in place.
Agree? Disagree? Let’s hear your rant below.
The writer Paul Troupe can be contacted on twitter @gamin4HIM
He can also be contacted at his e-mail, [email protected]
7 Rants to “Death to the BCS”
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Give it a rest BOZO. There will NEVER be a playoff system so go find something interesting to babble about.
College Football is NOT about clarity but about MONEY and whatever system gets a conference the most money WILL BE THE SYSTEM but it will not EVER be a playoff system because politics is also involved. The sites that host the newyears games also throw their money into the pot that makes decisons. They clearly would never favor a playoff arrangement.
Besides, I am convinced that even with a football playoff system in place the horse’s butts ASSociated Press would still declare their own different “winner” every one out of three years.
I understand. Unfortunately greed is in the eyes of everyone and this will not happen. I really this is high on President Obama’s list (although he keeps saying it is), and he will never do anything about it. Utah has sued the BCS, but nothing will come out of that.
I do not think the BCS will live on forever, but I’m not sure what is going to replace it when that time comes.
You cannot have a 12 team playoff. Otherwise the second round would have 6 teams and the third would have 3. Then what?
You’ve got to make it 8 or 16.
Thanks for that. My logic made sense last night, but clearly I was wrong. It’s a 10 team bracket, with the 2 play in advancing into the 8 team bracket. Thanks for catching that
Make one-A football only 96 teams large.
Have 8 twelve team conferences with two divisions each.
Play only ten game seasons. Two outside your conference, five inside your division and three from the other division in your conference.
Play a conference championshio on Thanksgiving weekend, Thurs.,Fri. and Sat.
Take two weeks off,finals week, and then begin playoff with the eight conference winners. Second place teams and others may attend bowls games.
What about the complaint that my second place team is better than your first place team? Win your conference SEC crybabies.
Fair point, and makes perfect sense (including the academics).
3 problems I see, and please feel free to respond and disagree.
1) 3 weeks off between games is going to be tough (though the current system can have teams up to 5 weeks of non competitive play)
2) How do you tell the last other 23 teams that they are being relegated to the FCS?
3) Is it even remotely possible to make the conferences balanced competitively and geographically so we don’t have a TCU/Big East merger for example?
While not a proponent of the BCS, any playoff would ruin college football. It’s the only sport where the regular season still matters, and the regular season acts as a playoff. Sure, you’ll have your occasional “unfairness” but I’ll take Boise State getting left out of a championship game in leiu of 12-13 week must-win regular season. Every games matters…if you want a playoff, go watch the NBA, NHL, or NCAAs…and tell me how exciting those regular season games have become since their respective playoff inceptions and expansions. Anyone wanting a playoff for CF isn’t really a fan of the sport in my opinion.