Unbeaten but not number 1? Really?

by dave
(alexandria VA)

The idea of a playoff system in BCS football sounds appealing. But if you think about it from the perspective of the universities and the bowls it becomes ridiculous the way most people present it. I do however have a realistic proposal that would satisfy the basic need. First, the reality: relistically - if you won the powerball lottery for $20 million and someone offered to enter you into a "playoff" that if you win then you actaully win your prize would you enter? Of course not! If i'm Va Tech and I win the ACC i'm going to the BCS. I'm collecting $20 million win or lose. Now you want me to enter the playoffs - do not pass GO do not collect $20 million - and play more games to win that money instead? Money i've already won in the current system. Why would I agree to that? There are no less than 6 conferences that will laugh at you for proposing any playoff system that offers one penny less than $20 million up front just for winning the conference.
So then we must pay all the playoff teams up front at leat $20 million? Where will that money come from? Or only pay 6 conference champs up front? That's not an option. So we're talking about raising money to add more teams to the BCS so we can get matchups the first week of teams like East Carolina vs Va Tech? Wait a minute - we already had that. So the first week of BCS will feature replays of many games from the first few weeks of the season that were far from exciting. What will we call it? The BCS Blowout Bowl Series?
It's funny that people arguing FOR a playoff system are whining about the Orange bowl being boring but look at the matchups they're pushing to get?
Here's what we could realistically achieve: BCS already pushes for the conferences to become like the Big-12, SEC and ACC are now - 12 teams in 2 divisions with a conference championship game. Let's get there with at least all 6 AQ conferences. Then the games that decide division winners and then the conference championship games become the first few rounds of the "playoffs" everyone is looking for. Ideally what we'll add is a way for teams like Va Tech, W Va, Boise or TCU - teams that could win their conference unbeaten and still never get a shot at the title - to have a shot. Let's take BCS numbers 1 and 2 and let them "host" BCS games the first week against numbers 4 and 3 respectively in what we'll call the BCS Championship Series bowl games (with only 1 team from any conference allowed in these 2 games). The other 2 BCS games proceed as they do now but we'll add one more so that's 10 teams just like now in BCS games the first week - using the same rules for getting in (yes - in order to play in a BCS game you have to be good enough to play in a BCS game). Then the winners of the 2 Championship Series games play each other in the National Championship Game a week later. This allows 4 unbeaten champions to face off - not just 2. That should settle the argument of who's the true #1 team in most years. That can realistically be achieved and would be good for not just the fans!