Can a D1 Playoff Save College Football?

In an era where sports and controversy intertwine more than ever, is there any hope that one crisis can alleviate what ails its enduring fans?

One of the biggest controversies in all of sports is without question the Bowl Championship Series, putting the fates of 10 teams in the hands of voters and computers.

Ever since the creation of the system, controversy has followed in its wake.

Who will…
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Buckeyes hope to reverse Big Ten bowl slump

Story By Buckeye Buzz

OSU QB Pryor a no-show at Fiesta media day

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Freshman Terrelle Pryor is the starting quarterback for Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Yet he isn’t talking, at least for now.

 

The Buckeyes did not bring Pryor to the Fiesta Bowl media day on Friday, snubbing bowl officials who had hoped that Ohio State and Texas would make their starters available ahead of Monday night’s game.

 

Ohio State Jim Tressel said it would be better for Pryor to attend meetings instead of the 30-minute session with reporters on Friday at the Fiesta’s resort headquarters.

 

“My feeling is he probably had something that would be more impactful on our cause and that was to spend time in the meeting room,” Tressel said. “We were asked to bring 30 players and we sent in a list of players. We did get one call, ’Did you happen to miss any?”’

 

Pryor’s absence was notable in the ballroom set aside for media day. Frustrated Fiesta Bowl officials had to tell reporters that the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback wasn’t present — and that there was nothing they could do about it.

 

Fiesta Bowl president and CEO John Junker said he’d like the Bowl Championship Series to provide clearer rules for media access to players.

 

“Any policy is workable only if there are consequences in place, which is currently not the case,” Junker said. “The present arrangement puts the team in question and the bowl in question in a difficult circumstance.”

 

Tressel shrugged off the stir caused by Pryor’s absence.

 

Asked if Ohio State fans would like to hear from their starting quarterback before the game, Tressel replied, “Well, I think we owe a lot to our fans. Unfortunately, you can’t do everything you’d like to do.

 

“I would like all of our kids and coaches to be able to sign every autograph that every fan would like and, you know, all those kinds of things. But you can only do so many things. You have to make decisions. Some of them are well thought of, some of them aren’t.”

 

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy had no trouble attending media day for the Longhorns, who were snubbed in their efforts to reach the BCS title game.

 

“We’re here,” McCoy said. “We want to play the best game we have played all year. We’ve prepared so far and now it is kind of polishing up, getting ready. We’ll see what happens.”

Story By Buckeye Buzz

What to Watch for – Saturday December 20

It’s the most, wonderful time, of the year.  Apologies to Eddie Pola and George Wyle, but bowl games are the real reason for the season.  If I could, I’d scrap the pretense of the Bowl Championship Series and return to the greater bowl anarchy we had back in the days… and all on the same day too¹.  That, and I’d bring back the T-Formation, Wing-T and Notre Dame Box… and probably even single-platoon football.  All of this, of course, is a topic for another conversation.

Since I’m on vacay, and because all these games are on national television, I think I’ll get to watch every single bowl game.  I usually do.  The problem, though, is the prevalence of crappy teams from uninteresting conferences that occupy Week 1.  Still, each bowl game — with all its corollary corporate advertisement dross — is like a present… even if the present is like a pair of Christmas-themed socks that you would never wear otherwise.  So, what do we have to look forward to this next week, up to Saturday?

• EagleBank Bowl (Wake Forest v. Navy) [11:00AM ET, ESPN].  The EagleBank Bowl is a new addition to the bowl season with its inaugural game to be played on Saturday morning.  This game does several things right, and several things wrong.
  • First, here’s what it does right:
  • It gives both service academies (Army, Navy) a tie-in to this game, a tie-in that alternates season-by-season.  In its inaugural kickoff, Navy was the service academy tie-in in the event they were bowl eligible.  Next year, it’ll be Army… which probably means the bowl will have to go looking for someone else.
  • It gives the Big Ten a tie-in that it lost when one of the Music City Bowl was no longer interested in the conference.  As far as I know, the agreement among conferences for the bowl game is primarily an ACC v. service academy matchup, but the Big Ten enters into the conversation if there’s not enough bowl eligible ACC teams or the service academy in question is ineligible
  • It puts a bowl game in Washington DC.  In a time when so many inappropriate places jockey for a bowl *cough*Boise*cough*, a predicament made more absurd by the cost of transportation and the tanking economy *cough*Boise*cough*, a bowl game in the nation’s capital is both economically prudent and unmistakeably American.  Now, if we can go about resurrecting the Gotham Bowl…
  • Buuuut…
  • It’s a repeat matchup.  I love bowl games and I wish to turn back the clock on the college football offseason, even if it means having the UPI wire in its pick for national champions before the bowl game is even played because even that is less absurd than the BCS.  But, repeat matchups are the bane of the system because of the disingenuity inherent in Round 2².  In this specific context, Navy derailed Wake Forest’s train earlier in this season in Winston-Salem, thus souring national perception of what was expected to be an ACC Championship-caliber team.  Turnovers were the story that game as Riley Skinner had 4 INTs.  You can spin it as “Wake Forest looking for payback”, but it’s just not that interesting.
  • Corporate sponsorship has sullied what is otherwise a triumphant move for college football into Washington DC.  When it was first conceptualized, it was originally supposed to be called the Congressional Bowl.  This is an awesome choice.  However, once EagleBank wanted to get involved, it rechristened the bowl in its own honor.  This is most definitely not an awesome choice.  Again, the same guy writing this post is the same guy who wants the damned Gotham Bowl back.  With very few exceptions (see: Bacardi Bowl), corporate sponsorships screw things up… and I’m definitely looking in your direction, Capital One.
  • I’m not sure Navy has assured college football fans everywhere that it won’t wear those monstrosities it whipped out for the Army-Navy game earlier this month.  Sweet Jesus those were ugly uniforms worn by both sides.

• New Mexico Bowl (Colorado State v. Fresno State) [2:30PM ET, ESPN].  Fresno State’s punishment “reward” for falling short well short of its preseason BCS aims is a trip to New Mexico to play in the New Mexico Bowl.  The bowl game is fielding just its 3rd ever installment in 2008 and, yes, the first one without the University of New Mexico playing.  For those unaware, the bowl game is played on site at the University of New Mexico, giving the Lobos something of an unfair advantage.  In lieu of the Lobos, the Colorado State Rams will be representing the Mountain West.  The Rams are a screwy team, having almost beaten Brigham Young and having almost lost to San Diego State in the sam season.  Interest factor in this game is about a 4 on a scale of 10 with high values corresponding to high user interest.  The biggest interest comes in the bowl game being in New Mexico. New Mexico is a state that you almost forget is part of the continental United States until you’re presented with a visual reminder.  Such was my drives through Albuquerque en route from Los Angeles to Columbus, Ohio for school way back in the day.
• magicJack Saint Petersburg Bowl (Memphis v. USF) [4:30PM ET, ESPN2].  Corporate sponsorship of bowl games fails because it often times does not intuitively correspond with the location or theme of the bowl game itself.  The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl are exemplars of intuitive corporate sponsorship.  Corporate sponsorship of bowl games fails disastrously when, on top of the previous point, no one knows what the hell the corporation in question is.  This is the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl.  I had to look it up, but magicJack is an internet telephony service.  Given that this bowl game is an inaugural matchup and given the reviews of the corporate enterprise itself, I don’t see this sponsorship deal lasting any more than a year or two.  For what it’s worth, USF’s punishment reward for failing to win the Big East like it was expected to do is a trip across the street to host its own bowl game.  This will become fair precisely when there becomes such a thing as the Buckeye Bowl in Columbus, Ohio.  I’m waiting.
• Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl (Brigham Young v. Arizona) [8:00PM ET, ESPN].  The Mormons are rounding up their Postum and their name tags, hopping on their bicycles and trippin’ over to Las Vegas to spread the word of Heavenly Father and play a Pac-10 team in the Las Vegas Bowl for the 4th consecutive year.  It’s no doubt a disappointment for a team with visions of Sugar dancing in their head earlier this season.  On the flip side, it is no doubt a reward for Mike Stoops’ ‘Cats, making their first bowl appearance under his tutelage, and the first in the program since 1998.  Consequently, a lot of analysts are speculating that this might be the first upset of the bowl season.  Until that point is clear, there’s things we know right now.
  • First, the high in Las Vegas is expected to be in the mid-40s.  Yes, mid-40s.  The area has been blanketed by snow in the past day.
  • Second, David Hasselhoff will be singing the national anthem.  Yes, the ‘Hoff.  Singing the national anthem.  Click that link, I dare you.  Apparently his daughter attends U of A, and hence the relationship between the bowl participants.
  • Third, I’m going to be reciting lines from Orgazmo all the while watching this game.  You won’t be around me as I do this.  You won’t be able to hear me do it, nor will you be able to stop me.  Rest assured, though, it will happen.  Anything involving Mormons is going to trigger that movie playing in my head.

1. Remember when January 1st was like a bowl orgy? It was like the first two rounds of the NCAA hoops tournament
2. …and it’s not a problem that a playoff system would fix.  If anything, it might make it more disingenuous.

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Ohio State’s Wells, 6 teammates pondering NFL

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Standout tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells has a tough decision to make.

 

If his coach were making the call on whether he should stick around for his senior season at Ohio State or jump to the NFL a year early, Wells would take the money and run.

“If it were me, it wouldn’t be tough,” coach Jim Tressel said of Wells’ impending decision. “In my opinion, he ought to be one of the first five guys picked.”

 

Wells wasn’t available for the Buckeyes’ Fiesta Bowl media day on Tuesday. There were reports that he drove a brother — he has 10 siblings — to the doctor’s office.

 

Tressel confirmed that Wells is contemplating whether to come back for one more season at Ohio State. The coach said Tuesday that he told Wells to not even bother filling out the evaluation forms for the NFL, since the league knows what it will be getting based on the 2,700 yards Wells has gained the past two seasons with the Buckeyes.

 

Wells, who has 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 7 1/2 games this season, is one of seven Ohio State juniors who are considering making the early jump into the NFL draft. The other six have all filed requests with the NFL to check where they might be taken in the draft.

 

The others are wide receiver Brian Hartline, defensive backs Kurt Coleman, Anderson Russell and Donald Washington, tight end Jake Ballard and offensive lineman Jim Cordle.

“There’s a curiosity,” Coleman said. “I feel like I’ve been along with such great people that they helped me raise my game to the next level. I just want to see what the next level thinks about me.”

 

A year ago, 13 Buckeyes sent paperwork to the NFL requesting an assessment of the player’s draft prospects. All 13 stayed except for defensive lineman Vernon Gholston, who was taken in the first round by the New York Jets.

 

Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, one of the returning players, said the easiest decision is to come back and play another year with your friends. But he conceded that finances and health could change things for Wells and the rest.

 

“If this was a pressure-free world and no one was pushing millions in his (Wells’) face, then it would be a no-brainer for him to stay here,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.”

 

For his part, Russell said he was in no hurry to make up his mind.

 

“I talked with my parents about it,” he said. “They just told me they were going to support me no matter what happens, but I haven’t thought about it at all.”

 

Both players professed that they were focused only on the Fiesta Bowl game against Texas on Jan. 5 in Glendale, Ariz. Yet in the wake of lopsided losses in Bowl Championship Series title games the last two years, several players later said that Ohio State’s juniors each year were distracted by the impending decision and that it hurt the Buckeyes on the field.

 

Wells has been asked several times this season about whether he intends to return for his senior season, and each time he has said he hasn’t given it much thought.

 

He injured a foot in the Buckeyes’ opener against Youngstown State and then missed the second half of that game and the next three games.

 

Wearing a special, heavier shoe for added reinforcement, he has come back to average 123 yards per game while scoring a total of eight touchdowns. As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 scores.

 

Tressel said Wells is about 85 percent healthy now and hopes to be 100 percent by the bowl game.

 

Wells did have to deal with one minor problem on Monday as the Buckeyes got into their first full week of bowl preparation. He and starting fullback Brandon Smith apparently did not have clearance from Ohio State for their appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

 

“I guess we didn’t properly fill out some paperwork or such, didn’t talk to the right people,” said Smith.

 

The players appeared on the program to talk about the religious-themed bracelets the Buckeyes wear.

 

As a penalty, Smith and Wells faced team sanctions that included running throughout a lengthy workout on Monday.

 

“It was a lot. It was a whole practice worth,” Smith said with a grin. “We got a lot of sympathy from our teammates.”

 

And from their coach. Tressel added, “Beanie looked a little sore this morning in practice.”

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Can I get One More No-Playoff Rant and then I will let the Subject die?

God, I really do hate this time of year.
     I didn’t mean the Holidays.
     It is time for the mass media to bash the Bowl Championship Series and call for a college football playoff.
     After spending my career as a sports writer, 28 years, covering college football for newspapers and writing books about college football, I have a very strong opinion on this matter.
     I have studied the bowls and their affects on college football, been to every bowl several times over (except of course for the myriad of new, silly-named bowls that have fallen from the sky recently like confetti at a championship parade).
     I also have studied the proposed plus-ones, eight-team and 16-team playoffs from all angles: attendance, TV ratings, revenue, affect on bowls, travel, affect on rivalries, etc.
     My conclusion, which is the conclusion I held 15 years ago, 10 years ago, five years ago and today, is that a college football playoff system (other than a so-called Plus-One) would not improve the overall game of college football.
     Notice my words “would not improve.”
     Would a playoff be popular?
     Of course. It would be the here and now, as well as the flavor of the month in December’s SportsCenter highlights.
     But it would come at the expense of the rivalries, which usually fall on the final week of the regular-season and define the game itself. If there was a playoff in 2006, do you think No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan would have played their starters well into the fourth quarter? It was life and death as it was. If there would have been a playoff, the loser would have said, “No problem. The playoff is what matters. We’ll play them again when it counts.”
     Imagine that.
     That scenario goes for Florida-Florida State, USC-Notre Dame, Auburn-Alabama, USC-UCLA, etc., when both teams are good enough to be in the playoff system. And if you look at the history of the game, that would include many, many seasons.
     It would come at the expense of the popularity and importance of the regular season.
     During a recent ABC broadcast, I heard Kirk Herbstreit ask Brent Musburger, “You an NBA fan?”
     “Oh,” Musburger hedged, “Once the playoffs start, I watch the NBA.”
     I wanted to jump out of my Lazy-Boy and scream, “Hello!!!Brent, you just answered you own question about college football’s regular-season.”
     It doesn’t need a playoff to be popular. Attendance and TV ratings continue to climb, each and every season — without a playoff. 
     Revenue and media attention continue to increase — without a playoff. 
     Good or bad, the pressure and accompanying salaries of coaches continue to skyrocket — without a playoff.
     My other conclusion: The BCS system, as criticized as it is, is the best system we’ve ever had. I remember the days when there were split national champions, as recently as 1994 and 1997 (in some seasons, there were three and four, if you count the many publications).
     I remember the days when a No. 1-ranked team went to the Orange Bowl and a No. 2 team went to the Sugar Bowl. I remember when bowl deals were worked out behind the scenes and set in early to mid-November, only to watch them often backfire like my old ‘72 Dodge Dart.
     These days, (ESPN’s) Mike Golics of the world, whose perspective is as deep as Michigan’s offensive line, have said, “They have playoffs in Division II or III and it seems to work…”
     Don’t compare major college football to the sub-division (formerly Division I-A), or Division II or III. It does not apply. They don’t fill large stadiums nor have televised regular-season games. Can you name their rivalries? Can you name the last five champions?
     Do not apply it to NCAA basketball or March Madness, a sport in which you can play two games in two days. It does not apply. Does anyone really care what happens in November or December? And truly, what does a conference championship mean in that sport?
     No, my friends, the bottom line is this: College football is truly unique. It is unique because from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, when the attention and intensity and importance of every single game is unparalleled.
     It is that way BECAUSE there is no season-ending playoff system.
     Now, recently, the President-Elect, who has spent the same time studying this issue as it takes Percy Harvin to score from the 15-yard line, knee-jerked and called for a playoff.
     The reassuring aspect is that the NCAA presidents in control of this issue will not relent and agree to a playoff (and I have talked to several of them since the President-Elect made his statement) because they too have studied this issue. They know what the President-Elect does not.
     College football works brilliantly as it is. It always has, since those polls and bowls were first conceived in the height of the Great Depression.
     And from where I stand today, it likely always will.

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Buckeyes Draw Texas In Fiesta Bowl

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the fifth time in the last seven years, Ohio State is headed back to the Arizona desert.

The Buckeyes (10-2) accepted a spot Sunday in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 5, where they will take on what figures to be an angry bunch of Texas Longhorns (11-1). Texas is outraged that an Oklahoma team that it beat by 10 points is playing in the national championship game ahead of them.

The Longhorns will have a point to make.

"They want to be at their best and they would love people to turn on the TV set and say, ‘Hey, this is one of the best teams in the country,"’ Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said of the Longhorns’ motivation.

Yet Tressel said he doubted if Texas coach Mack Brown would use the slight to motivate his team.

"He’s going to coach his kids to do the right things for the right reasons and become as good as they can be," Tressel said. "I don’t think (he will use) gimmicks or ‘Win one for the Gipper’ or any of that stuff. They don’t need that. They’re good enough without it."

The game will pit teams who split mammoth, regular-season showdowns in 2005 and 2006. No. 4 Ohio State lost 25-22 in 2005 at home to quarterback Vince Young and No. 2 Texas, which would go on to win the national championship. The next year the Buckeyes won in Austin, 24-7, in the second game for Longhorns standout quarterback Colt McCoy, now among a handful of Heisman Trophy favorites.

There is speculation that Texas could still have a shot at a piece of the national championship if it were to win convincingly over Ohio State while Oklahoma – a team that the Longhorns beat 45-35 on a neutral field in October – takes on Florida for the Bowl Championship Series title in Miami on Jan. 8.

Ohio State also has motivation, having lost in the last two BCS title games by lopsided scores. The Buckeyes even lost one of them – a 41-14 beating to Florida in the 2007 finale – on the same University of Phoenix Stadium field where they will meet Texas.

"It’ll be nice to get down there again and hopefully this time there’s better memories of the place," linebacker James Laurinaitis said.

The Buckeyes appeared in the Fiesta Bowl in 2003, 2004 and 2006, pounding Notre Dame 34-20 in the most recent trip after upsetting top-ranked Miami 31-24 in double-overtime to win the national title in 2003 and rolling over Kansas State 35-28 in the 2004 game. Those three games were all played at Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium.

It’s the fourth year in a row Ohio State has gone to a BCS bowl game. The Buckeyes are 18-21 in bowl games, losing their last two after winning four in a row.

Ohio State (10-2) has been patiently waiting since beating up on rival Michigan 42-7 in the regular-season finale on Nov. 22.

The Buckeyes have been watching the scheduled games and conference championships since then, continually evaluating how each outcome will affect them.

They got a huge break when Oregon State lost at home to Oregon on Nov. 29, making Southern California the Rose Bowl champion. USC was a lock to make a BCS bowl game, and had the other OSU beaten Oregon it would have won the Pac-10 because of it’s stunning victory over the Trojans two weeks after USC throttled the Buckeyes in September, 35-3. With Oregon State knocked out of the BCS, that opened the door for the Buckeyes to get an at-large bid.

The pluses of playing in the BCS are more money for the Big Ten and for each of its member schools, a higher-profile game against a tougher team, and much more exposure.

Even early on Sunday, there was discussion that the Buckeyes could end up in either the Sugar Bowl against Alabama, the nation’s No. 1 team until it lost to Florida in Saturday’s Southeastern Conference title game, or the Fiesta against Oklahoma.

"It’s a quality opponent," cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said about Texas. "This is college football at its best. Everybody’s going to get up for the game and be ready to play."

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BCS Vs. Playoffs (Plus a Proposal to End All Proposals, Maybe)

Note: This article will be submitted as a final project for a research paper in a class of mine, so it isn’t in typical B/R style. I debated on whether to rewrite it in a more familiar form for you readers, but decided to leave it as is. Thus, it has citations and a works cited. Also, it will be a little long, but I believe you will enjoy it. I look forward to hearing all of your feedback. 

 

 

BCS vs. Playoffs

            The subject of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has been a hot topic among sports fans. Some are in favor of it, like BCS creator Roy Kramer (Carey) while others want a playoff system, like The Sporting News Columnist Steve Greenberg and ESPN columnist Bruce Feldman (Staff). However, one side definitely has the edge. If a person would want to see why a playoff is better for college football, look no farther than Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno. During the 1968 and 1969 seasons his Nittany Lions went undefeated both years, but not only did he not win a national championship either of those years, he and his teams were not even given the chance to play for a national championship because the NCAA was not under a playoff system. Paterno is now an 81 year old man, having coached four undefeated teams without one single national championship on his resume (Wetzel, Wetzel’s playoff plan: I’ll drink to that). The NCAA needs to establish at least a 4 team playoff to start off and eventually arrive at a 16 team playoff because the current system, the BCS, does not fairly give deserving teams a chance at a national title. 

            The BCS is a system put in place in Division 1 college football that creates postseason matchups based on certain criteria, with one game designated as the national championship game. There are five total games in the BCS, with the final game played being the national championship game. They are the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and the Sugar Bowl.  Those bowls and their respective site host the national championship game on a rotating basis, meaning one of those sites gets two BCS bowls each year. The champions of the six major conferences (Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, SEC, ACC, Big East) get automatic bids to a certain BCS game, with each conference having a tie-in to a certain bowl site. The remaining four spots go to at-large candidates that have to meet special criteria set by the NCAA conference commissioners and the Notre Dame athletic director. Notre Dame is a special case with the BCS because they do not belong to a conference, so they must have special rules applying to them to gain eligibility for the BCS. Those at large bids are not just limited to the six major conferences, smaller conference teams can go to a BCS game if they achieve a certain ranking in the BCS standings (The BCS is …).

The BCS was preceded by the Bowl Coalition, from 1992-1994, the Bowl Alliance, from 1995-1997, until the BCS started in 1998. Those previous systems introduced an actual national championship game, whereas in previous decades the national champion was mythical, meaning the team did not actually play a national championship game, they were just chosen as the national champion by polls. The previous Bowl systems prior to the BCS were created to alleviate growing pressure to have a national championship game (Fréchette, Roth and Unver).

            The BCS standings are a poll released after a week during the middle of the college football season, then every week after that until the final poll. The BCS formula uses extensive statistics, like win-loss record, margin of victory, home and away games, and many others, as well as factoring in the human polls, one being the coaches’ poll, and the Harris Interactive Poll, which is the poll that college football writers and other experts across the sport get a vote in. These three parts, the computer rankings, coaches’ poll, and Harris poll, get 1/3 of the overall importance to the BCS standings. The top two teams in the final poll go to the BCS National Championship game (BCS Selection Procedures).

The pros and cons of each system are numerous. BCS proponents say that their system creates a playoff during the regular season because every game counts, just like a playoff, while their system also uses the bowl games, which have a storied history behind them. Playoff supporters say that head to head competition is the best way to decide the best team. Also, they point to how well a playoff works in Div. I-AA, II and III (Alder).

            Arguments against the BCS include that a national champion has a very real possibility of being named by personal opinion and biases and that the BCS also allows for a team to have one bad game during the regular season and thus cost them any chance at the national championship later, in a society where we are entrenched with the idea of giving second chances. The playoff detractors point to the diminishing importance of the regular season and the extension of an already long season. They also say that academics would be harmed (Alder).

This topic is important for many reasons. One main reason is the time put into college football by its fans. In the grand scheme of things, football is not important. However, for many, football is one of their major hobbies outside of the minutiae of life. People put hope into football teams. When people place such importance into these games, college football has a responsibility to establish a good product. Another big reason is the money involved with the college football postseason. Each team, or school, in the Rose, Orange, and Fiesta Bowls will get roughly 17.5 million dollars for the upcoming January Bowls while each conference represented in the Sugar Bowl will get 17.5 million dollars. Each national championship school, win or lose, gets 17.5 million dollars as well (BCS Bowl Facts). This brings us to a major reason why the BCS system is supported by a few, but powerful, people.

            The main supporters for the system are the major conference commissioners and athletic directors because they are benefiting from those huge sums of money. These detractors of a playoff point to the tremendous amounts of revenue football teams take in. For instance, in 2005, Alabama’s basketball program took in 1.8 million dollars in broadcast rights from the postseason while the football program took in 5.4 million dollars from their postseason (Walsh). In April of 2008 BCS conference commissioners met and discussed the current system and possible tweaks they wanted to make, as well as looking at a possible playoff system championed by many around the sport. Coming out of that meeting, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said that his league’s boards of directors were strongly against any type of playoff system. SEC commissioner Mike Slive proposed a plus one model –a system between the BCS and a playoff- and according to sources at the meeting, no commissioner met his ideas with any kind of enthusiasm (Schlabach). The BCS rules state that these men have the power to deal with the college football postseason (BCS Selection Procedures). These men have the power to change things.

As noted before, a major reason many are against a playoff is the money involved. Another main one is that people like the BCS and believe its working. Former Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White said, after the commissioner meeting mentioned before, that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (Schlabach). Still, that does not justify looking at other alternatives. If you can make something better, why would you not try?

Let’s look at a case where a playoff would have been nice to have in place. In 2004, three major conference teams were undefeated after the regular season ended. They were Southern California, Oklahoma, and Auburn. All three won their conferences. As you can see, a controversy was bound to come into play. Eventually, Oklahoma and Southern Cal were chosen to play because they had started the season off with high expectations, and in turn a high preseason poll ranking, while Auburn was not expected to be as good as they were. Thus, they could not move past either team in the BCS rankings, no matter how well they played. So it broke down to this: the expectations people had of them four months ago, when they had not yet played a single game, doomed them. They eventually went to the Sugar Bowl and won, while Southern Cal beat Oklahoma in the title game, 55-19 (Walsh). What does it say when a team cannot do anything at all themselves to create a real chance at a national title? This shows the only fair way to crown a team as the champion is to prove it on the field, not through computer statistics and early season predictions.

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports released an article where he unveiled “The Wetzel Plan” that would be a great college football playoff system. He calls for a 16 team playoff because if a college football playoff mirrors the way college basketball does their tournament, which is highly successful, it would create the best experience. To do this, all 11 conference champions would be included. This involvement of all of the champions would help to lessen one of the issues people have with a proposed playoff system, that is, that the regular season would be diminished. BCS proponents believe that the way the system is now, the regular system is hugely important, which is true. They then say that when you add a playoff, you will give teams the option of taking games off at the end of the season when they have a playoff position clinched and then they can rest their players. However, if you include all the champions, it gives top teams an incentive to win their games because if they can achieve a better overall seed, they can start off by playing a weaker team. Putting all the conference champions in also gives them a chance to prove themselves on a national stage, which they otherwise would not get. Another thing this would bring, he adds, is true Cinderella teams, like in the basketball tournament. When those teams win, everyone watches and pays attention. People like seeing underdog teams have success, and the ratings and revenue this could bring would be gigantic.

A logical idea would be to start off with a four team or eight team playoff because it would be a step in the right direction of a 16 team playoff. The step from the BCS to a 16 team playoff is such a large one that would need to include much change to make happen. For instance, proposing a four team or eight team playoff to the conference commissioners would most likely be met with greater acceptance because this smaller playoff system is much closer to what the BCS is. Proposing a smaller system to start off also would allow for unforeseen issues that could cause unnecessary damage to be avoided, so having a middle step or two would be acceptable and smart in the long run. This idea would also allow for the people involved to figure out the scheduling for a playoff much easier, as you would need less time to start off.

The problem that people will have with this playoff proposal is that it will cause huge issues with final exams in December. If you break the bracket down, you would need four weeks (16 to 8, 8 to 4, 4 to 2, 2 to 1) to have this playoff. Right now, there is about a month break between the last regular season or conference championship games and early January BCS games (Saturday, Dec. 6 was conference championship day; the first BCS game is Jan. 1). There are some issues with cramming the playoffs in here, but it can be done. You could eliminate the conference championship games, and set each team’s schedule at 12 games, or even start the season earlier. Under the current system, some teams without a conference championship game ended their season a few weeks ago, meaning they might have as many as 50 days between games. That is more of an issue than trying to fit in finals. How in sync is a team when they have not played a game for weeks? College basketball makes finals work late in December, and they play multiple games a week. Football teams play one game a week. Athletics and academics have worked together for years. How can they not find a solution now?

There is a common ground for BCS proponents and playoff proponents in that both are trying to establish a credible postseason system that appeals to the masses, and also to serve the student athletes. The difference lies in the two sides’ execution of these ideals. The BCS side has taken these goals and decided their system is best because it allows for exciting, ratings filled games while allowing student athletes to have ample time for academics. The many playoff proposals have factored these situations into their plans as well. It’s hard to imagine a football playoff not being a ratings success when we have seen how well the basketball games do in attendance and on television while the numerous other colleges around America that have football teams in playoffs make school work as well. That’s where the administrators need to begin. They should look at where a playoff has worked and what a successful playoff has done to accommodate the potential issues associated.

Right now, college football is not in crisis. The BCS games will get huge ratings, and most people will be satisfied with what they watch early in January. There is evidence out there, however, that says the experience could be much better. The NCAA needs to establish at least a 4 team playoff to start off and eventually arrive at a 16 team playoff because the current system, the BCS, does not fairly give deserving teams a chance at a national title. 

Works Cited

Alder, James. “BCS vs. Playoff System.” About. 13 November 2008 <http://football.about.com/od/bowlchampionship/i/bcsvsplayoffs.htm>.

 

“BCS Bowl Facts.” Fox Sports on MSN. 3 December 2008 <http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/facts>.

 

“BCS Selection Procedures.” Fox Sports on MSN. 29 October 2008 <http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/eligibility>.

 

Carey, Jack. “Man behind creation of BCS pleased with results.” 8 December 2007. USA Today. 29 October 2008 <http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/bowls/2007-12-06-bcs2-football_N.htm?csp=34>.

 

Drehs, Wayne. “BCS figures new formula makes for a better title game.” 12 July 2001. ESPN. 29 October 2008 <http://espn.go.com/ncf/s/2001/0712/1225482.html>.

 

Fréchette, Guillaume R., Alvin E. Roth and M. Utku Unver. “Unraveling Yields Inefficient Matchings: Evidence from Post-Season College Football Bowls.” Rand Journal of Economics (2004): 1-29.

 

Guidry, Phil. “Mythbusters: Minus the “playing”.” 6 November 2008. Sports Illustrated. 10 November 2008 <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/sioncampus/11/06/mythbusters/?eref=T1>.

Schlabach, Mark. “Current BCS system a hit with most conference commissioners.” 30 April 2008. ESPN. 3 December 2008 <http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3375723>.

 

Staff. “Experts Discussion … BCS vs. a Playoff.” 10 July 2008. College Football News. 13 November 2008 <http://www.cfn.scout.com/2/768444.html>.

 

“The BCS is …” Fox Sports on MSN. 1 December 2008 <http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/definition>.

 

Walsh, Christopher J. Who’s #1?: 100 Years of Controversial National Champions in College Football. New York: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007.

 

Wetzel, Dan. “Big Lie: Big Ten.” 27 November 2008. Rivals.com from Y! Sports. 6 December 2008 <http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-playoff112707&prov=yhoo&type=lgns>.

 

—. “Wetzel’s playoff plan: I’ll drink to that.” 28 October 2008. Rivals.com on Y! Sports. 28 October 2008 <http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-bcs102808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns>.

 

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An Open Letter to the BCS Committee

Dear Bowl Championship Series Committee,

Sunday was a sad and unfortunate day in the college football world.

This past weekend, two very deserving teams were ousted from the national championship picture based purely upon a computer formula.

While the Oklahoma Sooners are worthy of their No.2 BCS ranking, the No.3 Texas Longhorns and the No.7 Texas Tech Raiders have both been just as good in 2008.

Yet, since the Sooners’ lone loss occurred prior to the setbacks suffered by Texas and Texas Tech, they were perceived as the best team in the Big 12 South.

However, what’s done is done and there is nothing we can do about it.

This is not a plea to salvage the 2008 season for Mack Brown and Mike Leach’s respective football teams—it’s too late for that.

Rather, this is a reasonable, level-headed fan’s assessment of the problems of the Bowl Championship Series.

The system is broken.

It does not work.

Of course, I don’t have to tell you that and neither does the rest of the nation.

You have had a front row seat for the past 11 seasons.

However, if, by some wild stretch of the imagination, you are not aware of the shortcomings of the BCS, you are in small company.

Since its inception in 1998, fans, sports-talk radio hosts, ESPN analysts, and college football coaches alike have publicly voiced their discontent with the BCS.

Heck, even president-elect Barack Obama has called for a playoff to determine the national champion of college football.

So, for the sake of pigskin lovers everywhere, I ask you to sit back, close your eyes, and put things in perspective.

Yes, we have all heard your excuses.

“A playoff will diminish the excitement and importance of the regular season.”

First off, do you watch the National Football League?

While it is not as great as college football, the NFL regular season is very competitive, making each and every game vital to a team’s playoff chances.

There’s a big difference between records of 9-7 and 10-6 in the NFL, especially when a team is right on the edge between clinching a playoff berth and going home.

In addition, imagine the ratings and the popularity that a Texas Tech-USC match-up or an Oklahoma-Texas rematch in a semifinal round would bring to the sport.

Not to mention, at-large powers like the Boise State Broncos and the Utah Utes could prove their valor against the biggest and the baddest of the BCS conferences.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to see Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators take on Meyer’s former school Utah with a national championship on the line?

I would pay good money to see to any one of those games and my guess is that the majority of my fellow football fans would do the same.

Plus, it would be a much more accurate way of determining which team is the best in all of college football.

In essence, America has seen a football playoff work effectively before and college football fans are not buying this argument.

“A playoff would interfere with the student-athletes’ class schedules.”

Well, I agree with you that academics should be the top priority of every college student.

However, is it fair to keep the student-athletes competing in the BCS Championship Game out of their first English 101 class of the spring semester on Jan. 8?

The football players at the other 117 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision shouldn’t be given preferential treatment just because they weren’t ranked No.1 or No.2 in the BCS poll.

An eight-team playoff bracket could easily be completed in the number of weeks it takes to get through the bowl schedule we currently have in place right now.

Besides, these guys are student-athletes and missing some class time for their respective sports is not a foreign concept to them.

“A playoff would sap interest away from the other bowl games.”

Wouldn’t the BCS bowls be doing that already if this were really an issue?

Besides, if there are only a couple of games on television, people will most likely watch them.

Have you ever wondered why Monday Night Football is so popular?

I don’t think ESPN broadcasts college football on Thursday nights for their health.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that these are only games on television on that specific day.

Trust me, as a fan, I will watch the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl if it is the only football game I can get.

So, there’s no problem with having the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowls of the world during the last week of December.

We love to get our football fix in whatever way we can.

The same number of viewers will tune in, regardless of whether or not there is a playoff in college football.

As you can see, your arguments in defense of the current BCS system mean nothing to the fans because we have called your bluff.

We are tired of being robbed of the unlimited potential for greatness that the college football postseason possesses.

We will not be satisfied until you finally get it right and throw together an effective way to crown the national champion.

And don’t think that we will eventually go away and quit bothering you.

The passionate football fan base will only start grumbling louder as more and more worthy teams will never get a shot at a national championship year in and year out.

So, do us a favor. Do yourselves a favor. Do the sport of football a favor.

Get rid of the BCS. The possibilities are endless. It’s college football, remember?

Anything can happen.

 

Sincerely,

A Passionate College Football Fan

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OSU bowl destination unclear

By LARRY PHILLIPS

NNCO

 

COLUMBUS — Ohio State’s 42-7 thrashing of Michigan clinched a share of the Big Ten championship Saturday but didn’t clear up the Buckeyes postseason plans.

 

Penn State’s 49-18 dismantling of Michigan State sends the Nittany Lions to the Rose Bowl. They tied the Buckeyes for the league title, but won the tiebreaker by virtue of their head-to-head win in Columbus.

 

That leaves Ohio State’s Bowl Championship Series bid in the hands of other teams, including but not limited to Oregon State, Utah and Boise State. Should the Beavers win out, including a game next week with archrival Oregon, they will win the Pac 10 and likely push USC to an at-large spot in the BCS.

 

That would almost certainly nudge the Buckeyes toward the Capital One Bowl in Orlando with either Utah or Boise State earning the final at-large berth in the 10-team BCS field. Should Ohio State land in the BCS, the Sugar and Fiesta bowls are considered the most likely destination.

 

Amid the postgame locker room glee, junior receiver Brian Hartline said the bowl’s outcome, not the location, is the priority.

 

“No more bowl losses,” said Hartline, who caught two passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns against the Wolverines. “We need to finish this season off right.”

 

WEDDING PARTY: Hartline is engaged to be married May 23. One of his groomsmen will be backup quarterback Todd Boeckman.

 

A year ago, Boeckman led Ohio State to an outright conference crown and an appearance in the national championship game. He established a rhythm with both of his receivers, including Hartline and Brian Robiskie.

 

However, Boeckman got off to a slow start this season and was benched in favor of freshman Terrelle Pryor. Boeckman was a good soldier all season and got back into action Saturday, hitting on all three of his passes for 64 yards. One toss was a 46-yard strike to Robiskie. Another was a fitting, 18-yard touchdown strike to Hartline.

 

“Todd is a great friend and when you see a friend (get benched), you feel for them,” Hartline said. “So it meant a lot to me and I think to him to get that touchdown.”

 

FIRST AGAIN: In his first rivalry game, Pryor didn’t play particularly well, but he was effective. The Pennsylvania native tossed a pick on his first series, but made a touchdown saving tackle that loomed even bigger when Michigan failed to score off the break.

 

Pryor wound up 5-of-13 passing for 120 yards and two scores.

 

“This is why I came here to play in games like this against Michigan,” Pryor said. “You hate them, but you respect them.”

 

BY THE NUMBERS: This is the first time Ohio State has beaten Michigan five consecutive years.

 

The Buckeyes won four straight from 1934 to 1937 before future Heisman winner Tom Harmon put an end to the streak enjoyed by coach Francis Schmidt.

 

From 1960 to 1963, Woody Hayes won four straight before a stifling Michigan defense controlled the Buckeyes in a 10-0 shutout for the Big Ten title in 1964. Jim Tressel now is 7-1 against the Wolverines.

 

PANTS GALORE: Boeckman is one of 28 seniors (including fifth-year seniors) on the Ohio State roster. He now has five pairs of gold pants trinkets, which are awarded for every victory against Michigan.

 

“My mom has a couple, and I think my sister has a couple,” Boeckman said. “It never gets old getting them.”

 

GROUND DOWN: Ohio State outgained Michigan 416 to 198, including a 232 to 111 margin on the ground.

 

“I thought we tackled pretty well for the most part,” Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. “I didn’t think (big running plays) were something that surprised us, one was a power and one was a sweep, we just didn’t execute.”

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