Okay, even though I think the BCS gets more criticism than it deserves, I agree with the masses. Change is needed. In my opinion, the team that’s captured the crystal football each of the last 11 seasons has been the nation’s best. However, I too have found fault with the selection of their opponent from time to time. So, here it is… the Voice of Reason’s plan for how to settle the national championship in a realistic fashion. It still emphasizes the regular season while using the current bowl system.
First of all, we need some symmetry to the end of the regular season. Some people believe in abolishing all conference championship games or making all conferences play one. Both ideas are extreme. My solution is this. If you want to play one, that’s fine. If you don’t want one, that’s fine too, but each team in your league must then play every other league team to determine a true champ. While we’re at it, you must end your season the same weekend as the championship games of the other leagues. Big Ten, this means you. Furthermore, all 3-way ties will be broken in the same manner, as determined by the NCAA. That will eliminate the ridiculous scenario we had last year in the Big 12.
At the end of the regular season, an expert panel (similar to the one that chooses the field of 65 for basketball) will select the four teams that will play for the national championship. The BCS rankings can be used as guidelines, but it will not be simply taking the top four the computers spit out.
There will be exceptions that could lead to you being passed over. For example, if you are a top four team, but you lost your league title game on a neutral field to another top four team, you’re out. Last year, Alabama was still ranked high enough to be considered for my playoff. The problem is that they lost to another one of those teams (Florida) on a neutral site in their last game. That should have eliminated Bama.
Along those same lines, in the case of the 2005 Ohio State Buckeyes, they would have been passed over also. Even though most experts had them right behind USC, Texas and PennState heading into the bowls, the Buckeyes were 0-2 against the other undisputed top three. They had two cracks at those above them and came up empty. Give someone else a chance.
Now for the important question, why 4? Why not 8? Or 16? Well, 16 is just plain silly. I don’t care how talented Georgia was last year. They were run off the field by Bama and Florida and run over by Georgia Tech on their home field. Even with those losses, they were ranked in the top 16. Explain to me why a team like that deserved a shot at the national title.
I’ve said on the air I could be talked into an 8-team playoff. To be completely honest, I’d have to be dragged kicking and screaming. The benefit to an 8-team playoff is that an unbeaten team in any conference should be able to qualify. To me that’s not a plus. Could you really see BoiseState or Hawaii or Tulane beating USC, Florida and Texas in successive weeks? Me neither. Show me you’re one of the top four teams and not just top ten, and I’ll give you a crack.
The most popular 8-team plan has the six BCS conference champs and two at large teams qualifying. That will supposedly put more emphasis on the conference season. One problem I have with that is it turns college football into a conference/sectionalized sport.
Think back to the Ohio State-Michigan game in 2006. #1 versus #2. Both teams undefeated. How many of you made sure to watch that one? Now, imagine there was an 8-team playoff that year. How many people outside of Ohio and Michigan watch? With an 8-team playoff, both teams are in already. How many SEC or ACC or Pac 10 fans would have cared which team won the Big 10 and which team was the at-large selection?
Better yet, think back to 2007. “If ever there was a year when we needed an 8-team playoff, this is it.” Hogwash! Remember all the upsets that year? Remember the reaction each and every one generated nationwide? Oh my God! Stanford beat USC? Illinois upset OSU? Arkansas knocked off LSU? No way, Pitt beat WVU? How many of those teams would have made an 8-team playoff? How big would those upsets look then?
What team would have had a legitimate gripe had there been a 4-team playoff between OSU, LSU, USC and Oklahoma? West Virginia? They played in the weakest BCS conference and gagged at home to Pitt. I know. I know. USC lost to Stanford. True. USC lost on a 4th and 10 jump ball in the closing seconds. Did you watch the Backyard Brawl that year? Pitt outplayed the Mountaineers from the moment they walked out on to the field. If not for the Big East refs making bizarre calls that helped WVU, Pitt would have won more handily than 13-9.
As for getting the bowls involved, the semifinals would be two of the BCS bowls. In order to keep the same number of BCS slots open, the Cotton Bowl would become a BCS game. Remember, we currently have four bowls and one title game for ten teams. This keeps the number of BCS teams at ten. The semifinals would rotate so each bowl would be part of the playoff twice every five years. The other three years, they can keep their conference affiliation if the champ of that league is not in the final four.
The semifinal games would both be played on New Year’s Day, with the winners meeting a week later at a predetermined site. That way, the season is no longer than it is now. The other three BCS games would fill the gap between New Year’s Day and the title game as they currently do.
There. How hard was that? All we have to do now is convince the Rose Bowl the world will NOT end if they have a match-up that is anything but the Big Ten versus the Pac 10.
No one questions the passion of sports fans. Their logic, however, is a different story. Fandom clouds judgment. That especially holds true for fans of college football.
Maybe that is due to the alumni factor. I’ve long said college fans are the only ones I’ll give a pass for using “we” when referring to their favorite team. If you went to that school, paid tuition and sat in class with the players (provided they went to class), you have a genuine connection to the team. In that case, it truly is us against them.
Rising from that passion is a trend where intelligent people look at certain situations through colored glasses. Not rose colored glasses… more like crimson and cream, or maize and blue or blue and gold.
That brings me to my role in this whole situation. Not too long ago, I dubbed myself “the Voice of Reason.” It’s not because I’m always right. It’s because my opinions will always come after weighing all sides. Hosting my radio show for three hours, every day for almost five years has prepared me for this. Besides merely having my own opinion, I at times will play devil’s advocate with a caller or co-host. Even if I agree with your opinion, I’ll make sure you’ve looked at all sides of the argument before you get on your pedestal.
I will make you look harder at your team than anyone else. That especially holds true for my fellow Nittany Lion fans. They don’t like hearing that their program is not on the same level as USC, Florida or Ohio State. It never has been. Penn State has never been a team that competes for the national title EVERY year, even at its zenith. Can PSU beat those teams? Sure. Are they as talented man for man? No. Don’t agree? Watch the NFL draft each year and take note in the fluctuation of Penn State players compared to the steady flow of players from other programs.
My opinions may not be right, but they will always be fair. They will be based in fact and reason. They will not be based on where I went to school or what color jersey I am wearing.
I have said numerous times that college football needs a playoff. Yet, a few months ago, I heard someone on my own station call me a BCS supporter who believes in our current system. How did that get misconstrued? I stand up for the BCS. And by “stand up,” I mean point out the many reasons why there isn’t a playoff. I also have the audacity to say the BCS has improved college football immensely.
Without the BCS, would Boise State, Hawaii or Cincinnati be playing in a major bowl game? Not a chance. People are so quick to forget how ridiculous and biased the previous system was.
Fans and sports writers are quick to slam the BCS. Most fans don’t understand the BCS and don’t want to either. I have no problem with BCS haters. However, if the media is going to slam the BCS, they should look into and explain WHY things happen instead of just moaning about it like Joe Buckeye.
I actually read a column last week that still blamed the Rose Bowl for picking Illinois for the ’08 game over Georgia. I agree a match-up between USC and the Bulldogs would have been more interesting and more competitive than the shellacking the Trojans laid on Ron Zook’s squad. The problem is that match-up wasn’t possible.
The Rose Bowl needed the Sugar Bowl’s permission to pick an SEC team. Considering the fact that the Sugar Bowl was going to pick last among the BCS eligible teams, they knew they’d be stuck with Colt Brennan’s Hawaii team. They blocked the pick to ensure themselves a team that would fill the Superdome if the undefeated squad from the islands only brought 10 fans. The Rose Bowl then chose the guaranteed 30,000 fans the Illini would bring.
What about Missouri? Their fan base had just traveled to San Antonio for the Big 12 Title game. How many of them would make another trip? Bowl officials don’t pick teams based on what will be the most competitive game. Bowl games were created as a tourist attraction. They want the two teams that will bring fans to fill the stadium, the bars and the hotel rooms.
No one takes the time to explain any of that though. When I do, I’m a BCS apologist who loves our current system. Actually, I just do homework before I start complaining. That way I can be informed and inform others without allowing my passions and allegiances to influence my opinions. That’s why I’m the Voice of Reason.
“College football needs a playoff.” Between now and early January 2010, that sentence will be uttered somewhere in America roughly two billion times. While I would like to see the current system changed a bit, I love how much the regular season matters. BCS backers will tell you the regular season IS the playoff. Even if you are one of the many that refuses to drink the BCS Kool-aid, we all have to live with this system a while longer. So, before the season arrives, I’m giving you my list of which games will shape the BCS this year. If you only watch these games, then the title game and the other BCS bowls will take shape right before your eyes.
Sept. 3 (Thursday night) – Oregon @ Boise State – This isn’t a bad way to kickoff the ’09 season… a late night showdown on the infamous blue turf. Last year, BoiseState ran the table in the regular season (including a win in Autzen Stadium). BSU was left out of the BCS because Utah was ranked higher, and they weren’t selected as an at-large team. Considering the schedules of the top Mountain West Conference teams, the Broncos could get a leg up towards qualifying for the BCS with a win here. The Ducks are very hard to predict this year. They are in the top 15 in the opening coaches’ poll, but some prognosticators (including Phil Steele) have them in the bottom half of the Pac 10. An opening night W for Chip Kelly would show the Ducks are for real.
Sept. 5- Alabama v. Virginia Tech (in Atlanta) – Last year, Bama burst onto the scene by dominating Clemson in this match-up. This opening week clash of top 10 teams will thrust the winner into national title contention… at least for a few weeks.
Sept. 7 (Monday night) – Miami @ Florida State – I can remember when this was the game of the year, EVERY year, in college football. When the Canes moved to the ACC, the game was moved from mid-October to Labor Day weekend. That way, the loser still had time to get back into the national title picture. However, after three consecutive offensively challenged and ugly games, it was moved back to October. With both programs reloaded with speed and talent, and coming off two high scoring affairs, this in-state rivalry moves back to Labor Day weekend. The winner here gets a boost of confidence and a much needed win with both sides looking at rough schedules. The loser starts in a hole that will be very difficult to climb out of.
Sept. 12 – USC @ OhioState – Who needs this win more, the Buckeyes or the Big Ten? With USC breaking in a new QB and 8 new defensive starters, OSU needs to take care of business on its home field. A win here and Tressel’s squad could enter legit title game consideration if they finish perfect. Lose here, and the Big 10’s reputation takes another hit. USC may still win the Pac 10 with a loss here. If they can win in the rabid Horseshoe, they have officially reloaded and would be primed for another shot at the crystal football.
Sept. 19 – Nebraska @ Virginia Tech – The Hokies have the experience and coaching to potentially beat Alabama to start the year. Even if they don’t, the Huskers could be saying, “What about us?” with a win in Blacksburg. A quick look at Big Red’s schedule shows us that an 8-0 record when Oklahoma visits in early November isn’t outrageous. Provided they beat the Hokies.
Sept. 26– Rutgers @ Maryland – No, I’m not kidding. I don’t expect the Terps to make any BCS noise this year, but the Scarlet Knights have the talent and schedule to claim their first Big East crown. With an embarrassing non-league slate, this is likely the biggest road test Greg Schiano’s team will face. RU is 3-5 all-time against the Terps and lost at home to Maryland in ’07. If Rutgers gets by Cincinnati in their opener, a win here will have them perfect into mid-October and possibly beyond.
Oct. 3 – USC @ California – Whether the Trojans win or lose in Columbus, this game will give the victor the early edge in the Pac 10. It’s a safe bet that Pete Carroll will have his team clicking once they get some continuity. The Bears have a chance on their home field to knock off the Trojans before they’ve settled into an identity. If Cal wins at Oregon the previous week, this game won’t just have conference implications.
Oct. 10 – Florida @ LSU – This is the SEC game of the year. These two programs have claimed the BCS title in four of the last six years. Take one look at the Gators schedule, and you’ll notice the best chance for a regular season blemish is this trip to Death Valley. Urban Meyer has two weeks to prepare for the Tigers. Plus, Tebow’s run at a perfect season, a 2nd Heisman and immortality are directly linked to this game. There’s nothing like a night game on the Bayou.
Oct. 17 – Texas v. Oklahoma (in Dallas) – The Red River Shootout… Colt McCoy vs. Sam Bradford. If the college football regular season is a playoff, this one is a semi-final. The winner (not the loser like last year) should pack for Pasadena.
Oct. 24 – TCU @ BYU – Sorry, Utah. This one will decide the MWC. With some impressive September wins, it could decide more than that. TCU visits Virginia and Clemson, while the Cougars play Oklahoma in Jerry Jones’s new palace and host FloridaState. By merely hanging with OU, BYU can vault into the BCS hunt with a win over the Noles. The Horned Frogs will need to be perfect to crash the BCS dance. I believe the MWC champ deserves an automatic BCS berth. Check this one out, and see why the Big East is the 7th best conference in college football.
Oct. 31 – Texas @ Oklahoma State – 364 days prior, the Longhorns lost their perfect season with one measly tick left on the clock in Lubbock. OSU’s Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant will look to duplicate the magic of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree. Texas routinely breaks the collective hearts of Cowboy fans with Houdini-like escapes in Stillwater. In their previous visit, they spotted their hosts a 21-point advantage… only to rally for a 38-35 triumph at the final gun. OSU could make the Big 12 South a 3-team race again with a victory on Halloween.
Nov. 7 – OhioState @ Penn State – One of these teams has claimed the league’s BCS bid for the last four seasons. This game also marks Buckeye QB Terrelle Pryor’s first game at Beaver Stadium after rejecting his home state for OSU. The winner will likely be the Big Ten’s representative at the Rose Bowl.
Nov. 14 – Notre Dame @ Pitt – The Irish finally ended their bowl drought by ripping Hawaii last year on Christmas Eve. With junior QB Jimmy Clausen, a stacked WR core and (most importantly) experience on the offensive line, Notre Dame has a shot at a BCS bid. Their manageable schedule should help too. Pitt has 15 starters back and has beaten ND in two of their last three meetings. The outcome of this game could be the difference between 10-2 or 9-3 for the Irish… or the Fiesta Bowl or the Gator Bowl.
Nov. 21 – Cal @ Stanford – This used to be rivalry weekend in college football. Now, those games are spread over a three week span. If Cal isn’t in first place, they’ll need a win to keep the pressure on whoever is. Jim Harbaugh is making strides in Palo Alto. He took over a program that went 1-11 and was won nine games in two years. He also beat the Bears in his first Big Game in ’07. With 17 starters back, the Cardinal will be no push over.
Nov. 27 (Friday) – Pitt @ West Virginia – This year’s Backyard Brawl may not be for the Big East title, but you can bet at least one of these two, if not both, will still have BCS dreams when they get together. The Panthers have won the last two meetings. Their last trip to Morgantown resulted in the stunning 13-9 upset that kept the Mountaineers out of the BCS Championship Game in ’07. WVU fans have not forgotten about it.
Nov. 28 – FloridaState @ Florida – These two have played in the regular season finale each year since 1980 with the Gators holding a slim 15-13-1 advantage. FSU has lost five straight to the Gators with three of those games being decided by a margin of at least 27 points. OU and OkieState was tempting here, but the Cowboys have only won 17 of the 103 meetings with their in-state rivals. I wouldn’t miss Tebow’s farewell game in the Swamp.
Dec. 5 – SEC Championship Game – This is one of four conference title games scheduled for this date. While the Big 12 title game will likely have just as much on the line, the SEC finale is the must watch. One reason is the talent gap between the Big 12 North and South. The southern division champ has won the last four league crowns by an average margin of 35 points. The SEC championship will be hotly contested, and the winner will have earned the right to go to Pasadena.
Dec. 12 – Army v. Navy (in Philadelphia) – Alright, this one has nothing to do with the BCS. However, with no other major college football being played today, do yourself a favor and turn it on. The players you see are not trying to impress draft scouts or land a shoe contract. They are playing for the pure love of the sport and competition. If you have kids, watch even a quarter of the game with them. This will be the one time you can honestly tell them the players on the field are TRUE heroes.
