What to do about the BCS?
December 3rd, 2007, 9:20 am · Post a Comment · posted by patrickdonohue
Another year, another BCS mess.
While the Ohio State/LSU match-up seemed inevitable after West Virginia and Missouri lost Saturday, the omission of such teams as USC and Georgia in the national championships — and select members of the media – calling for a complete overhaul of the system. While I think a playoff, particularly this year, would be great television and a ratings monster but it will never ever happen.
That being said, I have to quibble with the inclusion of LSU, “the best team in the country in regulation,” in the title game. Twice this season LSU owned the top spot in college football and twice they gave it up. LSU, without a doubt, benefited from not having to play Georgia, both in the regular season and especially in the SEC Championship. I think in this case, regardless of how many overtimes were played, the timing of any one of a team’s losses should come into consideration. If Georgia can brush off the BCS snub, they will be able to handle Hawaii, who have struggled when playing on the mainland.
BCS defenders will say that if the argument wasn’t about who is number 2, it would be about numbers 4, 8 or 16. But at the end of the day, isn’t that a better argument to
have? If you’re sitting at number 9, you have to accept that somewhere in the course of the season you dropped a game that cost you a chance at the playoff. But arguing over the second best team in an America is an entirely different subject altogether. This season, more than 5 teams (Oklahoma, USC, Georgia, LSU, Virginia Tech) had a legitimate argument for that number two spot. Why aren’t the presidents of those conferences screaming for a change in the system? Because there is too much money in the current system to change it. While a playoff would be a great thing for the fans, the current bowl system is a cash cow for the universities and for the conferences and until you can prove to the university presidents and the BCS head honchos that a playoff can make them more money then they are making now, they will continue to tell anyone stupid enough to believe them (Lee Corso) that everything is hunkie dorie.













