Playoff Money Should Go to the Student Body

Playoff expansion has now become a reality, with the NCAA football leaders finally agreeing to expand the current playoff system to include four teams.  The announcement has sparked speculation of the enormity of the TV dollars that will be associated with the playoff.  No one doubts that there will be a lot of money thrown at the playoff, but these figures have also reignited the conversation about paying football players and potentially other athletes competing in the “revenue generating” sports.  Paying only the players should not be the topic, but instead the focus should be on the bigger picture issue of using this money to make a college education more affordable for everyone.

NCAA enforcement needs to be feared

Another offseason, another college football scandal.  While it may be nice to always be able to read about college football, the negative headlines are becoming much too commonplace.  Player arrests and drunk driving incidents are bad enough, but child sex scandals and inappropriate hiring practices are clear indications that these football programs have far too much power and influence.  Top football programs already seem to be separate from the core of the university, with their athletes having access to the finest workout equipment, great tutors, and relaxed academic standards.  Yet, when there are clear instances of wrongdoing caused by the perceived invincibility of the football programs and its members, the NCAA does nothing.  These crimes must stop, and they will only stop when NCAA enforcement becomes feared, and real punishments are doled out.

Plus-1 must include non-conference champions

Most of the recent talk swirling around the potential changes to the BCS points to a ‘plus-1’ system.  In this format, it would essentially be a four team playoff, but since the powers that be in college football are allergic to the word ‘playoff,’ they call it a plus-1.  Whatever the name, the main discussion now revolves around how to determine which teams get into the plus-1.  The key decision will likely be around whether or not the playoff is exclusive to conference champions.  In order to keep the sanctity of the regular season, the most exciting regular season in American sports, the playoff must include non-conference champions to ensure the most accurate representation of the season’s best team.

A “Plus One,” Four-team playoff can work, only if they stick to that number.

With all the speculation that the recent and future discussion amongst the BCS power brokers will lead to major changes, it is probably safe to assume that the BCS is listening.  Previously staunch opponents to change seem open to options.  The backlash of the BCS title game “rematch” seems to have finally broken through.  The BCS has been the subject of media scrutiny since its inception, so this is hardly new territory.  However, despite the fact that many within the media felt that Alabama and LSU were the two best teams, the SEC monopoly on the BCS title game may prove to be the tipping point of major change.  The most logical next step is to increase the amount of teams in a playoff from two to four, a scenario in which the regular season is still extremely meaningful, and this can be a success if, and only if, four is the maximum number of teams allowed.

While the heart of this blog is largely around keeping the BCS intact, I will freely admit the BCS has its shortcomings.  The basic goal is to keep the playoff at two teams, by whatever means necessary.  The non-championship bowl games and BCS voting method are basically dysfunctional byproducts of the system matching the two best teams at the end of the season, and have received a lot of attention for being below average.  The thinking is that even if there are some crappy bowl games or a weird selection system, as long as we have the most deserving teams play for the title, the ends justify the means.  Nothing is more disappointing than seeing unqualified teams play for a championship, which often happens in other sports.

Over the past few years, it has become evident that, after most regular seasons, the two teams which most deserve to play for the title cannot be definitively stated.  One could argue that except for 1999, 2002, and 2005, it could not be clearly determined which two teams should play for the title.  Thus, seasons with controversy far outnumber seasons with clarity.  With that backdrop, it would be appropriate and advantageous for the BCS to create a four team playoff schedule.  The top four teams as determined by the BCS standings should play each other, with the top seed playing the #4 seed, the #2 and #3 seeds playing one another, and then the winners of those games playing each other for the title.  There should be no automatic qualifiers for any of these games and they should be completely independent of any conference affiliation.  The BCS standings are all that is necessary.

The fear is that the size of the playoff will expand as it has in all other playoffs.  This cannot happen, for the magic of the college football regular season would be lost.  There is a simple inverse relationship between the number of teams included in a sport’s postseason and the relevance of the regular season.  As the amount of teams eligible for the postseason increases, the importance of the regular season decreases.  This is an undeniable truth.  Therefore, since the college football regular season is what most people love about the sport and what makes it so special, it cannot be the subject of dilution by increasing the size of the playoff any further.  A two team playoff is best, but that has proven to be too controversial.  A four team playoff should be enough to silence the critics, accurately determine the season’s best team, and maintain the integrity of the regular season.

What is wrong with a rematch?

Can someone please explain what exactly the problem is with a rematch in the BCS title game?  Why should the two best teams be prohibited from playing in the title game simply because they played each other in the regular season?  The goal of any championship game is to have the two best teams play each other for the championship, yet many in the college football media are acting like this is a meaningless game simply because they played each other earlier this year.  While LSU won the previous matchup in Tuscaloosa, it wasn’t exactly a blowout and it could’ve easily gone either way.  We should cherish the opportunity to see two very elite teams play each other, no matter if they previously played in the regular season.