Old Bowl System?

We are starting to hear the typical anti-BCS, playoff proponents more loudly, which is to be expected as the nation awaits the college football season. What’s alarming is the amount of “scrap the BCS and go back to the old bowl system” type of chatter over the airwaves, and that scares the hell out of me.



Look, I obviously understand that the BCS is unpopular and that a lot of people are clamoring for a playoff. People have been talking more and more about implementing a playoff in college football since the late 80’s, if not earlier. But I think people’s short term memory and ignorance is kicking in as well if they think the old bowl system is better than what we have today. The BCS is light years better than the old system, even with its flaws. What’s extremely ironic is that the teams who benefit the most are the very teams trying to dismantle the BCS. 15 years ago, do you think the Sugar Bowl would have invited Utah or Hawaii? Do you think Boise State would have ever gotten a chance to create one of the greatest college football memories of all time without the help of the BCS? No way. Those schools would have been relegated to lesser bowls (and lesser payouts). However, Senator Orrin Hatch has already proved that his memory is limited, seeing as how he is trying to invoke the Sherman Antitrust Act to mark the BCS illegal, when the Sherman Antitrust Act already helped the more dominant football schools differentiate themselves from the lesser football schools in the case of NCAA v. Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma. One could argue that the NCAA v. Board decision ultimately helped form the BCS. Surely Senator Hatch is aware of this case?

The fact is that reverting back to the old bowl system is a step in the wrong direction and would lead to more fans and universities unfilled at the end of the season. Why would we want to return to a world where we are more likely to have #1 NOT play #2? Without 2 undefeated teams, people will always argue about who should be #2 with the BCS, but at least a decision is made and the 2 top teams play each other. A lot of things would have to line up perfectly for that to happen in the old system. Oh and Utah, Hawaii and Boise State, you would probably never have the chance to play in a national championship caliber game.