Hey Pete,
I hope you’re doing well. I enjoy your writing and thought this article in particular was particularly intriguing. As an ‘anti-playoffer’ myself, I am always interested in the other side’s viewpoint, especially when it comes from an educated viewpoint like yours.
You bring up many good points and do a good job in dismantling the pro-BCS arguments for the most part. Argument 4 has always been flimsy as the other divisions in college football seem to work around finals just fine, and quite honestly I don’t care about many of the bowls even though college football is sport I keep up with the most. However, you fail to directly address what I believe is what makes college football great and that is the importance of the regular season. You mention it in the first argument, but it is the point that the pro-BCS people hold on to the tightest. The other arguments are pretty weak, as you point out in the remainder of your article. How can you fail to address the importance and meaningfulness of the regular season with its own “argument?”
College football’s regular season is its own playoff, filled with more excitement and significance than any other sport’s regular season that I can think of. The reason I’m sitting here with my TV off writing you instead of watching the UNC vs Michigan State college basketball game, 2 top 10 teams in a great regular season matchup, is that the game doesn’t matter! Both teams are going to make the tournament and have a shot at the championship. However, with college football, your first, fifth and twelfth games can all impact your shot at a national title. That is why that with the way the current system is designed, teams must bring it each and every week, and a team’s season is always on the line. As much fun as it was to watch, did the Colts vs Patriots game really matter? No, because they are both going to have a shot at the title. It is fun to watch of course, but the game doesn’t have any lasting implications. The reason that the rivalries you mentioned are even more intense now is because of the BCS. The Ohio State vs. Michigan game in 2006 was so much fun to watch because the winner was going to the national championship game. Florida vs. Alabama’s winner this week is going to the national championship game. If there was a playoff as you describe it, with Florida and Alabama clinching their divisions with about 3 weeks left in the season, they could’ve each of 2 games in November yet still had a chance to play for the national title. With the BCS, they are forced to play their best and play to WIN every week. Why wouldn’t we want that?
The main problem with playoffs is that it gives undeserving teams a chance to win championships. Automatic bids by conference are a bad idea because that paves the way for undeserving teams to be awarded with playoff spots. Teams get into the playoffs partially based on geography instead of ability and merit. Looking at last year, does 9-4 Virginia Tech deserve a shot at the national championship? Of course not, but with the proposed playoff system, they would get in, and could potentially win it. You will never be able to convince me that a 9-4 team is the best in the country, and I don’t think you would honestly believe they were either. What about 9-3 Illinois in 2007? 8-4 Florida State in 2005? These teams are clearly not the best, so why should they have a shot at it? And you can’t say that they won’t win the championship because we see teams get hot in the playoffs all the time. Look at the Arizona Cardinals last year in the NFL playoffs. I think Peter King called them the worst playoff team to make the playoffs before they started, yet let’s throw all their bad games out the window because if they can win half their games in the regular season, and then get hot and win 4 games in a row, they deserve to be deemed world champions. Sitting here and simply rereading that sentence makes me cringe. Do you honestly think that’s a better way?
I’ll be the first to admit the BCS has its problems and is not perfect. This email is already getting long and going into what the BCS could do better would potentially double the length, but its premise and theory is correct. College football has done great for over 100 years with no playoff. It probably has the most passionate fans of any sporting event. I watch USC vs Ohio State because its important. I watch Auburn vs Alabama because you never know what can happen in rivalry games. I watch a 350 pound nose guard save Alabama’s season (twice!) and its amazing. You don’t get the same types of emotions with the other sports, and it is largely because those other sports have playoffs. Would college football be simpler and more organized, with less controversy if a playoff was instituted? Probably, but it wouldn’t be as special.
Everybody jumps on the BCS because it is an easy target. Remember what makes college football great and realize that the BCS helps keep it great, albeit in a confusing manner. Thank you very much for your time.
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