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.
