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.

If the playoff only includes conference champions, the playoff will be worthless.  StewartMandel goes through the last 14 years to show how a four team playoff would have unfolded using the BCS rankings as the guide (He also goes on to support the notion of including the best teams, not only the conference champions).  There are still years with controversy, but the plus-1 system with the best teams overall is generally less controversial than the standard BCS system.  If only conference champions were invited, the picture is not nearly as clear.  Looking at 2011, the teams ranked #1, #3, #5, and #10 would be included in the four team playoff.  2010 is a better representation of the best teams, including the teams ranked #1, #2, #3, and #5.  The 2008 season would be problematic, as its plus-1 would have included teams ranked #1, #2, #5, and #6, but looking back that far is not really applicable anymore due to the extreme conference realignment that has taken place.

The most important evolution that would negatively affect the ‘conference-champions-only’ playoff is the conference championship game.  Conference championship games may have their place, and they can certainly be exciting, but they would cause chaos in a system which only rewards the conference champions.  The fact is, anything can happen during the course of a game, and the best team does not always win.  Teams prove their merit over the course of a year, but anything can happen on a given Saturday.  Thus, to place so much emphasis on these conference championship games would not be an appropriate measuring tool.  What if Georgia had found a way to upset LSU in this year’s SEC Championship game?  Then the four team playoff would not have included the top two ranked teams in the country, and that is inexcusable.  Conferences are not equal, and there are instances every year where the second best team in one conference is better than the best team in another conference.  As such, it becomes clear that a playoff exclusive to conference champions is not correct.

With a plus-1 that includes the four best teams, not only the conference champions, every game still has value.  Teams must still win their non-conference showdowns, and teams will obviously still need to win their conference championship games in order to be included in the plus-1 system.  If only conference champions are included, upsets would create scenarios where inferior teams are included.  The goal of the system is to determine the season’s best team.  A four team playoff which includes the best teams, regardless of their finish in their conference’s standings, is the only valuable solution.