The fans want it. Most probably do. In fact, I'll also concede that 90 percent of the fans want a college football playoff. I bet I can also find 90 percent of fans to agree that all football tickets should be five dollars, Notre Dame should stop being aired on NBC, and NCAA '09 should come preloaded with all the players' names.
Every other major sport has a playoff system. Hold on, I'm getting a transmission from my photographic memory:
The BCS doesn't determine a true national champion. Well, what's a "true" national champion? Is it finding out who the best team is, or is it the team that wins whatever postseason construct they're given? Playoffs are the generally accepted construct. Last year, Kansas won the basketball tournament, so they were the champions, and it was fun, since they were a No. 1 seed. In baseball, the 2008 champion was Fresno State, a decidedly average team until the tournament, when they went from a No. 4 seed (out of 4) and a 37-27 pre-tourney record to undisputed national champions. Fresno State was not the best team, but they are the true national champions. Nobody — myself included — had a problem with this, but I wonder how many would take the leap and say Fresno State had the best baseball team all year. Yet when LSU football won the national tournament last year and USC, Kansas, Missouri, and Georgia didn't, the system is then broken and needs to be thrown out.
The only reason the BCS exists is because of money.This is absolutely true. Naturally, the World Series could be improved with earlier start times. The NBA playoffs could trim the first round back to five games. The NFL could eliminate the bye week between conference titles and the Super Bowl. The college basketball tournament could improve first round games by eliminating the number of at-large bids. Welcome to the real world. It sucks.
Next article: Ways to improve the current BCS system
Article comments
1 - Robert M. Barga
the top 16 teams in a playoff system. I think this would handle it the best, and thus be a good system
Either the coaches vote on the top 16 via run off or the top 16 in the current system
2 - Daniel
Why not set up a system with the champion of each confrence? No one gets left out and it keeps the system from being based on money or popularity.
3 - troy
@daniel
so if alabama beats florida and then they play texas in the national championship and lose, wouldnt it be terrible to leave florida out.....? the playoff system will have the same problems as the BCS (finding #1 and #2 compared to finding #7 & #8 out of teams that are almost always going to be all 11-1 or 10-2?) the playoff system would make more sense but there would still be a fus, i think it would be much smaller though, because it gives 8 teams a chance, not just 2.... but also other confrences would have a fuss when there are years like last year (okalhoma, texas, texas tech and maybe even OK state- or Georgia, LSU, auburn or Florida for instance like previous years) all making the top 8 from one confrence, and teams like hawaii (12-0) getting thumped in their "1st round" game
4 - troy
but I also think college football coul dhave the best of both worlds by keeping 10-15 bowls played before the "playoffs" (which would only take 3 weeks) the bowls could be played starting the 1st or 2nd week after the regular season and then let the playoffs begin all ending aroudn the 1st week of january (just like the championship bowls are now)
5 - JWS
I cannot believe the field was not modified for the N.Illinois & Fresno game in Idaho. If the field was to stay that way, Boise should have played there. I think leaving the field that way showed disrespect for the teams playing on it. If nothing else , Humanitarian Bowl should have been on the center of the field!