College football has the worst system of any sport ever to determine its annual champion. The BCS system is so flawed, broken, crappy, lousy, third-rate, execrable, etc. that the whole thing should be tossed onto the ash heap of history.
The current system is based on the absurd assumption that there are only two teams that are worthy for consideration to play for the national championship; this is a ludicrous position. Division 1 college football teams compete over a complete season only to have the two “best” teams picked to play for all of the marbles.
The abomination that is the current bowl system bears no resemblance to the traditional bowl system that many of us grew up with. Yet there are people who base their opposition to a real Division 1 football tournament on the belief that a playoff system would ruin the bowls.
The bowls are ruined. They have been ruined for years. There isn’t a traditional bowl set up today, as the remaining vestiges of the old bowls are now spread out over the week after New Year’s Day, and the allure of playing an a New Year’s Day Bowl Game is pretty much gone.
And what really was the final nail in the old bowl system’s coffin is the BCS championship game, as this game instantly turned all of these other bowl games into insignificant exhibition games.
There are too many teams and too many bowl games. We don’t need 32 bowl games with 64 teams.
So here’s the Blogcritic Championship Series, the new and better BCS.
The “New BCS” consists of 5 rounds - that’s right 5 rounds – and allows 24 teams to compete in 23 bowl games. Every team that's in it will have the chance to win it all.
And don't complain about the length of the season as all of the bowl teams practice during these weeks in between the end of the season and when the bowls start.
Now in order to get this thing right, some changes must be made with how the NCAA allows teams to schedule games.
But for now I’m in charge so this is what’s going to be done. For starters, I’ll cut one regular season game out of the schedule and issue the edict that the regular season has to be completed by the last Saturday in November. This will allow the 5 rounds of bowl games to run through the month of December, culminating with the Blogcritic Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
How about a 23/24 game of Central Michigan and Troy, winner goes on to play Ohio State?
Actually, check that. Dan LeFevour will probably die in that game, and he's got a bright future ahead of him.
2 - Jared Wright
Only issue I see is that there's the potential for there to be a very small gap between the fourth and fifth round if you keep the championship game on new year's day. Example: the last Saturday of November is the 30th, making the first four rounds be on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th, or somewhere thereabouts. That'd leave only a few days for teams to prepare for the game they should have the most time to prepare for.
Yes, I am nitpicking. Nice stuff, similar to something I've constructed during stats class on my own actually.
3 - sal m
this year the last saturday was the 25th which would have allowed the bowls to start on 12/2 and play through the 5 saturdays in december, 2, 9, 16,23, and 30. however, i'm not a stickler for having to have the final game on new year's day.
if the ncaa wanted to adjust things a bit so as not to conflict with the nfl, i wouldn't quibble.
4 - El Bicho
Great plan. You deserve a promotion.
5 - Matthew T. Sussman
Good idea.
Assistant to the Sports Editor
6 - sal m
yea but then i'd have to do something other than sit around and think up hair-brained schemes...
7 - D Allen
"Case in point, Tuesday night on ESPN2 we get the Poinsettia Bowl featuring TCU and Northern Illinois. Does anyone really care?"
Of course.
The game will likely outdraw the vast majority of other cable network offerings going against it, and that includes most NHL or NBA regular-season broadcasts. If someone really doesn't want to watch, they have a remote control. I'm sure there's a riveting sitcom rerun, a Home Alone 2 showing, a Top 20 Celebrity Hookups of 2006, or a thrilling reality show to catch elsewhere on the tube.
Most people complaining about there being too many bowls will watch most of those "minor" bowl games anyway.
And that includes the January 6 and 7 bowl games. I know that smaller schools holding their bowls during the same week as the sacred, hallowed BCS football factories is considered an affront to society. But a couple of entertaining bowl games just sounds a bit more enticing than 'round-the-clock OSU-UF coverage. I mean, I'm sure we can go a few hours without seeing another Troy Smith montage or a step-by-step description of the Gator players' visit to the local tourist trap, right?
8 - Matthew T. Sussman
It'll play well in the Chicago and Dallas markets. You know, for a mid-major showdown.
9 - sal m
yea, we REALLY need more games like the The Poinsettia Bowl.
10 - Matthew T. Sussman
NIU didn't deserve a bowl game.
I wasn't ready to say that until after they lost, of course.
Hopefeully CMU, Ohio, and WMU can even up the bowl season.
11 - kevin
You do realize that bowl games make a lot of money for cities based on students and alumni traveling to the games. When i was in college i highly doubt i could afford to travel 5 weekends in a row. And alumni who can actually afford to travel 5 weekends in a row are not very likely to do that either. Top 4 or 6 teams in a playoff... the best teams should be playing. Anyways would you really want to see boise state vs. northern illinois in a national championship if it ended up like that?
12 - sal m
if after playing 4 rounds that's what it wound up, so be it...nobody was rooting against george mason last year in the ncaa hoops tourney.
and where is it written that alumni and students of schools should be able to go to all the bowl games their school plays in?
13 - sal m
and one more thing, in my system a loser team like NIU wouldn't be invited.
and if boise state was 16-0 going into the last game, they would deserve to be in the championship game after going through the playoff system as the 8 seed.
14 - El Bicho
"nobody was rooting against george mason last year in the ncaa hoops tourney."
Except those who took Florida and the points.
15 - sal m
as usual el bicho speaks truth...but you know what i mean...
16 - Matthew T. Sussman
"a loser team like NIU wouldn't be invited."
What about Central Michigan?
17 - sal m
what do you think, they ARE a MAC team, after all...
18 - Matthew T. Sussman
Well I do think they could knock off a ranked team. They're way more balanced than
NIUGarrett Wolfe in that they actually have a quarterback who can run and throw, as well as another guy that can run (Ontario Sneed).They lost at home to BC by 7 and on the road at Kentucky by 9 early in the season. But it's just a shame that CMU will walk over Middle Tennessee and not get a chance to play a BCS conference team now that they're hot.
19 - sal m
Ladies and gentlemen that was the "MAC Conference Apologist Minute" with your host Matt Sussman...stay tuned for the next segment in which Matt defends his position that Kent State was underrated this season..
20 - Matthew T. Sussman
Kent State had a hot run (five game winning streak) but really hit a wall after that. 6-6 was probably their realistic goal for this year (especially after a 1-10 season) and lo and behold they hit that mark. Although they had a chance to run the table in the MAC after starting 4-0 in conference play, so that in itself is disappointing.
And yes, I'm a MAC apologist. No shame in that.
21 - Swamp Doggie
The mid-majors have to sue the big six, NCAA, networks, and sponsors. NOTHING will happen for another ten years without lawsuits. The BCS boys don't give a tinker's damn about blog chatter. The BCS et al will pony-up quick with a playoff once they're sued. The BCS violates every anti-trust law on the books. The mid-major college presidents need to grow some stones.