I've been holding out on this column because too many sportswriters are debating which team(s) deserves to be in the BCS Championship game should Missouri, West Virginia or both lose on Saturday. While I do believe this is a worthy topic for discussion, the correct answer is all the Top 10 teams plus Hawaii.
No person and no computer is capable of determining the teams who should play for the title this season, and frankly most seasons. Even if WVU and Missouri win Saturday, why should these teams get to play ahead of Hawaii or Ohio State? Boise State proved last season that an undefeated WAC team is capable of playing with the big bad boys from the six major conferences. Doesn't Hawaii deserve the same respect? Additionally, why is a one loss Ohio State team undeserving, but a one loss WVU or Missouri team is accepted? Don't give me the stump answer of a weak schedule. Every team in the hunt played easy opponents, average opponents and good opponents. The bottom line is all arguments lack substance.
This will be the tenth BCS Championship game. The system has worked three times, 1999, 2002 and 2005. Except baseball batting averages, thirty percent is awful. The system needs fixed - nothing major, but definitely an upgrade.
All the solutions have value, and I have argued for the plus 1 many times. However, the plus 1 would leave the Hawaii's and Boise's out of the mix everytime. I am changing my mind. I think the best solution is to reduce the regular season to 11 games (besides, most of the Division 1 programs are playing a IAA cupcake now), and have an eight team playoff. Would the Boise's and Hawaii's still be left out if there are only eight slots? Doubtful, unless they schedule weak out of conference opponents. If Boise plays Oregon, Oklahoma State and Iowa and wins all three games and goes undefeated in conference play, I would bet that Boise would be in the Top 8 in the BCS standings. I would add one requirement to be considered, a Top 8 team cannot play a Division IAA team.
Why is eight better than the Plus 1? Several reasons. First, the regular season is still a mini playoff. One loss and you still have a chance, lose twice and hopes fade quickly. Second, reducing the regular season to 11 games and eliminating Div IAA opponents from the schedule would force better regular season games. Third, the eight team format eliminates the bogus conference strength argument. Fourth, the Plus 1 system still leaves the door open for debate about the true national champion. For example, let's say WVU, Missou, Ohio State and Georgia the Top 4 this year. Should Georgia get to play for the title when they could not win their conference championship? If Hawaii wins out, should they be left out of the mix? Four teams is too few for the playoff. Eight teams puts the best teams into the mix, and gives college football fans a more realistic champion.
The financial argument can be remedied by incorporating the playoff games into the current BCS bowl system. Just rotate who gets the title game like the current system. The academic issue raised by University Presidents that lengthening the season will hurt academic performance (which I think is bogus b/c all the other sports/divisions have a playoff) is offset by making the regular season 11 games.
The eight team playoff format protects tradition, the significance of the regular season and the bowl system while eliminating cupcake regular season games and the never ending argument of who is the legitimate national champion because the BCS is flawed.
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