With Texas Tech being embarrassed on national TV at Oklahoma, 65-21, we will once again have a college football championship game in January that is not a legitimate title game. Same old, same old.
Tech’s loss means that there were almost certainly not be two unbeaten teams playing for the title. Alabama (11-0) will be in the BCS final if it wins its final two. But two other unbeatens — Utah and Boise State — have zero chance because they are not considered to play in “power” conferences; too bad for them, but that’s the screwiness of major college football, the only sport in the world that uses polls and computers to decide who plays for its championship.
Right now, there are six Top 10 teams with one loss — Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Penn State and Texas Tech. Throw in Alabama, Utah and Boise State, and there are nine teams with a legitimate claim to play for the title. The system, though, favors major conferences and glamor teams and a heavy dose of perception. Perception (and an SEC bias) is why USC, a loser at Oregon State, is considered “inferior” to a Florida team that lost at home to Ole Miss. Is Florida better than USC? Nobody knows, but if Florida wins its final two games, the Gators will likely get one BCS final slot, despite what USC does.
The situation is just as weird in the Big 12. Oklahoma beat Texas Tech, which beat Texas, which beat Oklahoma. All three teams can still win the conference title (it’s complicated), so we could have one-loss Oklahoma (that looks unstoppable) shut out of the title game. Right now, it’s possible that the best bowl game won’t be the title game in the Orange Bowl. If things fall the right way, USC vs. Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl could be the one most fans look forward to.
The BCS is an absurd system that the vast majority of college football fans want abolished (only 16% in a recent survey want to keep it). But given the power of the bowls and TV, peace in the Middle East will happen before a playoff system. This is one more reason the NFL kicks college football’s ass. A BCS system in the NFL would have eliminated the 2005 Steelers, 2006 Colts and 2007 Giants from Super Bowl consideration well before the final two were chosen. How novel, deciding a champion on the field, not on a spreadsheet.
on Nov 23rd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I agree completely that the BCS is the absolute worst way to decide who gets to play for the National Championship. And one of the worst things about it is that it totally eliminates the chance for the proverbial “Cinderella Story” where the small school goes all the way, which can happen in other college sports, most notably basketball, where a playoff system seems to work pretty well. If only the will of the fans could prevail so we wouldn’t be faced with yet another controversial and contested result. It’s high time for the “Powers That Be”, who could change the system, to come to their senses and end the insanity of the BCS.
on Nov 23rd, 2008 at 4:38 pm
The probability of a college football playoff is more comparable to the Wall Street financial mess than the Middle East crisis. The first two are made in the USA and dependent on our actions alone. They are both also highly profitable to a few (international financiers or large schools with football teams).
There is no religious component to the BCS mess, despite what some fans might think. Therein lies the potential for a solution. Obama wants to solve both. I suggest he forget about the BCS mess and stick to Wall Street. There at least regulation will help.
on Nov 23rd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Good point, but I reached for a quick analogy!
on Nov 24th, 2008 at 8:21 am
While you may complain about the ranking system it does bring some aspect of reason to the process. Just having a perfect record does not position you as the #1 team in the nation. It involves the opponents you play which is where the polls factor in. Granted they are subjective but I tend to side with the subjective nature than pure numbers. That’s where the computer polls factor in. While you may have Florida in the title game most projections and the BCS system are favoring Oklahoma (pending a victory over OSU and Mizzou) in the championship game. Texas #2 slot will be shortlived for one week since TAMU is not a powerhouse team. The computer polling will place OU over Texas with next week’s correction.
Regarding NFL, even without a playoff system, I favor collegiate sports over pro sports every time. Yes, the end of the year is not as exciting but at least the spirit of the game remains. However, your argument for a playoff system has merit if you look at basketball. March Madness and the Final Four keep us riveted to the tube and packing the arenas year after year, with a higher interest than the NBA Playoffs and Final. I hate the greed of the NCAA in their quest to capitalize on the fever by placing the Final Four in huge stadiums with some of the worst site lines in history. But they can sell the tickets and will continue to do so.
on Nov 24th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I like college football because of the games, not the system. It’s much better than the TV timeout-riddled, sterile NFL corporate extravaganzas on glorified neutral fields.
As for a BCS system eliminating the Giants last year–that’s a GOOD thing. What business does a team that finished 2nd place out of 4 in its division, with a 10-6 record overall, have in the Super Bowl? Sustained excellence should be more important than getting hot at the end of the year.
on Nov 30th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
The reason commentators want a playoff system is to better control the outcome. I think the computer system would work better without the human element. Commentators would crap themselves if the championship game came down between Utah and Boise State. Because let’s face it, ratings and ticket sales would be lower than a USC Florida championship game.
People think it’s cute and fun when a Cinderella team wins in basketball. People seem to get really offended when a “powerhouse” football team loses to a weaker team. People assume in basketball all things are equal but in football the awesomeness of Tim Tebow should never be inferior to Brian Johnson.
But really, it all comes down to money. The BCS is making millions and so are the schools and they really don’t want to mess with that.