I've never wanted college football to have a playoff system, and I've never heard a single good reason to have one. I like the way championships are determined now because of the controversy in the polls, not in spite of it. To be honest, I'm actually disappointed in how smoothly this year's bowl selection process seems to be playing out, and I suspect a lot of other fans are, too.
Atop the polls this year are Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida. Two of those teams will likely play for the national championship. There aren't any other serious contenders unless you're a die-hard USC or Penn State fan. I've seen USC and Penn State play, and neither, man for man, can compete with the top four teams.
Without anyone foreseeing it, somewhat of a playoff is being played out this year. Oklahoma has already played Texas, and Alabama plays Florida this weekend. I don't see a problem with the winners of those games playing for the national championship, and that probably should've been the way for it to shape up. Should Oklahoma somehow lose to Missouri this weekend (which certainly isn't impossible), I certainly don't see a problem with Texas going to Miami in January. Most people would agree with me.
But that's what's the matter this year: it's too simple. The airwaves should be filled with rantings and ravings about how unfair the BCS system is, and how U of X is being ripped off, or how X Tech doesn't deserve a BCS bowl. Discussions at the water coolers and watering holes around the country are... civilized.
Face it, deep inside, you're missing the heated discussions, too. You're yearning to bring out, one more time, your favorite argument about how much better one conference is than another. The stats to support your argument, that you've been accumulating over the course of this season, now have to migrate to the back of your mind since they can't be put to good use. Darn it! There just isn't anything decent to argue about.
The Championship Game scenario being played out this year is about as close to a playoff as I would ever want to see, and it's boring. Is this the sort of excitement playoff backers are yearning for? If so, they need to be hooked up to life support.
Melissa Haro
Bar Refaeli.jpg)
College Superfans
SI's Pictures of the Week
Comments (20) Add A Comment
LOL - interesting take, good stuff
Prove It
Frellin Cold In, AK
Total Comments (6753)
You must not be from the Big XII South, where no matter what we say the pundits have said it all before. If I weren't actually going to school at a University, I would not watch this again. Ever.
Pharoah_1701n
Lubbock , TX
Total Comments (17)
Play Offs are more than likely to cause alot of rematches....Most all the teams that started at the top are still there in the neighborhood. They could allow for more Mid Major Con teams to get in which would be cool too, the Mountain West is pretty tuff this year. That, however wont make everybody happy either and could cause the loss of some of the bowl festivities
Objective1
Total Comments (72)
Not if some of the newer bowls were used as playoff sites in December...
Pharoah_1701n
Lubbock , TX
Total Comments (17)
Wonder if they could build a Rose Bowl float in a week?
Objective1
Total Comments (72)
Could a "Mid Major Con" realy make through several games against Major Programs like TX, OU, or USC? Or would it be like basketball where one team runs on emotion through half the bracket and the top rated teams end up in finals. It could be fun to watch but is it worthy of changing the system?
Crimson02
Total Comments (414)
Good point. I can't picture Boise State, two years ago, getting by Oklahoma in a hugely emotional game and going on to play another team the next week.
Caveman HC6
Total Comments (2289)
Quick fix for now; take the top 4 BCS-ranked teams, have them playoff, and then take the top two for the NC game. At least then the Texas/OU/Tech scandall would be less likely to repeat itself...
Pharoah_1701n
Lubbock , TX
Total Comments (17)
How far does this system have to go to ensure that the top 4 teams are playing for the title? Today it's Ala, Fla, Okla, and Tex in the top 4. Sunday, there's a good chance Ala or Fla will have dropped out of the top 4 (maybe Okla, too). Someone will always feel left out of any playoff system you could devise.
Caveman HC6
Total Comments (2289)
The bottom line is ...if you lose late your out...at the end of the year a team is supposed to have progressed and be playing their best ball...lose early and you can battle back (OU) lose late and your out (texas) thats how it always has been ...the exception to that was OU not long ago....they lost(badly) to KSU and still played for the title....but the BCS was new and they were trying to debug the system( keep working on that btw). That ended with the AP bailing on the BCS system rankings. (AP and BCS ..kiss and make up!). In the pre-BCS days if you lost to an unranked team you dropped out of the top 10 (bye bye Florida and USC). The pollsters lost their minds this year on how they advanced teams. That crap needs to stop ...logical progression has been traditional and it needs to stay that way. Texas won in the Cotton Bowl they should have moved up to #6 not #1 ....OU should have dropped behind them somewhere in the order related to other BCS that were undefeated at the time!Since then they all have lost except Alabama. The polls are right with Bama #1 and #2 OU...Florida did lose before OU but they would have farther to make up because they lost to an unranked team at home. Some how inspite of insanity in the polls the order has been restored like it would have been if logical progression was followed to begin with! The polls have been dropping teams in the rankins from time to time when they win. That crap needs to stop too. Lets keep the rankings more in line with football tradition....you lose late and your out ...sorry Mac....back of the line . That makes teams fighting their way back mean something....Nice work USC and Florida...preBCS Texas would be ranked behind them because they lost a game more recently!
Objective1
Total Comments (72)
I would want a play off to be based on clear cut performance, i.e. mandatory Confrence Championship games. Play off systems are designed to eliminate voting and opinion.
Crimson02
Total Comments (414)
That would be cool if every conference had a play off game, but ties for right to play in the game can still come into contention. Some conferences dont have championship game, i would like to see that change. It would even the playing field , then everybody would have one more chance to lose(or win ...which ever way it turns out)
Objective1
Total Comments (72)
No, teams will get to the playoffs through voting and opinion, also. Do you think each conference should send a rep to the playoffs regardless of their record? Look to the NFL sending .500 teams to the playoffs to see how absurd that is.
Caveman HC6
Total Comments (2289)
Ahhh... the modern American way. Everyone needs at least one more chance to show how great they are. Expand the playoffs rather than require teams to win during the regular season.
Caveman HC6
Total Comments (2289)
However the NCAA works it out(dont see it changing for a while) i would hope they would allow the schools at least 10 more scholarships each so the teams could have more depth and maybe cut down on some injuries. I know more people would look like a bigger possibility to have an injury but maybe the players could stay a little fresher through the longer seasons
Objective1
Total Comments (72)
You do run the risk of too many good teams in one confrence not getting in play off. Every playoff system works that way currently and I do not think it would be much different if you voted them in b/c each confrence would have one or two teams with great records to get the votes and probably would be the same two teams in confrence championship. Albeit a few teams would sneak in the picture.
Crimson02
Total Comments (414)
This would hurt mid major programs b/c big schools would take in more quality players, and a player could get an offer from one school just to keep them off another schools team. This happened alot when there were no limits on scholarships. It works like a salary cap.
Crimson02
Total Comments (414)
One more way for the rich to get richer. Now, if USC, e.g., had 10 more scholarships to offer, then 10 more athletes head there instead of to other PAC 10 schools. So the top 25 teams (typically) would be able to lure 250 top athletes from schools outside the top 25. Don't think it wouldn't happen.
Caveman HC6
Total Comments (2289)
Sneak in? I think you'd see voters dropping teams in their polls to keep teams out. If only 8 teams made a playoff this year, Utah would likely be down around 10 or 12 in the polls so some big name, BCS conf team could make it into the playoffs. Bowl games allow bowl committees to get the teams that will draw money with less regard for how good the team is. Fine, bowls are business. Unfortunately, that mentality would likely drive who makes the playoffs, too.
Caveman HC6
Total Comments (2289)
Then why not support what we spoke of earlie where the confrence champs get auto bid. That would eliminate this as long as they were in a confrence.
Crimson02
Total Comments (414)
Comment
Remember to keep your posts clean. Profanity will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.