If the BCS Had Never Been Born

It's everyone's favorite pastime to complain about the BCS. The system is claimed to be unfair to smaller schools, and to be a conspiracy theory which guarantees teams from power conferences like Texasand Alabama to play for the national championship while relegating schools like Texas Christian and Boise State to a virtual BCS "Toilet Bowl."

However, what would this season's postseason look like if the university presidents had never thought of a bowl cartel to begin with? It all began in 1992 with the Bowl Coalition, morphed into the Bowl Alliance in 1995, and finally became the BCS we all know and hate in 1998.

Would schools like TCU and Boise State see decent bowl games? Or even see bowl games at all? Let's take a look at what this season's bowl schedule would look like if it were based upon the last cartel-free season, 1991.

Background: 1991

1991 was really a bridge between the past of college football and the present demographically.

There were six major conferences (two of which, the Big 8 and the Southwest Conference, would later merge to form the Big 12), plus a new conference, the Big East, just getting off the ground in football. There was also a strong mid-major conference, the WAC.

There were still 16 independent teams, including some power teams capable of winning titles, but both Florida State and Penn State would enter major conferences.within two seasons. The remainder fo the independent teams (except Notre Dame and Navy) would later form the basis for today's C-USA and Sun Belt.

The biggest difference might have been in the bowl schedule. Unlike today's innundated 34-game schedule, there were only 18 bowl games (excatly half the number that will feature beginning next season), which left 16 teams with six or more wins sitting at home. Only the champion of each conference had an automatic tie-in; the remainder of the schools had to fight their way for a few at-large bids.

The 1991 season also ended with a split national title, with Miami and Washington sharing honors.

Next we'll apply today's stats and alignments to the 1991 format.

Applying 1991 to Today

Each team will be considered to have played the same schedule with the same results as in 2009, though in 1991 no conference had more than ten members and a "championship game" was a concept that the SEC and Bowl Coalition wouldn't introduce until the next season.

Also, the Big 12 will take the SWC's automatic bid in the Cotton Bowl, and the Big East will take the Big Eight's bid to the Orange Bowl (the ACC Champion still went to the Citrus Bowl back then).

I've attempted to make bowl pairings similar to what was seen in the late-1980s and early 1990s, but for many instances I assumed the selection committee would select the same team in the same situation as they have this season.

Now, without further ado, let's see what the minor bowls have in store for us.

Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Central Michigan

In 1991, the least popular bowl was undoubtedly the California Bowl, played in Fresno between the champions of the Big West and MAC. The next season, it moved to Las Vegas and became the Las Vegas Bowl, dropping the Big West and MAC tie-ins in the process.

This season, however, the California/Las Vegas Bowl would be thrilled to see two ranked teams play in front of a capacity crowd. No. 6 Boise State (then a Big West member and now a member of the similar WAC) would take on MAC champion Central Michigan (#25) in the most exciting of football's early bowls. I think Boise would pound CMU, finishing undefeated, and likely afterwards petition to join the MWC for a better bowl tie-in.

God Bless America: Liberty, Freedom, and Independence Bowls

While the minor bowls can produce pleasant surprises like the Las Vegas Bowl, we'd also get matchups like Navy vs. Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl (as the Liberty Bowl invited the winner of the Commander-in-Chief's trophy in the 1980s and 1990s). While Navy is a strong side, this would just be a complete mismatch, with Navy's run getting shut down by an SEC defense and the Hogs' powerful passing offense running all over the small Middie defense.

While last season, a bowl matching Utah and Southern California might be touted as a national championship game, neither team quite matches up to their squads last year. The Alamo Bowl (replacing the defunct Freedom Bowl) would prefer this match to the Texas Tech-Michigan State game it has received this season. I think the Trojans' anger and frustration at a poor season (for them) would be unleashed in full force against against the Utes, resulting in a lopsided final score, but one altogether more entertaining to watch than the real Alamo Bowl.

The Independence Bowl matches up the same two teams in this scenario as they do in real life. Texas Tech, with a better record, may complain about being left at home during bowl season, but the Aggies stomped the Raiders in Lubbock this season, and have a larger fan base that's closer to Shreveport.

If you like defense, I'd suggest you not watch this game--neither team really has one. Expect this to be a shootout. However, if the Georgia-Oklahoma State game tells us anything, Georgia can't do a thing about a Big 12 passing offense. Jerrod Johnson will run all over UGA, and if the Aggies can find one shred of defense they'll pull out a win here.

Sunny Days: Gator, Sun, and Hawaii Bowls

In another true-to-real like matchup, Bobby Bowden and Florida State head to the Gator Bowl to take on West Virginia, while Boston College and North Carolina wonder what it takes to snag a bowl bid.

If this were any other game than Bowden's last, I'd pick WVU. However, I think the Noles will bring out something special and win one last game for Coach Bowden.

In the real world, ND declined a bowl bid, but in 1991 the thought of a Notre Dame team, even a 6-6 one, skipping a bowl would be preposterous. Plus, given the more attractive option of Hawaii to Detroit and Mobile, I can't see why the Irish would say no.

With Jahvid Best questionable and Clausen and Tate playing their last game for the Domers, I see the Irish having an advantage. Working under a new coach would be interesting, but plenty of schools have dealt with it before and come out on top.

I expect the fictional Kelly, with Jimmy and Golden's help, to lay down the law for a new era in Notre Dame football by pounding California.

Commercialism Bowls: Insight, Outback, and Chick-fil-A

In the Copper Bowl (now the Insight Bowl), we'd see Oklahoma State and Arizona in a virtual home game for the Cats. OK State has been hurt by injury for much of this season, but fully healthy I expect the Cowboy offense to run over an Arizona defense adjusting to a new coordinator.

In the Outback Bowl (formerly the Hall of Fame Bowl), traditional midwestern powers Wisconsin and Nebraska face off. While I think Ndamokung Suh would completely dominate the Badgers, Nebraska's lack of offense would cost them this game 9-6.

The Chick-Fil-A (Peach) Bowl pairs up two strong schools from relatively close to one another in Clemson and Tennessee. This game would be all about CJ Spiller vs. the Tennessee D. If Lane Kiffin could get his mind of NCAA investigations for a second and work with his father to come up with a solid way to shut down Spiller, Tennessee wins. If Spiller can run over the defense, or if it comes down to a Vols field goal kick, expect Clemson to steal the show.

Almost Big Time: Fiesta, Citrus, and Champs Bowls

Before 1998, the Fiesta Bowl was hit or miss. Some years it featured a national championship matchup between two independent teams, and some years it saw 3rd and 4th place conference finishers. The 2009 edition would fall between the extremes, with two ranked teams but hardly a matchup to get the nation excited. Before this matchup in the Las Vegas Bowl, I expected a close game, but BYU simply shut down Oregon State with a convincing win.

In many years pre-BCS, the Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) could be seen as a major bowl, as it featured the ACC champion. However, the ACC was regarded as the weakest of the major conferences (this was before Miami, Virginia Tech, or even Florida State joined), and this season it would see a more minor match: Georgia Tech vs. Louisiana State. I think the GT option offense could cause trouble for the LSU defense, but I think the Tigers would be strong enough against the run to hold Tech and win this one.

The Champs Sports Bowl (known as the Blockbuster Bowl in 1991) would feature two strong, though unremarkable, teams, in Pittsburgh and Ole Miss. Pitt started the year strong (other than an inexplicable loss to NC State) but tailed off at the end, while Mississippi could never provide the excitement that Rebel fans hoped for and expected this season. I do think Pitt's defense has been exposed recently and that Jevan Snead and Dexter McCluster could take advantage of this to win the game for the Rebels.

And now, on to the major bowls of the year.

Holiday Bowl: TCU vs. Virginia Tech

While the Holiday Bowl often featured a strong WAC team against a powerful opponent (usually a West Coast team), this game likely would have been the biggest in the bowls history, save perhaps for the 1984 edition where BYU won the national championship.

Here, Texas Christian, as the champion of the MWC, the spiritual successor to the 1980s and 1990s WAC, would take on a powerful Virginia Tech Hokies team looking for a signature victory to cement its season. VT looked very good in a loss to Alabama and a win over Nebraska, but TCU plays much more like Alabama, with a stout defense and a powerful offense, than Nebraska, with no offense at all. I think the Frogs win this game in a close one, and sit back to watch the Alabama, Cincinnati, and Texas games with great interest.

The Grand-daddy of Them All: Oregon vs. Ohio State

The only major bowl to feature its real-life matchup, the Rose Bowl retains its ancient Pac-10 vs. Big Ten matchup with a battle of 2-loss teams, Ohio State and Oregon.

While the game would likely be overshadowed by the Sugar and Cotton Bowls the same day, I think this would be a good contest between two good offenses. I think that Oregon's Jeremiah Massoli and LeGarrette Blount would be able to take on the Buckeyes, though I think it'd be a close game.

Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Iowa

The Bearcats will come out with a vengeance against the Hawkeys, trying to show they deserve at least a share of the national title. Iowa is a very tough football squad, though, and has played a tougher schedule than the Cats. Iowa took Ohio State to overtime despite lacking its starting QB, and has been golden in close games all season. As I can't see Cincinnati building an insurmountable lead, I think the Hawkeyes pull out the upset and show the Big Ten can win in bowl games (when they don't involve Ohio State).

Cotton Bowl: Texas vs. Florida

While the creation of the BCS has dampened the luster of the Cotton Bowl, this Cotton Bowl would give us a game with a bang to open the bowl's new era at Cowboys Stadium. Here, the No. 2 Longhorns would take on No. 5 Florida.

Texas would need a huge statement victory over the Gators to hope to jump Bama without a Tide loss, but that's not the way Texas wins big games. Texas plays the other team close and then brings the heat in the fourth quarter to pull off the win.

That's the way I see this going. Both teams are evenly matched up, but I think the Longhorns' defense is just strong enough to hold the Gators. Tebow is a good player, and will lead his team far, but so is Colt McCoy. I think the Horns have just a little better offense, particularly matching up against the Gator secondary, and would pull off a seven-point win.

However, without a statement victory over the Gators, the Horns will have to sweat it out and hope for an upset of Mount Nittany-sized proportions.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Penn State

Without the BCS's pairing system, we lack the strong pairing for the Crimson Tide. Instead of No. 2 Texas, we see the Tide taking on No. 11 Penn State.

The Nittany Lions are good, but I just can't fathom them stopping the Tide's strong run or scoring much against the tough Bama defense.

Bama wins this game and locks up the national title, though Texas and TCU draw some votes from the tide.

Wrap Up: Better or Worse?

All in all, this bowl season would be overwhelmingly worse than the current format.

We have the advantage of 16 fewer bowl games, so we'd be spared matchups like Fresno State-Wyoming, but this also means several bowl eligible teams stay at home. In particular, some squads like Texas Tech and Missouri sit out while other conference schools like Oklahoma and Texas A&M walk in with bigger names and fan bases. Also, the current C-USA membership is overwhelmingly worse off-as independent teams without huge followings, these teams would ALL be staying at home, even 10-win Houston. We also would miss out on stories like SMU and Temple's return to bowl games-neither team would see an invite under the current format.

While the SWC would have seen an epic battle between Texas and TCU this season, the set-up I've used sends TCU to the Holiday Bowl as the MWC champion and Texas to the biggest game of the bowl season, the Cotton Bowl, to face Florida.

Alabama, rather than having to face a tough UT team, plays the easier Penn State Nittany Lions, leaving Texas, TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State hoping for miracles for a championship season. Fans would see strong bowl games, as with the current system, but would lack the games with championship implication like this season.

So, for those complaining about the current BCS system, just think back to what used to be and enjoy the exciting matchups we've got this season. We may not have a playoff for the forseeable future, but at least we wouldn't have the fiasco of a 1991 system practically gifting Bama the title.