Playoffs? Are You Talking About Playoffs?

So you think you want a playoff in college football?  You might want to think again. 

While playoffs and single-elimination tournaments are exciting, there’s no place for it in college football.  Let me explain.

First of all, we have great bowl games at the end of each season with rich traditions and history in each one.  Having a playoff would diminish the importance of these bowls to the participants. 

No longer would we have a Sugar Bowl Champion or a Rose Bowl Champion, it would be a National Champion or nothing.

Next, we as fans tend to forget that the players are kids, college students in fact, working toward their careers.  College football is not a career in itself.  Most of these kids would like to have the opportunity to play professionally after college. 

Extending a season would increase the chance of career-ending injury, taking away any hope of playing at the next level.

Finally, a playoff would pretty much ruin the fun and excitement of the regular season, placing all the importance on the post-season.  Let’s say nine wins gets a team into the playoffs, and they win it all, beating a team that went undefeated in the regular season. 

It would almost certainly turn into a situation where teams that have already locked in a spot, would rest players to prepare for the playoffs (see Indianapolis Colts), and we would have meaningless games, meaningless games in college football means less interest at the end of the season, and that means lower ticket sales and less revenue.

So, while we can all agree that something needs to change, I don’t think a playoff is the answer we are looking for.  Just don’t tell Boise State I said that.