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A playoff system would eliminate whining over who was "left out," but it could preclude us from guaranteeing the two best teams play. Maybe that is just the tough luck rule.
Would a playoff really help the BCS? Perhaps.
But let's look at it another way: Would pro sports benefit from a BCS-type system?
Certainly had the NBA utilized rankings last season and taken the top 16 teams in the NBA, there is no way the Hawks or the 76ers have a prayer of getting to the postseason, while the Warriors and Blazers would deservedly be in.
In baseball, the Cubs, Cards, and Brewers would all make the playoffs while perhaps no one from the West would play in October.
For those of you concerned about upsets, think of it this way: if the best teams are all playing, isn't there a better chance of an upset? If the eight-seed is really eighth best team available rather than the 11th or 12th, isn't that more likely to provide a better series against a one-seed?
The best of the best will likely play because their records will qualify them regardless. Accordingly, by deepening the pool of playoff teams, it elevates the overall quality of teams and quality of play.
Common sense tells us that might make series longer (God forbid) and your television viewing more difficult with so many outstanding choices, but you should have a Tivo by now anyway (they come with a Happy Meal I hear).
For the die hard sports fan it would be heaven; the best teams playing in the postseason struggling through seven-game series, coaches making adjustments, players leaving everything on the court.
Isn't a lack of passion and vigor exactly what fans complain pro leagues lack?
Sure, the bowl season is 25 games too long and BCS games can be anti-climactic when USC wins the Rose Bowl by 100 or Florida comes out of nowhere to dismantle the presumed top team. But for every Florida-Ohio State game, a system like this gives us a USC-Texas game.
In the NFL that would mean a Super Bowl game worth watching for something other than just the commercials.
The Giants' win over the Patriots was historic, but lucky. That was why it retained so many viewers. Had the Patriots taken off in the first quarter to a 17-3 lead, people would have turned to the Colbert Report.
A Patriots-Packers or Patriots-Cowboys game would have had the same 19-0 hype, but would have had a much better chance of presenting a once-in-a-lifetime game. Only in retrospect can we say the right teams played.
Giants-Patriots 100 times probably comes out Patriots 85 times, but it was the Giants the only time it counted. Looks like the tough luck rule does apply.
For whatever reason, people seem to believe the BCS ought to turn to the pro sports for "fixing." It appears however, pro sports could benefit from a BCS system where the best teams are assured a chance.
Pro sports have the playoff, the BCS has the rankings (even if flawed). A combination would create the ultimate sport experience where the top teams meet when it matters.
It's the draft and free agency that create REAL parity, not the playoffs.
Luck brought us a Super Bowl for the ages and a throw-back NBA Finals, but why leave the sports we love so much to chance? Don't we deserve it?
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