College Football: A Proposed College Football Playoff

With the recent release of the 2011-2012 college football bowl schedule, I decided to go ahead and put in my two cents on a proposed playoff format. It seems as if everyone has an opinion on the matter, and it has been the focus of many great debates.

The four BCS bowl games should serve as the start of an eight-team playoff, with two succeeding weeks to determine the national champion. It may seem complicated, but if you read further you’ll see why this is the best solution that satisfies everyone’s needs.

The first thing I noticed with next season’s bowl schedule is the lack of a game New Year's Day; the day falls on a Sunday and would interfere with the NFL regular season.

Keeping all of the other bowl games intact, only the eight BCS teams would be in the title contention. My proposed playoff would have the four BCS games fall on the same day (which day does not matter), with it likely being Jan. 1, thus concluding the bowl season and the first round of the playoffs with four teams remaining in the title hunt.

With all four games being played on the same date, the winners would then move on to the next round of the playoffs.

Round two would take place a week from the date of the four BCS games and would have two games of No. 4 playing No. 1, and No. 3 playing No. 2 at neutral sites. With a week of preparation, the two games will be on national television and bring in millions of dollars for the four schools.

The addition of two more games allows for the Davids to take their shot at the Goliaths and prove who the better team is on the field, which is ultimately what all of us fans want.

With the conclusion of the second round, two teams remain in the hunt for the national championship. Like the current BCS format, the title game will rotate each year to one of the four BCS locations.

Round three would take place a week after round two and likely on Jan. 15, only five days past last season’s national championship game. A winner-take-all game in which the two best teams have earned their way to the game on the field.

Just think, Boise State can’t complain anymore about not getting its chance—it can finally shut up.

But don’t get your hopes up, that would take a miracle.

The one downside that I can realistically see in this proposal is the additional time the players would spend away from the classroom. After all, they are student-athletes. Cutting into their already demanding schedule may be too much to ask.

But I see differently.

As mentioned earlier, my proposal would take the season to around Jan. 15, only five more days longer than last season’s conclusion. In five days and two extra games, six more teams would have their opportunity to conclude the season as champions.

Sports like basketball run from September through April, a much longer time commitment than the current football season. Athletes who compete in track and cross-country have an even longer time commitment.

This proposal is not much more extreme than the current proposal of a “plus-one” format. Besides, I think we can all agree that what we as fans want most is to see the winner decided on the field and not at the hands of a computer.

This format is the fairest proposal that has been put forward.

A plus-one does not allow for enough teams to have their opportunity at the title. For instance, the conclusion of the 2008 season had three teams with only one loss and undefeated Utah without a shot at the title.

And for the most obvious of reasons, the current system has left countless teams wondering how things would have been with a chance to play. Just ask Oregon (2001), Georgia (2002), Auburn (2004), Penn State (2005), Boise State (2006/2009), Utah (2008) and TCU (2010) about being left out by the BCS.

What are the two most important aspects of the playoff? Doing what’s fair and making as much money as possible.

I don’t see how the addition of two games detracts from the amount of money the universities and BCS will be making. Both games will be aired nationally and garner millions of dollars. Making money is the most important aspect of the hesitation to move to a playoff format, even if the university presidents won’t come out and say it.

This proposed eight-team playoff brings in the highest potential revenue without completely changing bowl season. With this format, everyone wins.

I dare you to come up with a better solution to the current fail of a system.

Turn the four BCS bowls into the start of an eight-team playoff and prove it on the field. Take the four winners a week later and you have the two most deserving teams in the title game.

The schedule will only last a few days longer but will bring in millions of dollars of revenue and ensure worthy teams had their chance to prove it on the field.

If you have a better solution, prove it.