BCS Football: Festivus & the Airing of Grievances

I have long opposed the BCS. The foolish idea that college football could determine a national champion by voting is laughable. Even more absurd is having groups such as coaches and media members determine the national champion participants.

The coaches truly do not have time to watch all games, as well as have a vested interest in the outcome (see Bob Stoops). The media do not watch all games, and rely on highlights from ESPN to help them with their ballot. What a joke of a system.

If you have not yet done so, please do yourself a favor and read Stewart Mandel’s Bowls, Polls, & Tattered Souls. There are so many quotes throughout the book detailing the idiocy of how college football determines its national champion, but here are two that I believe sum up why the current system is a sham:

Why not the coaches, you ask? Read what longtime playoff advocate Penn State head coach Joe Paterno said , after his Penn State team was defeated by undefeated Michigan in 1997. “I have somebody who helps me with the voting, and we didn’t vote Michigan No.1…that bothered me.” (page 44 of the hardcover edition). I have a feeling you can now count on Texas' Mack Brown, as well as USC's Pete Carroll, as being in the playoff crowd.

Why not the media, you ask? Read what Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson wrote regarding the impact the media has on college football, in comparison to other sports: “In no other sport do media types have say or sway. Not basketball, not baseball, not softball, not anything.” (page 48 of the hardcover edition).

While President-Elect Obama has admiringly called for an eight-team playoff, the eight-team model would not properly include all conference champions (there are 11 conferences in Division 1 football).

For the Plus-1 advocates, such as ESPN's Beano Cook: How do you determine the top four? Under that system, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, and Alabama would be the qualifiers. What about USC? Penn State? Utah? Boise State? Texas Tech? As you can see, there's no fair way to determine who the top four teams would be in that scenario.

Under my scenario, a 16-team playoff would be the fairest method to determine a true national champion in Division 1 football. What are the benefits to this system?

A traditional argument is, "The regular season would be rendered meaningless with a playoff system". If the only sure way to get in to the playoffs was winning your conference, that makes those regular season games very meaningful, wouldn’t you say? And under my system, not just one non-BCS conference (such as Utah this year), but all conference champions would get a shot at the title. My system is far more inclusive.

OK, so you have 11 conference champions. What about the next five? Using the average of the BCS computer rankings, five at-large teams could be seeded.

Growing up and living in Ohio, and being a football fanatic for all levels, I have always enjoyed and respected how Ohio high school football teams are selected for the postseason

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