The College Football Playoff System Where Everybody Wins!

There has been much talk of a playoff system over the years. But, the perfect system will require compromise.

My offering requires no financial compromise: It requires a compromise of tradition. Most traditions will remain intact.

The bowl-conference alignment traditions will have to fall, though, they will remain a priority whenever possible.

This is a marriage of the BCS, the Bowl Alliance and what could be the BCS Playoff System. I could write an entire article about why the NCAA was left out of this one.

One day I may do just that. Today, I will just leave them out of this one purposefully and let that action speak for itself.

Step 1: Admit There Is a Problem

As with every issue in personal or professional life, step one is admitting there is a problem.

Problems with the current system:

No. 1: Only two teams have a shot at the title.

No. 2: Only two teams from any given conference are allowed in the Top Five bowls.

No. 3: Preferences are prevalent in the current system. (i.e. the "Sugar Bowl" this year.)

No. 4: The SEC doesn't whoop up on enough teams throughout the year, and other conferences want their spankings, too.

Step 2: Admit the BCS Deserves a Place in the Future of College Football

Since 1998, the BCS has crowned a national champion that earns more respect than in years past.

Is it a perfect solution to the problem we had prior to its existence? No, but it's a valiant effort.

How many times has the BCS given us an unquestioned champion?

There are still issues, of course. Some include when teams are left standing undefeated entering bowl season. The BCS only allows two teams to play in one game for the crystal ball.

Could Utah have taken it all in 2008? Whether you think 13-0 Utah could have beaten Florida or Oklahoma, a system in which they had a shot would be an improvement.

As much as we all love to hate the BCS, it's an improvement. Admitting that they changed the face of college football for the better is a step in the right direction.

Step 3: Honor the Tradition That Made CFB What It Is: The Bowl Alliance

In no way do I intend to propose that we annihilate the bowls. I grew up in a world where the Sugar Bowl was as much a staple as a utensil in the kitchen.

I would like for that world to remain intact.

For that reason, the bowls will still exist and remain relatively as important as they have always been. However, a rotation will need to be agreed upon, and some years will be more lucrative than others.

The overall take should be much higher, as more non-SEC fans are likely to watch a playoff than this year's national championship.

Step 4: Accept That a Playoff Is the Fairest Answer to the Problems at Hand

With a playoff series, the problems can all be solved.

Preferential treatment goes away with one rule: The Top 16 teams get into the playoffs. There are no AQ conferences.

If a conference champion is not in the Top 16, they do not get in. If a non-conference-champion is in the Top 16, they get in. If a team loses, they prove that they are not champions.

Step 5: Rules Governing the Solution

The following rules will ensure fairness and equity to all involved in the playoff:

No. 1: No team shall play in a playoff game with less than six days of rest since their previous game.

No. 2: The Top 16 teams listed in the final BCS rankings shall be admitted into the tournament.

No. 3: The first round of the tournament shall take place on the first weekend in January. Four games shall occur on Friday, and four games shall occur on Saturday. The rest of the rounds shall occur on the next Saturday following the previous round.

No. 4: Each bowl will be assigned a game, and traditional matchups will be facilitated wherever possible. Teams from Florida will be placed in a path where winning will land them in the Gator Bowl.

The Top Four teams will be placed in such a manner that they cannot meet until the semifinals. Teams from the same conference will be separated as much as possible.

No. 5: Financial payouts will be 80/20—80 percent goes to the loser and loser's conference while 20 percent goes to the winner and winner's conference.

The only exception is the title game will be split 50/50.

No. 6: No playoff bowl shall be scheduled opposite any other playoff bowl.

Spreadsheet of What This Would Look Like for 2011

The first round will consist of whatever bowls are willing to put up the money to host the game. It will likely consist of a rotation of the New Year's Day Bowls with a few additions.

The scheduling favors the Top Four. This isn't exactly the model of the basketball tournament, but it's not strictly by "seed." It's also based on good football games.

The good bowls are reserved spots in the quarterfinals and semifinals. (This is reminiscent of the "Top Four" rotating into the championship game before the BCS took over it entirely.)

If a team from Florida were in the Top 16, they would be in the Gator Bowl in the first round, or placed where they could enter the Gator Bowl in the second round. (Likely in the Sun Bowl's position.)

Financial Explanation

We will use Oklahoma State as the example here.

If OSU wins their first game, they would take 20 percent from the bowl they won and move on to the Orange Bowl. If they won the Orange Bowl, they would take 20 percent of that bowl, too.

So far, they have won 40 percent of an average bowl game. If they win again, they take another 20 percent from the Rose Bowl and move to the title game.

This is a total of 110 percent of a normal bowl take, including the 50 percent from the title game. All the losing teams would have taken an 80 percent cut of a bowl that they would have normally received 50 (under the "old" system).

This allows the "lesser" conferences to have access to more money than they normally would get. It also allows the teams that earn their way to the top to get more money than the losers overall.

The Final Question for All Non-SEC Fans.

The final question I pose to the non-SEC fans is this: "How many SEC vs. SEC national championships will you sit through before you scream to have the old system back?"

The answer may be that nobody cares who's at the top as long as it's fair. I think that may be what's holding the playoff system back.

The money is there now. If one conference continues domination for decades, the other conferences' fans may lose interest in the postseason.

Ultimately, I don't think it would matter. At the end of a playoff, fans of the Top Two would probably travel well regardless of conference.