BCS Rankings: 4 Reasons a Plus-One Format Isn't Enough to Solve CFB's Problems

After one of the least interesting and lowest-rated BCS championship games ever, it seems that the folks in charge of the BCS are finally coming to the realization that the system is in desperate need of a few tweaks.

Even though many have been begging for changes to be made for over a decade, those in charge have finally come to a point where they're at least entering early discussions about changing things up.

The most likely change to the system could be the switch to a plus-one format, where four teams will have the chance to battle it out for the right to play in the BCS championship game.

It sure sounds a lot better than what we have right now, but here's a look at a few reasons that a plus-one system won't be a perfect solution for college football.

Deserving Teams Will Still Have a Gripe

Theoretically, if there happened to be a plus-one system in 2011, we would have seen the top four teams—LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State and Stanford—get the chance to compete for a championship. However, there would have been a number of teams like Oregon, Boise State and USC (if the Trojans were eligible), who would have had a legitimate argument to make as to why they deserved to be in the mix for one of the four spots.

In 2010, Auburn, Oregon, TCU and a one-loss Stanford team would have all made it in, but one-loss teams like Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State and Boise State all would have been shut out.

Point being, even if you install a plus-one system, you're still going to leave a few deserving teams out in the cold, and there's always going to be a ton of debate every year about who truly deserves to be the fourth team.

The Coaches' Poll Is Worthless

One flawed part of the system that the BCS has to take out of its equation when determining the rankings is the USA Today Coaches' Poll.

Let's put aside the fact that many head coaches simply let an assistant or an SID fill out their ballot because they're too busy, you know, running a major college football program. The point is, it's simply impossible for coaches to have a fully accurate view of the truly best teams in the country. There's no chance that they could see every top team play every week  because again, they're busy running a major college football program.

You've also got politics involved in the voting like we saw with Nick Saban ranking Oklahoma State No. 4 on his ballot after the final week of the season.

If we're going to let the coaches have a say in the matter, I like former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel's idea of letting the coaches simply vote on teams in their respective conference that they have a good feel for, but even that could present a possible conflict of interest.

There Will Still Be Too Many Bowls

This year’s bowl season had a few memorable games like the Rose Bowl battle between Oregon and Wisconsin and the Fiesta Bowl shootout between Oklahoma State and Stanford, but overall, the number of forgettable games certainly outweighed the interesting ones.

It's been said before, and I'll say it again, 35 bowl games is far too many.

I know the powers at be need to get some publicity for the good folks at San Diego County Credit Union and Franklin American Mortgage Company, but sacrificing the integrity of the sport to make a few extra bucks isn't worth it.

This isn't little league.

Not every team deserves a trophy and a nice happy ending to their season.

Nobody wants to have to go to Detroit or Boise, Idaho in December anyway.

Cut down on the bowl games, and stop giving undeserving 6-6 teams a postseason slot just because they can bring a few fans and a few extra tourism dollars to a specific city.

Greed Is Good

College Football is no longer just a sport, it's now a multi-billion dollar a year industry, and with so much revenue flowing in annually from television contracts, merchandising deals and ticket sales, there are now a lot of hands trying to reach into the cookie jar.

Bowl CEOs, athletic directors and the many other mischievous characters you'll find standing in a suit on the sidelines all want their cut, and it's created a college football culture that is now ruled by the almighty dollar instead of the actual on-the-field product.

The BCS powers at be no longer care about servicing the fans and giving them what they want; they're main priority is to make as big of a financial gain every year as possible.

We're starting to enter a dangerous territory in college football, and we can only hope something drastic happens for the system. More importantly, I hope the motives of those in charge change, because if they don't, the sport may eventually cross the point of no return.