Major BCS Changes Loom in 2012 for College Football

No one has been completely happy with the BCS since it took over the college football world in 1998. Since then, minor changes have taken place such as tweaking the way computers rank teams and adding a fifth BCS game that is the National Championship instead of it coinciding with another bowl.

Still, these small changes that seem to take place every year haven't changed the negative outlook on the system. However, 14 years of fans, coaches, and players chanting "playoff" might actually pay off in 2012. Note that the BCS is still under contract with major conferences, bowls, and ESPN until 2013, so if these changes are voted in this year, the effects won't be seen until the 2014 National Champion is crowned.

USA Today reported yesterday that a member from the committee of university presidents and chancellors who oversee the BCS, states they are headed for "fundamental change."

Also in the mix is Tulane University's president Scott Cowen who took it a step further and stated that a four-team playoff is among the possible changes. He was quoted by USA Today's Steve Wieberg saying he feels it's "better than 50-50 that there'll be a significant change in format." Cowen has voiced his opinion so as to try and more evenly distribute the wealth among college football conferences.

News of major changes in the BCS first came out after this years' National Championship game. The very next day in fact, 11 commissioners from the FBS conferences met in New Orleans to discuss such changes.

Executive director of the BCS Bill Hancock said 50-60 ideas were brought up and that none of them were either celebrated or thrown out. Even before the big game, BCS mayhem was being talked about across the country when ESPN reported that even if Alabama won the game, some of the voters would still be voting for LSU.

The four-team playoff, or what is more commonly referred to as a "plus one system," is not the only idea floating out there as BCS Director Hancock stated.

Another possibility is having no bowl games at all and just the BCS Championship which apparently appeals to Big Ten and Pac-12 commissioners as reported by USA Today. If this were to happen, the Orange, Fiesta, Sugar, and Rose Bowls would most likely associate themselves with the major conferences if they wanted to continue to exist. There are so many possible answers out there but one thing is for sure; there has to be a change in the hypocritical, double standard known as the BCS. 

This past year's National Championship match-up was a perfect example of how the BCS does not have their best interest in the likes of picking the two best teams. If this past years logic were to have been applied in 2006, Michigan would have been granted the right to re-play Ohio State in the championship.

Among the excuses for not letting Michigan play in the big game were that they did not win their conference (neither did Alabama this past season) and they already had their shot at beating OSU (as did Alabama have against LSU). Michigan also lost by the same margin, a field goal, as Alabama did, but still the BCS somehow changed their thought process this time around. Yes, Michigan and OSU both lost their bowl games that year but no one knew that going in; hind sight is always 20-20.

Whether you are for a four-team playoff where the big four bowls would then turn into semi-final games for the championship or no bowls or something else entirely, the fact is a change looks as if it is finally going to happen this year.