College Football's New Playoff: One Step in a Long Journey Toward a Real Champ

On the day that one of the biggest black eyes in college football history reaches a jury's deliberation, the wheels have also begun to turn on resolving a lesser black eye that has lasted about 14 years too long.

Starting in 2014, college football will move to a four-team playoff format to decide its national champion.

The two semifinal games will be played using current bowl sites and the title game is sure to be an extravaganza awarded to the highest-bidding city. The teams will be chosen by a committee, a la college basketball, but details have not been released as to who will make up the committee.

This is without a doubt a step in the right direction for what might be the second most popular sport in America behind professional football. But it is absolutely not a solution to the problem that has plagued the sport for years—the lack of a true champion decided on the field like every other sport on the planet.

The argument is already being made that the current system places an extra emphasis on the regular season, making every week as exciting as a playoff.

While I do agree that every week in college football keeps me on the edge of my seat, so does every week in the NFL, as does plenty of games in college basketball's regular season. I'll watch a sport I enjoy watching regardless of the importance of that particular game. And I simply do not believe in a team losing all hopes of a championship because they lost one game in October.

And what happens if we end up with two or even three teams from one conference in the playoff?

Everyone knows that college football is very pro-SEC, and selection committee members may vote the way the computers have decided things for years. That is a recipe for disaster, with the potential the national championship game to be played between teams that may not have won their own conference.

The big wigs involved in this process need to continue to take a page from college basketball's book as they evolve their postseason.

The NCAA men's basketball tournament is without a doubt the most exciting trip to a title in any sport.

I realize 68 teams is impossible and unnecessary for football. Basketball uses multiple-game weekends early in the tourney and that isn't the name of the game in football. But maybe, just maybe, if there wasn't a month-long break between conference title games and the national championship, we could squeeze in a few rounds of playoff games to give more teams a chance.

My genius recommendation?

The conference champions should be seeded into a bracket and settle it on the field. All of them, from the SEC to the MAC. With the exception of a few wild cards, you know which teams play for titles in most sports?

Those who win divisions and conferences, regardless of the "strength" of said group.

Or, if you want to limit it to those programs which currently automatically qualify for BCS bowls, give six seeds to those conference champions and two wild cards selected by a committee large enough to prevent bias.

That setup would prevent occurrences like last year when Alabama, which did not win its own conference title, was crowned champion of college football.

The positive of all this is that the almighty dollar gives way to the integrity of the game when a true champion is determined. The negative side is that this new system may still not entirely resolve the controversy.

College football simply has too many teams compared to the amount of time necessary between games to create a playoff large enough to please everyone.

Hopefully those making the decisions don't rest upon their laurels as they see the success of the four-team system. 

Hopefully, they will continue to improve upon it.