BCS Playoff: Postseason Renovation Will Expand College Football Interest

College football just got a much-needed shot in the arm.

The BCS presidents have finally reached a 12-year agreement to begin a four-team seeded playoff in 2014, according to USA Today. Former Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas had this to say prior to Tuesday's meetings:

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"This was timely, had to be done. (It was in) response to the public, response to the interest in college football. The BCS has done a great deal in helping promote college football, and there's a general feeling we need to do something better to determine a national champion."

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I could not have said it better myself Mr. Neinas. The sport of college football sorely needed to do something about the preposterous former bowl system that had people up in arms for too long.

The previous format made every regular season game an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, but it made bowl season boring. People like a tournament format playoff system. That's why March Madness is so popular.

That's why virtually nobody watched the BCS championship game in January between the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide. Last season's title game drew the lowest ratings for any televised BCS championship game in the history of the sport.

It was absolutely ridiculous that the country had to watch a second painfully boring game between the longtime SEC rivals.

As if we didn't see enough of that matchup when LSU won a game that included five field goals and no touchdowns in November, the nation—or at least the few that watched—had to endure another five-field goal game in January.

The low ratings were caused in part by the fact that most people in the Northeast United States don't have a vested interest in college football. There is a prevailing indifference to collegiate level football in the Northeast corridor of the country.

The lack of interest is partially due to the fact that there is a shortage of quality football programs, but mostly because the Northeast is a professional sports area.

Still, even those whose allegiance doesn't lay with a specific college basketball team revel in March Madness because it is captivating and thrilling.

Now residents of the Northeast will begin to tune in, if for no other reason than to check out what this new system is all about. With ratings on the decline, the BCS presidents did exactly what they needed to do to pump some life back into their sport.

College football lost the interest of parts of the country because the BCS system was at times boring. It's great for players to be able to hoist a trophy no matter what bowl they participate in, but no bowl game truly matters except for the championship game. Every other game is a consolation prize.

The people of the United States have wanted to see a playoff for a long time and now they finally have one.

Finally, instead of seeing LSU and Alabama play the "three yards and a cloud of dust" card for 60 minutes, we might get to see Oregon's explosive offense try its luck against Alabama's bruising defense.

It all seems so fresh again. We're looking at a new era of college football on the horizon and it's all because of the newly instituted playoff system.