An LSU Fan's Take on the BCS

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the current BCS system.

Currently, the BCS has six computers that weigh a number of things in calibration with the Harris Poll determine the BCS rankings. At the the end of regular season, the BCS selection begins. The winners of the BCS conferences, he Big Six (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10, SEC) are automatically given a bid to a bowl. Some will go to a specific bowl or the top two from which the team would go to the National Championship.

For example, the SEC winner would go to the Sugar, ACC to the Orange, Pac-10 and Big Ten to the Rose, and Big 12 to Fiesta.

This system is flawed, but not enough to warrant the BCS commissioner visiting Congress. Let's look at its biggest flaws.

In 2003, The supposed AP National Champion (can I get a BS?), Oklahoma and LSU, have the first and second ranked teams in the final BCS. They play in the National Championship, while the No. 3 team, USC, was upset because they thought that they should play in the game (technically they should have, Oklahoma lost their conference championship). Instead, they went to the Rose Bowl.

The final polls come out and, suddenly, there's controversy. These polls had LSU at No. 1, except for the AP Poll which had USC as No. 1.

USC claimed to be the AP National Champion. USC claims to have won the National Championship in 2003, even though they didn't win the National Championship game. Next year, Auburn goes undefeated in the toughest conference in NCAA Football, but Oklahoma and USC are first and second.

USC crushed Oklahoma in the National Championship and Auburn beat Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. They were selected as No. 1 in a few polls, but is there a shared National Championship? No, because USC won the game.

BCS isn't the best system in the world, but it works. This past weekend, some hearings were held in Congress about the BCS. They are claiming that the system isn't fair to non-Big Six schools. For example, last year, Utah went undefeated and wasn't able to enter the National Championship.

So people are mad.

My solution may not tailor to the little schools, but I think that it applies. There needs to be a playoff; there is no doubt about that. Playoffs tend to dispel controversy.

8 Teams

I think that the playoffs should have the six conference champions of the Big Six getting automatic bids, then two at-large bids making the eight teams. The at-large bids can go to the little schools, and they can win their way to the big game. 

16 Teams

Another method could be sixteen teams. It would hold the Big Six Conference Champions plus the champions of the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA. They would get the top eight seeds according to ranking in the BCS rankings (if they last). That would leave eight at-large bids. If you really want to make the smaller teams happy, then leave an at-large bid to one team.

If the small teams still don't think that this is fair, then they should be allowed to join the Big Six Conference of their choice. Joe Paterno said this weekend that he wants Notre Dame to join the Big Ten to create a conference championship game. The ACC, SEC, and Big 12 have 12 teams in the conference. That could be the limit.

Therefore, one team could join the Big Ten (like Notre Dame) and two teams could join the Pac-10 (like Hawaii, Utah, or Boise State).

I intentionally left out the Big East; there are eight teams in the Big East that play football at the Division One level, but a total of 17 teams. Technically, four teams could join, but that might be stretching it.

If they don't join a conference, then they need to strengthen their schedule and get noticed like Utah did last year. Being the little team isn't great, but they have the power to become a big team in the current system. They just need to be a huge team to get noticed.