Biggest BCS Buster Isn't TCU or Boise State...It's Washington D.C.

For years college football fans have called for a playoff system, whether it be an eight, 16, or 32 team playoff. The arguments generally sparked after non-BCS schools "bust the BCS" by qualifying for BCS bowl games.

The BCS: History

The argument for a playoff system didn't really gain momentum until 2004, when the University of Utah went 11-0 and ended up ranked No. 6 in the BCS rankings. And yet the BCS system has had problems since it's inception following the 1998 post-season (when Michigan and Nebraska were declared co-National Champs). In its inaugural season, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was faced with it's first potential "buster", Tulane (Conference USA). In 1998, Shaun King lead the Tulane Green Wave past 11 opponents earning them a No. 10 ranking and at-large BCS bid (under the pre-2005 eligibility).

In fact with the exception of the 2001 & 2002 seasons the BCS has faced problems with BCS busters every year; by Marshall, TCU, Miami (OH), Utah, Boise St, Hawaii, and possibly BYU. And in the cases of the 2004 Utah Utes, 2006 Boise State Broncos and 2008 Utah Utes, and either the 2009 Broncos or TCU Horned Frogs, the busters deserve at least a share of the National Title.

In 2005 the BCS changed the criteria to qualify for a BCS bowl game (due to a schism of the 2004 polls - http://badgerherald.com/sports/2005/01/17/ap_removes_poll_from.php ) which was designed to help settle disputes after five teams finished the season undefeated in 2005 (USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah, and Boise State). Given the fact that the system was created to rule out dual National Champions, I'd say that the system hasn't exactly panned out.

The desire for a playoff:

Mainly due to the fact that there have been multiple BCS busters many fans (myself included) have been clamoring for a playoff system in Division I FBS college football. The arguments range from the fact that FBS football is the only college sport without a playoff system, and therefore the only one which consistently produces multiple legitimate National Champions, to the double standard that is the BCS system.

Now I can understand the argument that teams like TCU, Utah, and Boise State have easier schedules, because their conferences are filled with "cupcakes" yet that doesn't negate the fact that they still came out of that schedule, often including a couple of non-conference BCS schools, undefeated. And yet the BCS pairs TCU with Boise State, don't get me wrong, it should be a great game, but If you're going to tell these teams that they can't really qualify for the National Championship at least match them up with "one of the Big Boys".

I believe that the NCAA should adopt a playoff system for FBS football, and implement a selection committee similar to that of College Basketball.

The College Football Playoff Act of 2009:

Here is the Bill according to the Library of Congress (I did Paraphrase some of it though):

Congress finds that:

• college football games, including post-season football games, depend upon competition between college and university teams traveling in interstate commerce
• the competitions involve and affect interstate commerce and are therefore within Congress's constitutional authority to regulate
• the total economic impact in the host cities from the 5 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games in January 2008 was estimated at more than $1.2 billion
• collegiate athletic conferences whose teams participate in each BCS bowl game share $17.5 million in revenue
• the BCS system recognizes the important economic impact to a city hosting the BCS championship game and therefore rotates it among cities
• the colleges and universities whose teams participate in the post-season football bowls experience significant financial windfall including increased applications for enrollment, recruiting advantages, increased alumni donations, and increased corporate sponsorship that provides a competitive advantage over universities whose teams are ineligible or statistically at a disadvantage from the BCS bowl competitions because of their conference affiliation.

Congress Shall Prohibit

• Promotion of Game- It shall be unlawful for any person to promote, market, or advertise a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football game as a championship or national championship game, unless the game is the final game of a single elimination post-season playoff system for which all NCAA Division I FBS conferences and unaffiliated Division I FBS teams are eligible.
• Merchandising- It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, market, or advertise any merchandise related to a post-season NCAA Division I FBS football game that refers to the game as a championship or national championship game, unless the game is the final game of a single elimination post-season playoff system for which all NCAA Division I FBS conferences and unaffiliated Division I FBS teams are eligible.

The "College Football Playoff Act of 2009" is will be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission who may institute regulations and guidelines as it sees fit.

The bill (should it pass through congress) will be enforced starting in the 2012 post-season (any post-season NCAA Division I FBS football game that occurs after January 31, 2011).

Why I don't support the College Football Act of 2009:

I would agree with Rep. Joe Barton and Sen. Orrin Hatch that the NCAA should drop the BCS system in favor of a playoff system in FBS football, however that is a decision that is entirely up to the NCAA.

The two biggest reasons why this bill is a bad idea:

1. Congress is there to make decision for the betterment of the country, their job is not to decide that a voluntary association made up of individual institutions without any root or association in the government (such as the NCAA) needs federal direction.

2. With an economic recession, two wars, and an incredibly controversial health care bill maybe congress should be focusing their efforts on something more important. It really weakens my any faith I might've had that they actually know what they're doing, or that they know what's good for the country when they're sitting there debating the same things that're being discussed on College Football Live and SportsNation. I suppose next they'll be handing out citations to Chad Ochocinco and T.O. because they don't seem to take the NFL's punishment seriously enough.