College FB 2007: Prelude to a Playoff

We're now nine weeks into the college football season, and the final outcome is no more certain than it was in Week One.

With parity wreaking havoc, the playoff issue is more relevant than ever.

If you look atop the BCS standings, you'll see perennial powerhouses like Oklahoma, LSU, and Ohio State.

What may raise an eyebrow, though, is the presence of newcomers like Boston College, Arizona State, Oregon, Kansas, and South Florida.

While not taking anything away from the success of these teams, it's hard to gauge how good they really are—unless you pit them against the best from other conferences.

Can an unbeaten Boston College hang with one-loss LSU on a neutral site? Can an unbeaten Kansas compete with two-loss Florida?

The only way to know for sure is to have a playoff.

Too bad school presidents, athletic directors, and traditionalists have all scoffed at the idea.

The ADs and school presidents take a monetary approach:

Bowl games bring in millions of dollars each year. Why get rid of the cash cow?

Traditionalists have a more nostalgic take:

New Year's Day bowl games are an American staple. Why get rid of so much history?

Unfortunately, the bowl system just doesn't cut it.

Look no further than 2004, when Auburn ran the table in the SEC...and watched an Oklahoma team that played in a weaker conference get torched by USC for the title.

As fans, we don't like to ask "What if?" We want to see championships settled on the field. It's what makes college football so good—that on any given day the underdog can win.

Some propose a "plus-1" format, where you'd keep the bowls intact and pick the best two teams to play one more.

Some propose a 16-team playoff system, much like the Div. I-FCS, II, and III.

The problem there, though, is where you draw the line. Who gets invited and who doesn't?

As it stands, it looks like our best hope lies with the "plus-1" format—and if parity continues to wreck the hopes of contenders week-in and week-out, a playoff may be on the horizon a lot sooner than we think.

I, for one, think it's way overdue.