It's Broke, So Fix It- Another College Football Proposal

It is a topic that has beaten to death.

We all agree, the Bowl Championship Series is the worst invention before Craftsman's automatic hammer. In fact, it is worse than the automatic hammer.

Since 1998, a computer has determined the ten (originally eight) teams that play in the most prestigious college bowl games: the Fiesta, Orange, Rose, and Sugar Bowls, with the BCS National Championship Game being created in 2006.

There are six BCS conferences: the Big 12, Big Ten, Big East, ACC, Pac 10, and SEC. Each of these teams gets at least one team into the BCS bowl games, the champion of each conference. The other spots go to at large teams. Since it is normally the champions of two of these conferences playing for the national championship, four at large bids are given. Non-BCS teams are allowed entry into BCS bowls at this point, but many at large bids go to BCS conference teams. Last year was a split, with Florida (SEC) and Iowa (Big Ten) receiving at large bids along with undefeated teams Boise State (WAC) and TCU (MWC), who played each other in the Fiesta Bowl.

The whole logic of the thing is just ridiculous. This year, there were four unbeaten teams going into Bowl Season. Only two were even considered for the national championship game, the two BCS conference teams, Texas (Big 12) and the national champions, Alabama (SEC).

I will admit, the BCS system usually puts the deserving at large teams into play. However, why does Boise State, Hawaii, or Utah finish undefeated and a one loss team gets to play for the championship while they just get invited to fill out the BCS bowls? Each of these teams has been pushed aside in this regard. In fact, Utah and Boise State played my two favorite BCS games of all time.

Utah completed a 12-0 season by "upsetting" Alabama 31-17 in 2009 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, while one loss Florida played one loss Oklahoma for the title.

Of course, no one can argue with the incredible thriller between Boise State and Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007. While one loss Florida made the national championship (even though they beat Ohio State), Boise State went to Arizona, where the world expected Oklahoma to win. Why? Well Oklahoma's a BCS team, a Big 12 team. What's the WAC? Who's Boise State. Oh, the beauty of the Statue of Liberty in overtime to give Boise State a 43-42, when they could have kicked a field goal after the touchdown and kept the game going. They gambled and silenced the critics.

Teams like Utah, TCU, and Boise State prove why people have been arguing for years the unfairness of the BCS. Many ideas have been thrown around. Everyone has something different. My idea is simple, it is smart, it is doable, it is logical, it is fair...

Sixteen teams. Four rounds. Single elimination. One legitimate national champion.

That is all it takes. Once the conference championship games are over, start the tournament a week or so later. Let the rest of the country play its smaller bowl games, as they are great revenue, but do away with the BCS and allow the sixteen best teams in the country a chance to play out for a national title.

Set it up like this, you have not six, but eight "major" conferences (think of them as the basketball major conferences. As the WAC and Mountain West produce the most non-BCS at larges, I see them as the other two conferences to add to the already six in the BCS.

Therefore, you have eight major conferences:

Big 12

Big Ten

Big East

ACC

SEC

Pac 10

WAC

Mountain West

I'm going to run through my idea using the teams from 2009 as my examples.

We have our champions (ordered same as above, ranking indicates seed):

#2 Texas (13-0)

#8 Ohio State (10-2)

#5 Cincinnati (12-0)

#6 Georgia Tech (11-2)

#1 Alabama (13-0)

#7 Oregon (10-2)

#3 Boise State (13-0)

#4 TCU (12-0)

There's our eight. Now, we need our top eight at large teams (sorted by AP Ranking, seeded as such):

#9 Florida

#10 Iowa

#11 Penn State

#12 Virginia Tech

#13 LSU

#14 Miami (FL)

#15 Brigham Young

#16 Oregon State

Now, the big currently BCS bowls will be very angry if they are folded. Since they are great revenue. Keep them, but make them also like Regional Finals. Take the teams and place them in Regionals, with the BCS bowls being the "Elite Eight of Football". For example:

Rose Bowl Regional:

#1 Alabama vs. #16 Oregon State

#5 Cincinnati vs. #12 Virginia Tech

Orange Bowl Regional:

#2 Texas vs. #15 BYU

#6 Georgia Tech vs. #11 Penn State

Sugar Bowl Regional:

#3 Boise State vs. #14 Miami (FL)

#7 Oregon vs. #10 Iowa

Fiesta Bowl Regional

#4 TCU vs. #13 LSU

#8 Ohio State vs. #9 Florida

Now, we have a fair seeding and tournament format. It's simple, every Saturday, or if they play in the middle of the week to avoid NFL Playoffs conflict, everybody plays their game for the round. The first round is the "Sweet Sixteen." The winners advance to the Elite Eight round bowl games. The bowl winners advance to the Final Four, to be played at two different venues to avoid damaged field conditions. The winners will play in the NCAA National Championship Game. A legitimate way of deciding the national champion. If the sixteen best teams have a legitimate chance in a winner take all tournament, what is there to complain about?

Let's just do an imaginary run through:

BOLD represents winners.

Rose Bowl Regional:

#1 Alabama vs. #16 Oregon State

#5 Cincinnati vs. #12 Virginia Tech

Final: #1 Alabama vs. #5 Cincinnati

Orange Bowl Regional:

#2 Texas vs. #15 BYU

#6 Georgia Tech vs. #11 Penn State

Final: #2 Texas vs. #11 Penn State

Sugar Bowl Regional:

#3 Boise State vs. #14 Miami (FL)

#7 Oregon vs. #10 Iowa

Final: #3 Boise State vs. #10 Iowa

Fiesta Bowl Regional

#4 TCU vs. #13 LSU

#8 Ohio State vs. #9 Florida

Final: #13 LSU vs. #9 Florida

Final Four:

#1 Alabama vs. #3 Boise State

#2 Texas vs. #9 Florida

National Championship

#1 Alabama vs. #9 Florida

Yes, Alabama still wins the national championship, but you give more of the elite teams a chance to play for the title. Florida was a contender all year until a loss in the SEC title game. You give Boise State a fair chance of winning it all. You give every team that hope. It is the same every year, we pretty much know who the teams are going to be because they are the two picked at the beginning and they're easy early schedules prevent problems and the computer sees they are "better" than everybody else.

A playoff system forces you to beat the best to be the best. I have heard many valid arguments, but a sixteen team playoff that keeps the bowls intact for revenue and tradition seems fair.

No matter what, college football, your fans beg you for change. OUT WITH THE BCS!