BCS: Just a Few Reasons Why a Playoff in College Football Is Desperately Needed

A peculiar situation arose last night as I watched the Boise State Broncos take on the Nevada Wolfpack. Despite being a Colin Kaepernick/Vai Taua fan, I just had to root for Boise. I like to equate Boise State to the Butler Bulldogs in college hoops; charismatic coach, team oriented game, and lovable star player (Kellen Moore/Gordon Hayward anyone?!?!). Even though for the members of Nevada's senior class, their win was the first over Boise State in their career, the loss had much larger implications for the Broncos. The worst part about the loss was that it came despite what could've proven to be a Heisman moment, and the subsequent missed field goal(s) by the nation's active leading scorer Kyle Brotzman. Behind Kai Forbath of UCLA, I would select Brotzman for a clutch kick; now, he is synonymous with Nate Kaeding. Kellen Moore and the rest of the Boise State team did exactly what they needed to to get the win, but sadly the loss can be attributed to one player.

In the grand scheme of things, this is only one game. There are many college football fans that hate on Boise (and TCU) and say that they do not belong anywhere near the BCS National Championship Game. Although I love the "Cinderella Stories" that these two squads offer, the lack of a playoff in major college football is not only depriving them, but a handful of very worthy BCS conference teams. There are some major problems with the lack of playoffs in the FBS, and there is no good reason why a playoff should not be implemented. Obviously, I'm not the first person to question the legitimacy of the BCS, but I hope that these few arguments make it clear why the BCS must be gotten rid of in favor of a classic playoff.

I would say that college football's closest cousin is college basketball. They both offer a plethora of teams, six power conferences, and a few mid-majors that annually make noise. Now imagine for a minute that Boise State and Nevada were basketball teams on Friday night, playing for the conference championship. Boise State, led by point guard Kellen Moore and the athletic wing Titus Young, ranked fourth in the nation, are poised to take on the nineteenth ranked Nevada Wolfpack, led by do-it-all senior Colin Kaepernick. In basketball, the close overtime victory for Nevada would give them an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Boise State would see its ranking drop a few numbers, and lose the chance at a one-seed in the Big Dance. Bottom line is, it's not really a huge deal. Does this situation remind anyone of an annual occurrence in a small conference on the western side of the nation? Gonzaga and Saint Mary's?!?! Just last year, the unranked Saint Mary's Gaels with an impressive resumé played the fourteenth ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in the WCC Championship Game. Saint Mary's likely would've made the tournament with a close loss to the 'Zags, but ended up winning the game by nineteen points. So Gonzaga, instead of receiving a likely four-seed in the tournament, received an eight-seed and played the Florida State Seminoles of the mighty ACC in the first round; they ended up winning this game. To connect the two points, it's not like Boise State lost a game to a completely incompetent opponent; they played a ranked team. A close loss effectively ruined their entire season. Enter a playoff, and Kyle Brotzman is remembered only as the guy who cost them a chance at an undefeated season, something that easily would've been overshadowed by a potential national championship.

If these playoffs existed, and started today, the twenty-team tournament would look something like this:

REGION 1

(1) Oregon vs. (4) South Carolina/Texas A&M

(2) Michigan State vs. (3) Oklahoma

REGION 4

(1) Wisconsin vs. (4) Nebraska/Florida State

(2) Stanford vs. (3) Missouri

REGION 2

(1) Auburn vs. (4) Nevada/Oklahoma State

(2) Arkansas vs. (3) Virginia Tech

REGION 3

(1) TCU vs. (4) LSU/Alabama

(2) Ohio State vs. (3) Boise State

Take that all in for a few minutes. Looks enticing, right? Not only are college football players/coaches/fans deprived from this appetizing slate of games, they are deprived of knowing a true winner. Since at least 64 teams have competed in March Madness since 1985, only four of the top-ranked teams coming in to the tournament have actually prevailed as national champions. The BCS National Championship Game pits the top-two teams in the nation against each other. This is robbing everyone of the crowning of a true champion. Also, Cinderella teams in March captivate the nation; college football is missing out on this chance to gain the attention of many more fans due to the lack of playoffs and a scripted ending with only two possible outcomes.

When January rolls around each and every year, I tend to watch only one or two BCS bowl games, hardly ever including the championship game itself. Honestly, I'm not very intrigued by it and would usually rather watch the highlights. I would never be able to say the same thing about college basketball and March Madness. A true champion needs to be crowned, and the BCS is not necessarily accomplishing that.

So to end my reasoning with a bang, I would like to extend an invitation to the top twenty ranked teams in the nation at the end of the regular season to compete in a playoff at my local high school field. After all, who exactly is the BCS to crown a national championship? Let the teams play it out on the field, not in the polls! I'll call my tournament the ECS just for now, and hopefully soon enough these playoffs will be more than just a fantasy.