Could There Be a Better Solution Than College Football Playoffs?

First of all, let’s be honest with ourselves. Whether college football needs a playoff or not, WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET ONE!

I know, I know. It hurts, but it’s the truth. There is absolutely no reason to believe that the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) university presidents and athletic directors will ever approve any sort of playoff system. This much was made clear at this past May’s meeting of BCS power brokers (see here).

But don’t fret, college football fans: there is an alternative.

Instead of fighting for a playoff, we should be fighting for more regular-season games like Ohio State vs. USC. Many have spent a great deal of time and energy advocating for a complete overhaul of the FBS postseason, but we haven’t even perfected the regular season yet. Instead of fighting for a playoff, let’s fight for a standardized regular season schedule. The rule could be very simple.

For a BCS conference team (including Notre Dame) to qualify for any BCS bowl, including the national championship game, they must play at least 10 BCS conference schools during the regular season. 

It’s simple. It’s practical. It’s a no-brainer.

Presently, after a quick survey of college football, you can see major scheduling discrepancies.

For example, USC plays a whopping 12 BCS conference teams this year (nine conference games, Virginia, Ohio State, and Notre Dame). Meanwhile LSU, last year’s BCS champion, plays only eight conference games. That’s shameful.

And don’t give me that "The SEC is so strong...blah blah blah." If the conference is so strong, leave the South and prove it (kudos to Georgia, Arkansas, Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee for doing just that).

There are several reasons why a standardized schedule would be good for college football:

1. Strong non-conference games separate contenders from pretenders

Thank goodness for Alabama-Clemson this year! If it weren’t for that game, we may have had to ride the Clemson bandwagon well into November.

And for all those who are skeptical of Ohio State and Georgia, just wait until after their road trips out West (USC on Sept. 13 for Ohio State, Arizona State on Sept. 20 for Georgia) before you pass judgment. After those games, we won’t have to "speculate" because we’ll know for sure.

2. Strong non-conference games establish the conference pecking order before the bowl season

Speaking of Clemson and the ACC, the out-of-conference (OOC) schedule helps to evaluate the relative strength of each conference. Adding more BCS vs. BCS games would only make it easier to evaluate teams at the end of the season.

Last year, Virginia Tech had only two losses and was highly ranked in the BCS computers. However, voters were able to properly judge its strength based on its shellacking at the hands of LSU (also a two-loss team). LSU went on to win the title while Virginia Tech lost to Kansas, the third-best team in the Big 12.

3. A stronger non-conference slate would make the best regular season in sports even better

A playoff system would certainly diminish the regular season, particularly the end of season rivalry games. Last year, if there were an eight-team playoff, Pitt beating West Virginia wouldn’t have mattered on the national scale. However, our current system makes rivalry games even more intense. Instead of adding a playoff, let’s just make the regular season tougher.

Now, some may be wondering, "How many BCS vs. BCS games would this rule add?"

Great question. According to ESPN's Thomas Neumann, only 13 BCS schools (out of 61) have played 50 percent or more of their non-conference games against other BCS schools since 1998.

Most leagues schedule eight conference games (Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12), so playing fewer than 50 percent OOC games against BCS competition corresponds to less than two BCS teams per year. Therefore, there’s certainly room for improvement.

So, college football fans, this year let’s start working on the games that already exist before we try to add new ones. Who knows, maybe this is a battle we can win.