BCS 2008: A Simple Game of What Ifs Turns Complicated

We've all got questions for the BCS. Even the kid in the photo is tired from staying up all night with the hopes that his future alma mater will play for the National Championship. But the next four weeks will be crucial for everyone in the country.

Who would have thought that a simple game of "What if..." would become so complicated in such a short period of time?

What If...Texas Tech beats Oklahoma this weekend?

If the Red Raiders defeat the Sooners tomorrow, this means that the talk about three way ties and Longhorns in the BCS Championship will officially cease. The Raiders will win the Big XII South outright, and if they can beat Missouri, they will win the Big XII Championship and a berth into the BCS Championship.

What If...Michigan State upsets Penn State?

The Spartans win the Big Ten Championship with a victory over the Nittany Lions and an Ohio State loss to Michigan (like that's going to happen). Michigan State is slightly underrated this season, but people seem to realize just how good they are. But are they good enough to beat Penn State in Happy Valley? Some would say no...but anything can happen on College Football Weekend.

What If...Tech, Oklahoma and Texas all finish with one loss?

This is where the Big XII gets complicated. They're saying that they will go with who is ranked higher, but doesn't Tech deserve to be higher than Texas? Since Oklahoma beat Tech, do they deserve to rank higher than Texas? Complicated, ain't it? Here's the simple solution. #3 Texas Tech, #4 Oklahoma & #5 Texas. How complicated can a computer make it?

What If...Florida beats Alabama for the SEC Championship?

If Florida finishes the season with the one loss, they'll most likely move up to #2, therefore setting up a #1 Alabama vs. #2 Florida matchup for the SEC Championship in Atlanta. If Florida wins, they'll have no choice but to place them in the BCS Championship Game in Miami. But the Gators aren't thinking about Alabama at the moment...they're thinking about Florida State in Tallahassee next weekend.

What If...Oregon State wins the Pac-10 Championship?

Yes, it's possible for the Trojans to win the Pac-10 Championship. But it's also possible for the Beavers to win it as well. If in the event that both teams lose one more conference game, USC wins the conference. But if they finish tied atop the Pac-10 at season's end, guess who wins it? Oregon State wins the Pac-10 Conference, and USC's slim hopes of a BCS Championship berth go up in smoke completely.

What If...the current #1 and #2 remain undefeated and win their conferences?

Then all this talk would be for nothing. Texas would most likely play Florida in a BCS game. Oklahoma would have a rematch with Boise State. And the remaining conference champions? Well...that's not important in this part of the conversation. But the BCS Championship Game will have an undisputed #1 and #2 team in Alabama and Texas Tech. But Tech losing to three to Alabama as one fan believes? That's not going to happen.

What If...there was a playoff system in place?

The current system has been flawed since its arrival. No one is expecting perfection, but we are getting pretty sick of the mountain of controversy that seems to be surrounding it year after year. If there was a playoff system in place, the four best teams (record wise) in the Big XII (Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Texas & Missouri) would get a fair shot at the BCS Championship. But it brings more of a catastrophe than a solution this season. You got conference champions, better records and record against Top 25, Top 10 & Top 5 teams.

There are too many teams to make a playoff system now...unless you're thinking the Top 20 teams or Top 12 teams. But even then, there would be someone who would have a problem with this.

So...what if everything happens the way we expect it to happen?

Two simple answers: Grab a beer, some burgers & some alka seltzer to watch the game and if it didn't work out for you this year...sorry about your damn luck!

But that's just my opinion.