Loading ...College Football Playoff? Probably Not…
As another College Football Bowl Week kicks off, the talk about how college football needs a playoff system starts right along with it. This year, it isn’t as bad. All the teams that should be playing in BCS games are, but that doesn’t stop people from demanding College Football switch over to a playoff system – and I couldn’t disagree more. Now, let me start by saying that I would love nothing more than to see teams like Alabama and Florida play teams like TCU or Boise State, but a playoff is not the answer.
TCU played teams from a BCS conference this year (and lucked out by beating BYU, who beat Oklahoma in week 1) and they were rewarded with a BCS Bowl Game.
First, it ruins the tradition of the college football regular season. College football has the best regular season in all of sports because – unlike any other sport – every single game matters. No other sport can offer that. Sure some regular season games matter, but – demonstrated by last year’s NFL playoffs – teams can lose up to seven games and still have a shot to make the playoffs, or the Super Bowl…that doesn’t sound like every game matters to me. That’s what makes college football so exciting; every weekend there is a big game that a team – pursuing a National Championship – cannot afford to lose.
With that being said, let me move on to why the fans have every right to complain – but the teams don’t. First, win every game on the schedule. If a team has one loss, then that is the reason you will probably not play for a National Title. However, there are plenty of one-loss teams that have played, or been in contention to play, for a National Title over the years. Which brings me to next point…scheduling. If a team like Utah, or Boise State, has a problem with their Non-BCS conference schedule failing to provide them with a BCS Bowl bid, they should use their non-conference openings to schedule BCS opponents. Every team has up to four non-conference games they can schedule, so if I am a coach at Utah, I would try and schedule at least two of those four slots against BCS conference opponents (and decent ones too). That clearly paid off for TCU and Boise State this year – both played some BCS conference teams and now they are playing each other in a BCS bowl. Now if they want to compete for a chance to play in the National Championship, then they need to schedule some even tougher opponents in those slots (i.e. Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Florida).
The Crimson Tide's hard work finally paid off, as they won the toughest conference in College Football and will play Texas for a National Championship.
This doesn’t just go for non-BCS conference teams, but every college football team. I have always wondered why teams like Florida wouldn’t play teams like Texas in the regular season. The obvious reason would be they might lose, and then their season is done from Week 2 and on…but teams have done that and still been in contention for a National Championship (i.e. Ohio State vs. USC). That game is a non-conference game and possibly the best one in the entire season (next to Florida State vs. Florida…up until recently). Personally, I think that would make a college football season that much more exciting and would go a long way in somewhat fulfilling the public’s desire to see a college football playoff.
In closing, a college playoff will probably never happen (even though it would be fantastic to watch) for several reasons. The tradition of the college football regular season, the length of that same season (with playoff games added on top of that), and finally – and most importantly– the amount of money they make off the BCS system. Despite how exciting March Madness is, it does not make anywhere near the amount of money that a bowl system does. So unfortunately for the avid college football fan, no matter how many schools and fans complain, money will always outlast their grievances.
Congratulations to The Gaff on the birth of his new child. Maybe his son will one day be a great athlete at Audubon High like his dad.
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