BCS Mess

Well, I'm glad to see the BCS is slowly coming around to see what most of the fans of football have railed about for the last couple years--it isn't adequate. Recently the BCS announced that it is opening up its automatic bids to all conferences. It is also moving to a plus one format, although it refuses to call it so.

Am I happy? Not really. I think again we see the big money talking. I am a playoff supporter through and through. Does college have to mimic the NFL? No! I don't want it to. That's what makes college so special--the amateurism, rivalries, and bowls. However, it seems that every year the top 8 teams, sometimes 12, separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Is there a clear cut winner? Not always. I would have loved to see Auburn and Utah play each other for a shot at USC last year. It didn't happen.

However, we saw basically 8 teams separated. That's the BCS. Now that it's expanded to 10 teams things don't work as well. But give the top 8 teams in the country a 7 bowl system. All the rest of the bowls can play as scheduled, the winner of the MWC against the Pac-10, whatever. Have four bowls on Christmas play the top 8. The remaining four play on Jan 1-4. The final two play the week after that. In such a format, you keep the tradition of bowl games between conferences. You keep the money. You get a playoff out of the teams that matter.

With the addition of the Poinsetta bowl in San Diego, we know that the NCAA is not adverse to more bowl games. This arrangement can only help sort out the mess.