Thursday, August 9, 2007

College Football is almost upon us


Which of course means the discussion of a playoff system is about to come around once again, and this time I believe I have a solution. They key to this is trying to appease everyone under the sun. The folks who say they need to study, the people who want the playoffs, and the BCS system.

They key to this is winning your conference championship. You are not eligible unless you won your conference championship. Yes, I know this will piss off Big 12, Big 10 and SEC fans but hey, win your championship and you can't complain.

There are eight seeds in this playoff system, and the first round happens the next week after conference championship games. Now the Big East, ACC, Big 12, Big 10, SEC and Pac 10 all get a bid into this. There are six other conferences (of sorts) left. You put the WAC, Sun Belt and MAC in one slot with the MWC, Conference USA and Independents in another. Now the conference champion with the highest BCS ranking between those conferences are entered into the playoff system. The seeding is also based on the BCS system. So for example, this would have been last year's seeds.
1.Ohio St
2.USC
3.Florida
4.Notre Dame
5.Louisville
6.Boise St
7.Oklahoma
8.Wake Forest

You have the first round games directly after conference championships at the higher seeds home stadium. The semifinals you alternate every year between the current BCS Bowls. The final game, you have take place where they would like to have the plus one game, so a week after new years. That way those teams who didn't make it to the semis can still have a bowl game. Now the final game, I don't know if it should be a bowl game, or at the higher seeds home stadium. I know the initial reaction will be a bowl, but I think it would be exciting to have it in a team's home stadium at the same time. So last year's playoffs would have looked like so...
Ohio St vs Wake Forest
Boise St vs Florida
Louisville vs Notre Dame
Oklahoma vs USC

I like this set up, it gives the smaller teams a chance at the title and puts importance once again on the conference championship. I'm sorry, we don't need another non-conference champion (see Oklahoma or was it Nebraska?) in a National Championship game. Yes, Michigan, LSU, you wouldn't have been involved last year. Win your conference and you would have.

So, thoughts? Possible problems that could arise? Any suggestions?

3 comments:

Dews said...

I don't think I'll ever understand the BCS system (which is probably why it was designed in the first place), but a playoff for NCAA sports seems to make sense to me (March madness anyone?).

Do they just not do that now because of injury concerns?

Jack Gonzo, MD said...

They do it now not for injury, or even finals (as some would like to sell you) but because they make so much money in the bowl system.

SayHey Kid said...

Didnt someone come up with a new BCS ranking system a month ago?? Doesnt matter, as long as the league makes millions, the system will never change.