A Better BCS

by Brad
(Sherwood, OR)

The system and the contracts are in place. Why can't the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) accept the fact that a college football playoff is inevitable and why can't college football fans accept that the BCS is the vehicle.

Realistically, there are only minor changes to the BCS that would allow the system to have a true playoff. For crying out loud, the system is called the Bowl Championship SERIES!!!!!

Step 1 = Embrace the BCS. It has the conference-bowl affiliations in place, the TV contracts, etc. It's the perfect vehicle for the playoff without disturbing the tradition and the other 30 some-odd bowl games.

Step 2 = Plus One

In other words, add another game after all the normal BCS bowls are played. AKA, National Championship Game. The biggest issue here is do you maintain BCS participation to 10 teams, or do you cut it back to 8? Answer: Keep it at 10 and....

Step 3 - Add the Cotton Bowl. This way, you can still have 5 BCS bowl games on New Year's Day (or thereabouts).

Step 4 - Make sure #1 and #2 don't play each other in the first series of BCS Bowl games (unless perhaps they're the Big Ten and PAC 10 champs???)

This is what the true Bowl Championship Series could have looked like in '07-'08

Rose Bowl: Ohio State v. USC
Sugar Bowl: LSU v. Hawaii
Orange Bowl: Georgia v. Virginia Tech
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma v. W. Virginia
Cotton Bowl: Missouri (not Kansas) v. Arizona State (not Illinois)

Then, have another poll and another round of computers....OR...a selection committee pick the teams to play in the championship

Step 5 - Add a Semi-Final Round (aka, "Plus-three")

After the 2010 season, when everyone realizes that it is too tough to decide who should play in national title game, even after the first series of BCS bowls....add another series of BCS bowls. Selection committee picks four BCS bowl winners to participate. Semi-Final bowls can be held at existing bowl sites a week after the first round. It could even be a double-header at the same bowl site (same day or consecutive nights)...talk about blowing March Madness out of the water....

Step 6 - Add a "Play-in Round" in December. After the 2011 season, the organizers will realize that one of the 5 first round BCS winners will be left out. So, add a play-in round in either Early December or right around Christmas (to avoid final exams).

The 6 BCS conference champions get an automatic berth into the first series of BCS bowl games. The 4 at-large participants must earn there way into a BCS bowl game.

Play-in round played at the HOME FIELD (talk about revenue!!!) of the higher ranked at-large team. Winners move on to the Fiesta, Sugar, or Orange Bowl avoiding same conference match-ups, obviously(Big East takes the third spot, automatically...ie, no "play-in"). The Play-in losers meet at the Cotton Bowl....a consolation prize...ie, the Cotton Bowl participants can play on New Year's as part of the Bowl Championship Series, but are ineligible to play in the Semi-Final Round.

So, by the 2012 season, here's what it could look like (based on 2007 results):

Rose Bowl: Ohio St. v. USC
Sugar Bowl: LSU v. at large
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech v. at large
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma v. at large
Cotton Bowl: TBD

PlayIn Round
Hawaii at Georgia...winner = Georgia
Arizona State at Missouri....winner = Missouri
(W.Virginia auto at-large)

So, you get the same outcome as in step 4 above, except Missouri plays LSU, not Hawaii....

Rose Bowl: Ohio State v. USC
Sugar Bowl: LSU v. Missouri
Orange Bowl: Georgia v. Virginia Tech
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma v. W. Virginia
Cotton Bowl: Hawaii v. Arizona State

Semi-Finals Round at Pasadena (or wherever)
(likely match-ups)

Game 1: OSU/USC v. Georgia
Game 2: LSU v. W. Virginia

National Championship Game = Actual winners on the field

Result = AMAZING



Brad Smith
www.PigskinPlayoff.com