Gymnastics

Playoffs? You want to talk about playoffs? You kiddin’ me?

Josh Johnston
December 7, 2009

I’d like to propose a radical new idea concerning the Bowl Championship Series: There’s nothing wrong with it.

Go ahead and call me crazy. Shove the fact that there are five undefeated teams this year in my face. Call me a Boise State hater. But hear me out before you roll your eyes back over to the gymnastics article.

The BCS was created to ensure the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked college football teams in the country would play each other. And in its 11-year history, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked college football teams have played each other every year.

Sounds like success to me.

OK, sure. Just because a team is ranked No. 1 doesn’t mean it actually is the best team in the country. I understand all ranking systems are flawed. I don’t agree that Wendy’s cheeseburger is the best fast food burger in the country either, despite what Zagats says.

This probably puts me at odds with most of the country and President Obama, but I’m a Republican, so I’m used to that. But I think the current BCS system is better than a playoff system would be. And here’s why:

1. Would fans really turn out to see another month-plus of college football? Yeah, March Madness is great for college basketball, but that’s because there’s almost literally nothing else going on in March. The NHL and NBA are in midseason, the NFL is long done with its season and baseball hasn’t started yet.

A college football playoff would have to contend with the final stretch of the NFL season and the start of college basketball, not to mention the NBA and NHL. Personally, at this point in the year, I just want to watch two college titans slug it out.

2. Say what you want, but no one actually wants to watch Alabama play East Carolina. A first-round matchup in the playoffs would pit the No. 1 team in the nation against a college you’ve only heard of because your uncle went there. To me, that just sounds like a repeat of the first two weeks of the season.

3. What about all those 6-6, “just glad to be playing in a bowl” teams? No way those teams would make it to the playoffs. You could debate a .500 team doesn’t deserve a bowl bid (especially those coached by Charlie Weis), but admit it, you secretly like watching the Papajohns.com Bowl.

This season showed the BCS system has its flaws. True, the actual best two teams in the country might not be in the National Championship game (I’m looking at you, Texas). But we’re still seeing great matchups as a result of the BCS. And I’d rather watch one great matchup than an entire month of playoff football.

Contact assistant sports editor Josh Johnston at [email protected]