Why I Hate The BCS Even More Tonight

[mweb]

Sixteen of 120 teams (plus more coming in) is 7.5 percent. That's barely more than college basketball (around five percent of Division I schools make the playoffs) and well behind any professional sport.

Plus, again, the regular seasons only matter for the teams that have a chance. If the goal is to win a championship, then this entire season has been a waste for Houston, for example. A playoff would make the regular season matter for everyone.

Which is what a playoff does. Under essentially any suggested system, that chance is infinitely better than the BCS.

That would at least be a more honest attempt at a better system. If college football doesn't want to give those schools a chance, they should be given their own level.

True. But what about a team like Southern Mississippi? If they win out, they'll be 11-2 and have defeated Houston and won Conference USA. What do they get for that?

College basketball has a regular season that isn't tremendously relevant and college football can't exactly replicate March Madness.

Pro sports don't have a bunch of teams that are consistently inferior. The O's are one of the few.

I don't think Houston's goal at the beginning of the season was to win the national title and that would be the same even if there was a 16 team playoff. Most teams don't have a realistic goal of winning a national title, including those in the major conferences. Even in college basketball, which has a system you apparently really like, most teams don't really have a goal of winning the championship.

I don't get your response about what a playoff does as it pertains to me. I want a playoff, I just want a 6 team playoff of what are considered the best teams. I can live with 8. 16 is too many imo. Having N. Illinois and LA Tech in the playoff isn't a system that gives the best teams a chance imo.

Do you think those schools want their own level?

I couldn't care less about S. Mississippi getting a chance at the title if they win out and finish 11-2. What they get for doing that is a conference title and a bowl game, which I'm pretty sure those players, coaches, and the athletic department would be thrilled with.

[mweb]

I really do not understand the thinking that 8 is what we need when the difference between teams ranked 8 and 16 is a lot smaller than 2 and 3. There are usually a few teams that appear much better than the teams ranked from around 5 through 20. The difference in records with these teams is usually a combination of injuries, missed kicks and turnovers. I just don't see what is gained by not letting the top 24 teams in. I think the teams that have a real chance of winning a 24 team playoff would be very small, but what is the problem of actually making those power teams win 4 games to prove it on the field?

Well I said 6 is what I prefer. And I do think the difference between 6 and 16 is usually larger than 2 and 3.

The harm is a devaluing of the regular season.

[Dr. FLK]

Say ARK beats LSU and Bama beats Auburn. Then there is a top 3 all from the same division in the SEC, and they all have 1 loss.

If that happens, one of those teams makes the SEC Championship to play Georgia. If that team loses to Georgia, they will have 2 losses and most likely be eliminated from title contention. They will then have to watch the 2 teams below them in their own division fight it out for a national title - essentially being penalized for making the SEC Championship Game. Some system ya got there...

[Sanfran327]

Well I said 6 is what I prefer. And I do think the difference between 6 and 16 is usually larger than 2 and 3.

The harm is a devaluing of the regular season.

What's the advantage of six versus eight? The added drama of the at-large bids is part of the fun, and the reason why one conference can have two BCS representatives.

[Dr. FLK]

What's the advantage of six versus eight? The added drama of the at-large bids is part of the fun, and the reason why one conference can have two BCS representatives.

With 6, two top teams get a bye. So, there is some advantage given to those who end #1 and #2 in the BCS. It adds a little more value to dominance in the regular season.

[CrimsonTribe]

I thought that was a pretty awesome weekend of college football. I was on the edge of my seat both Friday and Saturday nights.

[Sports Guy]

So, I heard Brad Edwards on Mike and Mike this morning.

He said that even if LSU loses to Arkansas, that they will still probably be #2 in the BCS standings, with Bama being #1...and that LSU is still likely going to the SEC title game even with a loss to Ark because of how the tiebreakers work.

So, Arkansas can beat LSU and still be #3 in the BCS becajuse LSU is so far ahead in points.

It seems to me that the only thing stopping a rematch between LSU and Bama is Bama losing to Auburn or LSU losing to Ark AND GA.

[Pedro Cerrano]

So, I heard Brad Edwards on Mike and Mike this morning.

He said that even if LSU loses to Arkansas, that they will still probably be #2 in the BCS standings, with Bama being #1...and that LSU is still likely going to the SEC title game even with a loss to Ark because of how the tiebreakers work.

So, Arkansas can beat LSU and still be #3 in the BCS becajuse LSU is so far ahead in points.

It seems to me that the only thing stopping a rematch between LSU and Bama is Bama losing to Auburn or LSU losing to Ark AND GA.

That's not what I heard, I heard that in the event of a three-way tie where each team is 2-1 that the tie-breaker goes to whoever is ranked highest in the BCS, which would be Alabama in this scenario.

[CrimsonTribe]

That's not what I heard, I heard that in the event of a three-way tie where each team is 2-1 that the tie-breaker goes to whoever is ranked highest in the BCS, which would be Alabama in this scenario.

As I understand it, the tiebreaker is actually highest BCS ranking, unless the team you lost to is the next SEC team within 5 spots of you in the BCS rankings, in which case that team goes. So if Alabama is 1, LSU is 2, and Arkansas is 3, LSU still goes. If Alabama is 1, Arkansas is 2, and LSU is 3, then Alabama goes. If Arkansas is 1, Alabama is 2, and LSU is 3, then Alabama goes. If Arkansas is 1, LSU is 2, and Alabama is 3, then Arkansas goes.

This is all assuming that Arkansas beats LSU and Alabama beats Auburn.

[mweb]

What's the advantage of six versus eight? The added drama of the at-large bids is part of the fun, and the reason why one conference can have two BCS representatives.

What FLK said about the top two teams being rewarded with a bye. One BCS conference could still have multiple reps as well. I do not support a team making it from each conference.

[Dr. FLK]

What FLK said about the top two teams being rewarded with a bye. One BCS conference could still have multiple reps as well. I do not support a team making it from each conference.

With the current format, I don't mind someone from each conference making a "BCS Bowl", because we all know that only one of them matters. But, in a playoff system, I agree it should be the best teams regardless of conference. And 6 teams sounds about right. How often does a team outside of the top 6 really seem worthy of being in the championship discussion?

[Flosman]

With the current format, I don't mind someone from each conference making a "BCS Bowl", because we all know that only one of them matters. But, in a playoff system, I agree it should be the best teams regardless of conference. And 6 teams sounds about right. How often does a team outside of the top 6 really seem worthy of being in the championship discussion?

This ignores the fact that Traditional powerhouses don't want to play teams like Boise St. Hell they did not want to play FSU at one time. Big schools have very little to gain in taking a game against an up and comer.

Besides a six team playoff is about the worst place to cut a system off at. For example there is no real difference between any of the teams after you get past the first two this year until you get into the mid teens. Honestly if LSU is unbeaten after the SEC championship, they should still be the "Number 1" team if they lose the BCS game. That is what is stupid about this system. They will have eight wins against top 25 teams. In any system that there is not a playoff they should be the champion, any thing else actually make the regular season meaningless. Exactly what a real playoff system is accused of doing.

The truth is the BCS was a plan made to ensure the the SEC, Big 10, Big 12 maintained control over the money involved in the "Championship game". They could not risk teams like BYU or TCU or Boise St getting a seat at the table or the real disaster they might have a year when both seats ended up taken by the non-traditional contenders. I understand why they did it the path to an undefeated season is much harder in those conferences.

[Crazysilver03]

Well I said 6 is what I prefer. And I do think the difference between 6 and 16 is usually larger than 2 and 3.

The harm is a devaluing of the regular season.

Why 6 or 8? Is anything wrong the FCS having 20 teams in the playoff?

[Flosman]

I don't understand why people don't see how exciting it would be with ten or more teams on the bubble through the last half of the season. Michigan playing Ohio St for their playoff life. Baylor needing to beat TTech and Texas to stay in. Auburn needing to win in the iron bowl or their out. I don't understand the position that people have that a true playoff is bad, in any way. The top teams would still be fighting to win every game if you reseeded after the first and second round.

[The Rick]

I don't understand why people don't see how exciting it would be with ten or more teams on the bubble through the last half of the season. Michigan playing Ohio St for their playoff life. Baylor needing to beat TTech and Texas to stay in. Auburn needing to win in the iron bowl or their out. I don't understand the position that people have that a true playoff is bad, in any way. The top teams would still be fighting to win every game if you reseeded after the first and second round.

Because the "purists" (cough, SEC/USC/Big Ten) fans are too afraid of being beat by a better team they wouldn't have other wise played. They'd rather their fate be left to the equally "pure" (biased) pre-season voters who have as much to say as anyone about who ends up playing in the big game to end the year.

The BCS and College Football are one of the biggest shams ever.