You get a Bud Wilkinson…famous coach of Oklahoma, or you get Joe Paterno and famous coach of Penn State…and then you add a bunch of rich guys from little towns all across American, scattered around a big pot belly stove in the back of some Hardware store in Norman, Oklahoma……making decisions about who gets what, how much they get and most importantly who will play for the National Championship of College Football. The Bowl Championship Series! (Bud Wilkinson…died in 1994!) (Joe Paterno is still around – God Bless him!)
Have you ever tried to write a coach for any college football team? How about for any Pro Team? No, if you go to their websites …..these people are totally inaccessible to any fan across the nation or world. Of you can eventually find the address of the team and send a snail mail letter…or what about the BCS Organization? No, you can’t write them either. Why are they all so shy? Pro or College Football Teams cannot be reached by the “Joe Six-packs” of this society. Oh, you can bet online for the team of your choice, either Pro or College. You can write different Sports magazines about how bad you most unfavorite quarterback played during the season. You can call sports radio and rant and rant and rant…..but actually contact the school Sports Administrator….or Coach? Not lately!
The Bowl Championship System is based on a bunch of schools, both private and State institutions that agree each year…..on who will get how much and who will play and be rated high enough to compete for the Championship! Utilizing an array of “smoke and mirrors”….”sleight of hand”….and downright “misrepresentation”….the final eight teams are then chosen…based on the traditional big money Bowls at the end of the year. Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl or whatever get millions and millions of dollars. $18 Million per bowl….basically for the big qualifying schools. The BCS is self perpetuating and has little or no motivation to change anything. Why let some upstart little school that has a good team that year take the money away from a big school? Even though….that little team may in fact be better than any other!
So, let us cut to the chase. The top 4 teams need a play-off system, no matter who is chosen to fill those spots. Undefeated teams must be ranked above one loss teams…no matter what Conference they come from. The top four rated teams must play each other based on points scored in the regular season against opponents and points scored against them! The top rated team would play number 4, Number 2 would play number 3. The winner of each of those games would play each other for the National Championship.
The archaic present system can remain…..but the play-off issue needs resolution. With this system Hawaii or Boise State may be eliminated right off…..or if they survive….the opportunity to play for the National Title…is not diminished. The top four teams should be guaranteed the $18 million dollar Major Bowl Money or a portion there of. For example; Boise State plays University of Miami. Miami wins the qualifying match – they get $12 million and Boise gets $6 million dollars. The teams that do qualify for the title game the money must be split again with 2/3rds going to the winner and 1/3rd going to the loser. No matter how much that dollar amount is.
One last thought….Dancing with the Stars, American Idol and others utilize fan call in programs to determine the finalist for dancing or singing. Do the great minds that operate the BCS think they are smarter than “the people”? Or the Coaches poll? Or the Sports Casters? Or the AP Poll? Our suggestion is to have those guys around the pot belly stove…to take their feet down and for once listen to their own sons and daughters, the fans, the politicians or those that think their present system stinks!
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