BCS BS

As previously noted, Auburn jumped 3 other undefeated team to gain the #1 spot in the BCS.   Why did this happen?  We just don't know.  Nowhere is there any sort of objective or intelligible explanation of the racking & stacking of FBS teams in the almighty BCS rankings.  Now it has been reported that Oklahoma's Bob Stoops threw in the towel with 2 and half minutes left in the Sooners' 9 point loss to Mizzou.  He explained that the probability that pollsters would look more forgivingly on a margin of defeat in single digits rather than at 16 points far outweighed the possibility of a comeback victory.  That's just awful logic.  Even worse it's simply not good for the game to force a head coach to prognosticate the opinions of however many subjective individuals.  Wouldn't they give more credence to a 2 point loss than 9?  Guess what?  I don't know.  You don't know.  Bob Stoops doesn't know.  Most likely the voters themselves couldn't give a definite answer.  The entire situation is damnably frustrating.  That's the view of an OSU fan.  Imagine the perspective of a die-hard in Boise or Dallas (TCU) whose team has been leap-frogged by half the big 6 squads this season.

In addition, we have the deflated attitude of the Buckeyes' fair weather fans.  I don't know if it's similar for the faithful of Oklahoma, Alabama or, dare I say, Wisconsin, but I would imagine it's similar.  The mood on campus following the annihilation of Purdue last Saturday was, at best, subdued, if not apathetic.  The sequence of events that would propel the Bucks into the championship game is so unlikely as to not even be described.  More relevantly, they are very much outside of the team's control.  OSU is still playing for a Big10 championship and/or a Rose Bowl bid, but those honors are a far distant second in this day and age.  I'll go ahead and state this as clearly as I can:  the BCS is bad for college football!  I shan't bore you with how this crosses all lines between fans, players, universities and the almighty television dollars.  Rest assured, strong arguments can be made for all.

The solution, in my mind, is simple and, yes, it does involve a playoff.  8 teams, 3 rounds, mid-december, New Year's Day and the date of the current BCS Championship.  At this point in the season, making the top 8 is viable for any undefeated team, any 1-loss team from the big 6, and many 2-loss teams depending on circumstance.  Everybody who matters is still in it.  I understand this is a slippery slope with the possibility of massive displeasure from the #9 and #10 teams, accompanied by calls for field expansion.  The fact of the matter is that when push comes to shove all of the top 8 teams have the chops to be national champs, not just the top 2 or even the top 4.  Similarly, many of the 9-16 just aren't in the same class as the top 8.  I might even me convinced to only take 6 and reward the top 2 with byes.  For now, that's nitpicking.  I'm even open to initially utilizing the same BCS formula until it proves untenable.  There is no perfect system.  There will never be a true majority.  So, let's keep the dream alive for the Cinderellas, let's keep the excitement alive on top tier campuses and let's apply the model of the best post-season in any sport, at any level, to the marketability of FBS football.  And, please, let's do it soon.