BCS System - HA!

[Cy the Cyclone]

I know this has come up before but the BCS system, quite frankly, sucks. Given that this is the majority opinion of all college football fans, it surprises me that a lot of suggested solutions for putting together a playoff system suck just as badly. Therefore, I have taken a few moments to devise a workable playoff system that will determine an actual football champion based on play, not on computer models and moronic sports writers

 

There are 11 major conferences within NCAA D-1 football…and those losers who claim to be independents…I lumped them into one category for this…

 

ACC

Big-12

Big-10

Big East

Conference USA

Mountain West

Mid American

Pac-10

SEC

Sun Belt

WAC

Ind

 

The two top teams from each conference are picked to be in the playoffs. For conferences with division titles, the winner of the championship game plus the runner up would be chosen. For the other conferences the top two teams are selected according to conference records…for 2009, the playoff contenders would have been

 

ACC – 1) Georgia Tech 2) Clemson

Big 12 – 1) Texas 2) Nebraska

Big 10 – 1) Ohio State 2) Iowa

Big East – 1) Cincinnati 2) Pitt

USA – 1) East Carolina 2) Houston

Mid American – 1) Ohio 2) Central Michigan

Mountain West – 1) TCU 2) BYU

Pac 10 – 1) Oregon 2) Arizona

SEC – 1) Alabama 2) Florida

Sun Belt – 1) Troy 2) Middle Tennessee

WAC – 1) Boise State 2) Nevada

Ind – 1) Navy 2) Notre Dame

 

You then seed these teams using the entire conference’s strength of schedule…for instance, without looking I would rank the conferences thusly:

 

SEC

Big 12

Big 10

Pac 10

ACC

Big East

Mountain West

WAC

USA

Mid American

Sun Belt

Ind

 

(okay…I didn’t do my homework and see how the conferences actually ranked but you get the idea). The top teams in the conferences would be ranked seeded 1-12 with the #2 teams seeded 13-24 leaving the seeding list as

 

1) Alabama 13) Florida

2) Texas 14) Nebraska

3) Ohio State 15) Iowa

4) Oregon 16) Arizona

5) Georgia Tech 17) Clemson

6) Cincinnati 18) Pitt

7) TCU 19) BYU

8) Boise State 20) Nevada

9) East Carolina 21) Houston

10) Ohio 22) Central Michigan

11) Troy 23) Middle Tennessee

12) Navy 24) Notre Dame

 

So December 12th 1st round match-ups would come out this way

 

Alabama – Notre Dame

Texas – Middle Tennessee

Ohio State – Central Michigan

Oregon – Houston

Georgia Tech – Nevada

Cincinnati – BYU

TCU – Pitt

Boise State – Clemson

East Carolina – Arizona

Ohio – Iowa

Troy – Nebraska

Navy – Florida

 

Lets say the winners came out to be:

 

#1 Alabama

#2 Texas

#3 Ohio State

#4 Oregon

#20 Nevada

#21 BYU

#7 TCU

#8 Boise State

#16 Arizona

#15 Iowa

#14 Nebraska

#13 Florida

 

The top remaining seed would play the bottom remaining seed and so on, making the December 19th playoff rounds:

 

Alabama – BYU

Texas – Nevada

Ohio State – Arizona

Oregon – Iowa

TCU – Nebraska

Boise State – Florida

 

The December 26th (or whenever) games would feature (in this example)

 

Alabama – Nebraska

Texas – Florida

Ohio State – Oregon

 

Leaving (in this example) Nebraska, Florida and Ohio State. Because they are the top seeded team remaining, Ohio State gets a bye week while Nebraska takes on Florida on January 2, 2010

 

The Championship game for all of college football takes place between Nebraska and Ohio State on January 9th and Nebraska is crowned the football champions of 2009 after crushing Ohio State 2-0 on a Suh safety.

 

For all the traditionalists out there who demand that they continue to have bowl games, there are plenty of good teams available who were eliminated in earlier rounds. Keep 11 bowls and take the 22 losers and divide them up amongst yourselves and have a ball…

 

That…my friends…is how a playoff system should be organized.

[kansas husker]

I wasn't eveb going to read this until I saw it was a cy post. Seems like a decent system

[WVhuskerXX]

Anything is better than the BCS....well thought out Cy..great stuff

[Cy the Cyclone]

Actually the first system I came up with...the one where Iowa State is declared National Champion automatically by order of God met with some disbelief from the Agnostics and Atheists so I had to revise it a little bit...

[oNe]

I wasn't eveb going to read this until I saw it was a cy post. Seems like a decent system

 

 

Exactly what I thought.

[HuskerinHouston]

 

I guess why have a conference championship game in your scenario? Other than ticket sells why bother, very little will really depend on the outcome (I know a higher seed is the outcome) but to the casual fan (not me) this is not going to draw in the TV audience. I would watch cause hey it is football , what else is on besides reruns of Star Trek?

 

This is really my only issues with the system. We have to face reality, the BCS is here to stay until at least 2013season.

 

Which means after the 2010 season I will be rethinking my Fiesta Bowl season ticket package, unless something gets worked out to where they get to host the national championship of college football (whatever they want to call it after the 2013 season)

 

I like the post!

[sd'sker]

Yeah, I like your system, but I think it could be simpler. The top 8 teams should have a first round bye, and automatic bids should only be given to conference champions, then the rest would be at large. (as for conference championships, they would be irrelevant; but they should be an everyone or no one proposition). Finally, all the bowls should remain in tact for the teams who did not make the playoffs. So there would still be 10-15 bowls for the remaining teams (do not worry all you Meinke Car Bowl lovers, it will survive).

 

But I would just ask for an 8 team playoff (at least 8 teams, but no more than 16, I think 8 is the perfect number because 6-7 and up really do not have a chance of winning it, but the top 5 generally do) of the top eight teams, and then everyone else play in your respective bowls. The playoffs could be the BCS bowls, plus the cotton and another (or whatever would be needed to facilitate this system).

[holvy83]

Actually the first system I came up with...the one where Iowa State is declared National Champion automatically by order of God met with some disbelief from the Agnostics and Atheists so I had to revise it a little bit...

 

...and if Pioneer seeds sponsored the Nat'l Champ trophy

[Back In Black]

what about this

 

the top 12 teams in the rankings make the first 12 spots...

 

so

 

#1 Alabama

 

#2 Texas

 

etc

 

 

then an 8 team playoff before this to determinethe next 4 spots

 

then we have a 16 team playoff

 

 

that means 20 teams had a chance to win the NC

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Good idea Cy. Unfortunately, it'll never work. The BCS doesn't like good ideas

[whateveritis1224]

If there is ever going to be a playoff, it needs to keep at least some of the bowl system alive.

 

I think probably the best thing could be a plus 1 system where if you have more than 2 teams that are undefeated at the end of the BCS bowls that those teams play one more game to decide the winner.

 

How many times has a team with a legitimate shot at winning the NC not played in the game? All I can think of is the '04 Auburn team that went undefeated. Now there have been teams that have gotten into the championship game under unreasonable circumstances ('01 Nebraska), but usually the teams that actually deserved to win did win.

 

While the BCS isn't the best possible system, they generally get things right and get the right teams into the championship game. Now they just need to figure out how to get everyone a chance at the pie, which probably won't happen until the poll voters start to vote the mid-majors high in the early polls. I very much want Boise to run the table next year, because if they do and they don't get into the championship game, then things will not stay the same because the only possible explanation would be that they play in weak conference. But that doesn't really ride well seeing how they've done in previous BCS games.

 

Having the Rose Bowl have a requirement to take a non-AQ team if either the Big-10 or Pac-10 send a representative to the NC game is a step up, now they have to do that with every BCS bowl.

[HuskerBob4]

My thought on the whole thing is the NCAA should put a moratorium on TV contracts as the current ones expire and begin to "standardize" college football.

 

For example, take the 120 current FBS teams and put them into 10 12-team conferences. Have each conference play 8 conference games and a CCG and then have 4 non-conference games. The 10 conference champs and 6 "at-large" teams will each get into the tourney. Put an emphasis on non-conference strenght of schedule/victories and watch the big schools line up to play each other!!!

 

The bowl system will continue and thrive. There are currently 34 bowl games. 15 bowl games will be used in the tourney and you could set up 24 or so bowl games. 3 a day for 8 days and you have "Capital One Bowl Week" with those games played before the first weekend of the tourney.

 

The money could be divided evenly for the first round games, and then conferences and schools advancing would receive the bulk of funds going forward.

 

Imagine Round 1 Matchups like...

 

#1 SEC Champ - Alabama vs. #16 At-Large - Wisconsin

#2 Big XII Champ - Texas vs. #15 At-Large - Pittsburgh

#3 At-Large - Florida vs. #14 At-Large - Nebraska

#4 WAC Champ - Boise St vs. #13 ACC Champ - Georgia Tech

#5 Big 10 Champ - Ohio St vs. #12 At-Large - BYU

#6 MWC Champ - TCU vs. #11 At-Large - Oregon

#7 At-Large - Iowa vs. #10 At-Large - Va Tech

#8 At-Large - Penn St. vs. #9 Big East Champ - Cincinnati

 

Assuming my picks are correct, here is Quarter Finals...

 

#1 Alabama vs. #8 Penn St. - Sugar Bowl

#2 Texas vs. #7 Iowa - Cotton Bowl

#14 Nebraska vs. #11 Oregon - Holiday Bowl

#4 Boise St. vs. #5 Ohio St. - Alamo Bowl

 

Then come the Semi-Finals...

 

#1 Alabama vs. #5 Ohio St. - Orange Bowl

#2 Texas vs. #14 Nebraska - Fiesta Bowl

 

NATIONAL TITLE GAME....

#1 Alabama vs. #14 Nebraska - Rose Bowl

 

Bowl Tie-ins would be biggest bowl, closest to higher seed...or schools with tie-ins (ie Big XII - Fiesta)

[mitch7]

Actually the first system I came up with...the one where Iowa State is declared National Champion automatically by order of God met with some disbelief from the Agnostics and Atheists so I had to revise it a little bit...

Now I know why people like you so much on this board.

[Back In Black]

they will never havea playoff with the bowl games as the name of the game. for one teams would pile up on these "bowl wins" and it just wouldnt seem right. in like 10 years Bama could have 100 rose bowl wins. what you could do is have a 16 or 32 team playoff then a NIT bracket.

[killer cacti]

Cy, I like your system minus one little thing.

 

Notre Dame only has to be above Army or Navy, to get a pass to the playoffs. I f****** hate Notre Dame, they get enough free passes as it is.