Bowl boycott

It's not so much that the BCS game isn't the two best teams in the land this year. It most likely is a match of the two best. What is wrong is that they appear to be SOOOOO much better than the rest of the field of teams. You watch the speed and power on both the LSU team and the Alabama team and you can think only one thought............ How many rules did they break to create these rosters full of supermen?

 
I'll be boycotting the championship game, which won't be hard because I have no interest in watching them play again.

 
You realize a playoff that doesn't include an absurd number of teams will still hear the same arguments and politicking from the teams on the fringe every year? (and adds the argument about single elimination tourneys sucking and bad games) It's in teams like OSU's interest to complain about the system, now, but if they'd have beaten ISU they wouldn't have to cry about the BCS. It's in ESPN's interest to cry about the system, they'd get more games to televise. It wouldn't it solve the rematch scenario, in fact it'd be more common as LSU and Bama surely would have been on opposite ends of that bracket. It won't give more legitimacy to the national champion either as teams that didn't get the at large bids would be arguing about that, still. The argument last week from ESPN seemed to be "if we had a playoff instead of only two teams being alive, we'd have 30 on the final weekend." Which is idiotic. That completely devalues the fact that you have to bring it each and every week in college football during the regular season to control your own destiny. There'd be some bad teams getting a shot at a playoff. How is one 9-3 team more deserving then another 9-3 team? same problem we have now. It doesn't solve anything, just makes the season mean less.

OSU had their shot, they played awful at Ames. They didn't do that they'd be in the game (see like a playoff during the regular season)... They'd also be the argument LSU would use to try and stake a "best team ever" claim because of the absolute freaking woodshed beating they'd lay on the pokes. OSU has nothing to whine about. They put themselves in the position they are in. They lost late to ISU.

tl;dr: No CFB playoff. Go watch the NFL. If the BCS goes away I hope it is back to the old bowl system.

 
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"OSU had their shot, they played awful in Ames. They didn't do that they'd be in the game....."

If you had someone you knew who died in a plane crash traveling for a university( who had a previous plane crash 10 years before which killed numerous members of the athletic staff) and you knew the next afternoon you would get on a plane (chartered or owned by that same university)headed for Iowa, do you think you would sleep well? How many hours of sleep do you think those kids got that night? The first half of that game they were running on memory and guts. The second half they ran out of gas and fear took over. Many people said that game should not have been played that weekend. Had it been postponed till after the Oklahoma game, do you think Iowa State would have won the game?

People keep saying OSU lost their chance. I say if that game is played any other weekend either before or after , the circumstances would have been different.

 
TonyStalloni said:
"OSU had their shot, they played awful in Ames. They didn't do that they'd be in the game....."

If you had someone you knew who died in a plane crash traveling for a university( who had a previous plane crash 10 years before which killed numerous members of the athletic staff) and you knew the next afternoon you would get on a plane (chartered or owned by that same university)headed for Iowa, do you think you would sleep well? How many hours of sleep do you think those kids got that night? The first half of that game they were running on memory and guts. The second half they ran out of gas and fear took over. Many people said that game should not have been played that weekend. Had it been postponed till after the Oklahoma game, do you think Iowa State would have won the game?

People keep saying OSU lost their chance. I say if that game is played any other weekend either before or after , the circumstances would have been different.
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I'm sorry but no. First of all were I a player on OSU's squad the first plane crash was when I was 12, 6 years or more before I ever set foot on campus. Does that affect me in any way? no, if someone mentions it they'd get the standard "that was tragic" response but I wouldn't have known any of those people, and likely would have had nearly 0 interaction with a current women's basketball coach. Death of close family members and friends affects people deeply. Death of colleagues makes people maybe ponder their own mortality a bit, but I don't buy the "they were devastated and to top it all off had to FLY the next day" horsecrap excuse for laying an egg at Iowa State. To try and use someone's death as an excuse for a football loss when it wasn't a member of the team is ridiculous.

You realize earlier in the season one of the OSU assistant coaches lost their wives (I'm pretty sure it was the night before or of the Tulsa game) and that assistant wasn't there. A game that was delayed till after midnight due to weather. What did they do to Tulsa? Think they were puddle jumping 100 people to Ames? It's a bullcrap excuse and frankly the Coach (and the others) that died deserve better then people trying to blame an unrelated Football loss on their deaths to cry about the "unfair" BCS.

 
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Funny that this whole playoff vs. no playoff thing has become a lot like politics and religion. People are pretty set in their ways and there is no right or wrong to either way...just a person's opinion. That said...

I don't think a playoff is better or worse than what we currently have. I think both have potential problems, but I just prefer not to have a playoff because I like having more emphasis on the regular season. At the end of it all, I only really care about national championships so none of those other bowls means squat.

First of all, you can't compare college football to any other sports because there is not the structure of equal divisions (like the NFL) and you can't have enough games to include every scenario (like they keep trying to do by adding games to the NCAA Tourney). Way too many teams and too many variables to ever get enough structure around it. And football can't be played frequently enough (need about a week between games) to not have a human element...the voters. So that will have to be a factor no matter what. The question then becomes...to what degree do you want how much "human element" vs. "decided on the field element"?

Flaws with multi-team playoffs: No matter what number of teams you use, there will always be potential for teams on the outside to cry foul and that they should have been included. We currently have a 2 team playoff and Okie Lite is crying foul. Stanford, Boise State and Houston could all also claim the same thing. Each only lost one game. Let's say we have an 8 team playoff. That would include everyone through # 8 Kansas State who has a record of 10-2. But wait a minute!! Why isn't South Carolina included? They also finished 10-2 and they play in the SEC...the best conference on earth. It needs to be extended to include more teams!! And so on...and so on...and so on. This is a never ending cycle and it is a fact that the more you extend the playoff to include more teams, the less emphasis you have on the regular season...period, end of story.

Flaws with plus one (4 team playoff): Much like the above, there will always be potential for teams on the outside to cry foul and that they should have been included. This year, at this particular time, a plus one seems like it would solve everything. We would have LSU, Alabama, Okie Lite and Stanford included. Each of them has 0-1 losses and the next team in line, Oregon, has 2 losses so they shouldn't be included. Works right? Solves everything. But wait a minute!! We don't have to look further back than last year to find that this isn't going to work every time. Last year's 4 teams would have been Auburn, Oregon, TCU and Stanford. Each had 0-1 losses. But left out of the equation would have been 1 loss Wisconsin and Ohio State. Wisconsin went on to beat TCU on the field so how can you say they shouldn't have been included? And so on...and so on...and so on.

For the most part, the current system works. Most years (including this year) the best 2 teams play for all the marbles. And most years there aren't any teams left out that should have a chance. If we had a playoff of any number of teams, there are almost infinite scenarios that have a flaw if any team other than a no loss team is to win out...doesn't matter if there is a 2 team playoff or a 20 team playoff.

So for me, I want as much emphasis on the regular season as possible. That is one of the greatest things about college football which differentiates it from all other sports. I love having every game matter. You drop 1 game and you are most likely out. You drop 2 games and you are done. It makes the season the playoff as it is right now. No other sport can claim that!! And no matter how you slice it, the more teams you add to a playoff, the less emphasis you have on the regular season.

No playoffs...ever!!!

 
You make a lot of great points Landomatic, but I would still like to see some type of play-off system. Right now, a theoretical argument can be made for Okie State to play in the title game, and it will always remain a theoretical argument, because votes from some agenda driven coaches determine who will play in the title game, and because of those votes, Okie State is out of the equation. Some type of four or eight team play-off system, though probably not perfect, would solve the issue where it would belong.....on the field, rather than a ballot box.

As far as boycotting the 'Bama-LSU game, fans can do what they wish......I just want to see the Huskers in our bowl game......the rest I'll watch with passing interest.

 
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Emphasis on the regular season? Where and how? LSU already beat Alabama. Where's the emphasis on the regular season? In order for someone to rationally say the current system works, then why has there been two NC's crowned in the same season? I could see it happening again this year. Let's assume Bama beats LSU in a squeaker while Okie State completely blasts their opponent. I think it's reasonable considering how close they were in the final standings that we again have two NC's crowned. Two losses also do not keep you out of the NC game. Just ask Les Miles about his first NC when they lost twice to teams that finished the season unranked.

Anyone against a playoff should be all for crowning LSU the NC and not even playing the bowl game. They're the only undefeated team. Those who don't believe that it matters when you lose rather than who you lose to should be up in arms if LSU loses the bowl game and doesn't at least get a share of the NC. This year, the BCS got the right two teams in the championship game. However, it failed miserably after that. Virginia Tech has absolutely zero right to be playing in a BCS bowl. Michigan has absolutely zero right playing in a BCS bowl. If we don't have a playoff, fine. However, teams shouldn't be disqualified from the BCS bowls because of conference alignment. Do away with conference alignment. West Virginia should not be in a BCS bowl. Take the top 10 ranked teams and put them 1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4, 5 vs. 6, and so forth.

 
Landomatic said:
Flaws with plus one (4 team playoff): Much like the above, there will always be potential for teams on the outside to cry foul and that they should have been included. This year, at this particular time, a plus one seems like it would solve everything. We would have LSU, Alabama, Okie Lite and Stanford included. Each of them has 0-1 losses and the next team in line, Oregon, has 2 losses so they shouldn't be included. Works right? Solves everything. But wait a minute!! We don't have to look further back than last year to find that this isn't going to work every time. Last year's 4 teams would have been Auburn, Oregon, TCU and Stanford. Each had 0-1 losses. But left out of the equation would have been 1 loss Wisconsin and Ohio State. Wisconsin went on to beat TCU on the field so how can you say they shouldn't have been included? And so on...and so on...and so on.
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Even this year with your example there's room for argument. Should Stanford be included simply because they are fourth when they didn't win their conference/division? Four teams seems like too small of a tourney when we currently have five conferences putting teams with good records (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, PAC 12, SEC). Someone is going to get left out if it's only four teams. I'd be more in favor of an eight team tourney with the five conference champs getting automatic bids and fill out the field with the three highest ranked teams that are not automatic qualifiers.

For this season it would be LSU, Okie St., Oregon, Clemson, and Wisconsin with the automatic bids and then Alabama, Stanford, and Arkansas fill out the field. Boise is probably the only team left out but it's not like a team they beat is getting included.

In 2010 is would have been Auburn, Oregon, Oklahoma, VT, and Wisconsin with the automatic bids and then TCU, Stanford, and Ohio State to fill out the field.

 
For some reason it irritates me when people bring up the "but if it's 4 teams the 5th team will complain" argument. Partially because it's brought up all the time.

It's not NEAR as big of a deal as that 3rd ranked team not getting a chance. The 5th ranked team not getting into a playoff is barely a comparable situation, imo. You can be pretty certain with a 4 team playoff that at least the top 2 or 3 teams who've had the best seasons are getting a chance and that's what's most important. Even when people bring up an 8 team playoff, people still bring up how it's unfair to the 9th team. Any playoff is better than none, imo. Four teams seems like it would be the best because the BCS could keep their name and their bowls. They could have a rotation like they do now. Each year one bowl would get the best game that isn't part of the playoff, then rotate. All other bowls could still exist. The only problem here is the Rose Bowl tradition.

The one reason I like not having a playoff is because every game counts. If we have a 4 team playoff, I think it will still feel like every game counts.

 
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Everyone keeps saying that with a play off someone will still be upset, well that's how it goes, but if every conference champ got an automatic bid then it puts an emphasis back where it should be--the regular season. Then add 4 more schools so those in super tough conferences still get included if they are ranked high enough, but still don't have an automatic bid. 16 teams, no more than 2 from each conference and there you have it.

 
I'm staging my own private boycott. During the Tostitos Fiesta bowl I am going to eat Utz potato chips instead.

 
Whistlebritches said:
Landomatic said:
Flaws with plus one (4 team playoff): Much like the above, there will always be potential for teams on the outside to cry foul and that they should have been included. This year, at this particular time, a plus one seems like it would solve everything. We would have LSU, Alabama, Okie Lite and Stanford included. Each of them has 0-1 losses and the next team in line, Oregon, has 2 losses so they shouldn't be included. Works right? Solves everything. But wait a minute!! We don't have to look further back than last year to find that this isn't going to work every time. Last year's 4 teams would have been Auburn, Oregon, TCU and Stanford. Each had 0-1 losses. But left out of the equation would have been 1 loss Wisconsin and Ohio State. Wisconsin went on to beat TCU on the field so how can you say they shouldn't have been included? And so on...and so on...and so on.
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Even this year with your example there's room for argument. Should Stanford be included simply because they are fourth when they didn't win their conference/division? Four teams seems like too small of a tourney when we currently have five conferences putting teams with good records (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, PAC 12, SEC). Someone is going to get left out if it's only four teams. I'd be more in favor of an eight team tourney with the five conference champs getting automatic bids and fill out the field with the three highest ranked teams that are not automatic qualifiers.

For this season it would be LSU, Okie St., Oregon, Clemson, and Wisconsin with the automatic bids and then Alabama, Stanford, and Arkansas fill out the field. Boise is probably the only team left out but it's not like a team they beat is getting included.

In 2010 is would have been Auburn, Oregon, Oklahoma, VT, and Wisconsin with the automatic bids and then TCU, Stanford, and Ohio State to fill out the field.
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I somewhat like where you're going with this except for the five conference champs getting automatic bids. West Virginia and Clemson have absolutely zero right being in an eight team playoff this year. There should absolutely be zero conference automatic qualifiers. If you do this, we might as well keep things as they currently are. So what if one conference gets three or four teams in the eight team playoff? At least the best eight teams are in it. Having conference automatic qualifiers means the best teams are not in it. Again, we might as well keep things as they currently are rather than have a half a$$ed playoff with automatic qualifiers.

 
Bowl games are fun and lucrative. We could have the best of both worlds. Let the winners of the Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta play a 4-team playoff.

 
Huskerlambs said:
Bowl games are fun and lucrative. We could have the best of both worlds. Let the winners of the Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta play a 4-team playoff.
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I would like to add the Cotton Bowl back and play a +1 one week after Jan 1st. Can anyone help me with the hypothetical matchups while fudging for the conferences that don't exist anymore?

Cotton Bowl Classic. Baylor SWC vs

Orange Bowl: Okla St. Big8 vs [big8/BigEast/ACC all had tie ins at different times]

Sugah Bowl: LSU SEC vs

Fiesta Bowl: ??? vs [big12 or two independents]

Rose Bowl: Oregon PAC vs Wisconsin Big10 [same]

Was there a system for the 2nd team or just whomever they could get? I'm getting at that you could solve this mishmash and go back to an awesome Jan 1st.

 
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