What would be wrong with this plan for a National Championship?

Question

You take the 6 major conference winners. ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac10, SEC, and Big East. Plus 2 At Large teams and put them into the four major Bowl Games.

Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl

The four winners go to a BCS Final 4 that takes place the week after. The winners go to the BCS Championship.

It would only add one extra game to the College Football Schedule. You can run the BCS Championship on Saturday Nights in January.

Seems like a simple solution. It keeps the Bowl Games important and you have four teams move on and play for the National Title.

Answer 1

Nothing would be wrong with it. It would diminish the importance of the regular season, but only slightly.

You really couldn't go with guaranteed spots to the conference winners though (point in case, look at the Big-12 and ACC this year). You'd still have the controversies because you'd have to select the participants based on where they are in the polls, while giving preference to a team who is a won their conference.

If you want a purer form of a post-season in NCAA football, you'd have to seed teams based on their body of work like they do for college basketball. By taking the top 8 rated teams in the BCS and letting them duke it out through late December on consecutive Saturdays, you would end up with a conclusion to the college season around the same date as it is now, without interfering with the NFL playoffs.

By the way, Kimtastic... Louisville and Rutgers are in the Big East (one of the "power conferences") so they wouldn't have been left out of that scenario. The other teams you mentioned, if they played a tough enough schedule (with every non-conference game against big time opponents), they would get consideration.

And, Christopher H, Michigan came in 2nd in the Big Ten (they beat Wisconson head to head).

Again, Kim, Rutgers is in the Big East... under the plan proposed, they would be in as the conference winner (the Big East conference champ has a guaranteed BCS bowl bid, making them one of the "power conferences"). As far as a WAC school goes... You're telling me that if Boise State (WAC school, currently #8 in the BCS) loaded their schedule with Michigan, Ohio State, and USC, and beat all 3 of them, they wouldn't be playing for the title this year? Stop being foolish.

In the last couple of years, Kim, USC has played at least one Mountain West or WAC opponent each season (except this year). Michigan and Ohio State always play schools from the MAC. Florida does too (WAC, Mountain West, Conf. USA, Sun Belt). Boise State generally gets at least one game per year against opponents from major conferences (in particular, the Pac 10). So yeah... I do think that the major powers are willing to play smaller schools, even though those little schools get trounced. In fact, last year after playing Cal, USC brought Fresno State into the Collesium, and beat them. Your logic is just flawed.

Even in generalization, you can't support your point of view. There are countless other major programs that schedule the same way that Mich., OSU, USC, Florida, etc. do. No matter how wide you want to cast your net, you're not going to find anything that would lend credence to your arguement. Sometimes Kim, when you're wrong... you're just wrong.

Answer 2

It's a good thought but the teams with conference championships would cry foul bc on top of their 12 regualr season games and the conf. champ they would have to play 3 more games to win it all. 16 total games is the same length as an nfl season and most teams would break down. plus it really stretches out the season and all bowl teams like having a month to prepare for there one big game. the other gigantic probelm is by excepting to at large bids you either have to take indepdants(excuse for ND to get into the final 8) or you have to takes two 2nd place teams from those conferences and 4 confernces will be pissed. The spirt of the idea is great but like all BCS related things there is no good solution.

Answer 3

The problem i see is you eliminate the cinderella factor when you only include the teams from the "Power Conferences"... what Rutgers did to Louisville is the perfect example.. if you only include the Power Conferences, you eliminate the chance for the Mets beating the Orioles in the world Series, or the Giants upsetting the buffalo Bills in the Superbowl, or The NC state upset Houstons Phi slamma Jamma in the NCAA basketball tournie. In your plan, it would always be the Yankees against the Red Sox.. the teams people associate with greatness playing each other and the little guy shut out. What if one year say Colorado state went Undefeated, and crushed everyone they played, or BYU did that, or Fresno state, or San Diego State, or even a school like Eastern Carolina... in yer plan, they could win all their games easily, crushing their opponents and they might as well be playing scrimmages because the wins would mean nothing because theyre in a non-power conference. Understand?

DMack..i didnt say that Rutgers and Louisville wouldnt get condieration..i used Rutgers beating Louisville as an example of how sumtimes a team noone gave a chance to can rise above the negativity being directed at them and beat a team eevryone thinks is better than them..and in the plan that began this string, you would have no rutgers type teams.. only the teams from the conferences traditionally thought to be the best. And Another thing, i dont think it matters one lick WHO a small conference school played on their non conference schedule... they would not get consideration for a tournie bid in a tournament format, are you kidding me.. they will always take a ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC 10, etc.. school over a conference like the WAC.. and if you think not, yer fooling yerself...its not fair

like i said..youre one of "those"..you don't get it..either by unintentional ignorance or deliberate. this i think simplifies it for you, atleast i hope it does.... Its not about power conferences, or the examples of teams i used that you ran with to the nth degree. put it like this.. My argument is that every team in D1 deserves a chance to be included in a playoff format if one is created. To say that you take teams from the ACC, SEC, PAC 10, BIG 10, Big 12, Big East, and work from there is not FAIR. becuase then you instantly exclude teams from lesser conferences who have had great years and deserve to be atleast included in a playoff format. By say at beginning of year that only the elite conferences will have bids, you segregate the schools, and what the hell is every other school playing for then. the NCAA Basketball tournie understood that, and started handing out the at large bids..and in came the Samfords, the NC states, the The Gonzagas(who are now elite), the Ionas, etc.. I say at beginning of the year everyone begins on level ground, you do give weight to the tougher conferences, because you want the better teams, but if one of them is having a tough year and dont send a team, thats their bad luck ... if a team from a lesser conference gets in playoffs and gets bombed, so be it, but you avoid the heir of elitism by including everyone. All of those better conferences should not instantly get a bid. NOW DO YOU GET IT?! because im done with this.

Answer 4

I think a playoff system would be bad for D-1 College football.

It would diminish the interest in the over all season - especially the early season.

It would encourage teams to schedule easy out of conference games.

It would reduce the debate / controversy that surrounds the college season.

While I agree that the current system is flawed, I just don't think a playoff system is really in the best solution.

Answer 5

Sounds pretty good. But what about Michigan this year? Would they qualify for an At Large birth as they did not win the Big Ten? In fact, they came in third in the Big Ten, but yet they seem to be one of the top teams in the country.

Still you have a good plan...I'll vote for you.

Answer 6

Sounds like a good plan! But, unfortunately, there's not as much money in it as the current (and flawed) BCS system. Unfortunately, today's game is more about profits than about competition.

Answer 7

The only thing that would be wrong is the 2 "at large" picks could be controversial, but congratulations you are better than the NCAA.

Answer 8

you cant have playing that many extra games and as far as this year goes and ohio state and usc should play each other for the champs. they are the 2 best teams mich should play florida.

Answer 9

Nothing. It is an easy and simple plan though so the BCS will never implement it!!

Answer 10

I think its a great idea. Someone should present to the NCAA