My Thoughts on the BCS

I guess at this point I should post my thoughts on the BCS and the arguments for and against it. Let me just start by saying I can understand some of the arguments in favor of the current system. Has college football always been about who's #1? Not necessarily. Prior to the BCS, it was really more about winning your conference and playing in a traditional bowl. For example, let's take Ohio St in the Woody Hayes era 1970's. Playing ball for the Buckeyes meant beating Michigan, winning the Big 10 and then playing USC in the Rose Bowl. That was the tradition...and still is, for the most part. And, anyone who is even vaguely familiar with college football understands that tradition is a HUGE part of college football. Ask any rabid Buckeye fan in Ohio what the teams all time record is against Michigan and he'll rattle it right off the top of his head! There have been books written about the Tennessee/Alabama rivalry! I could go on and on... There is also the argument that every game matters in the current system, and that is true, but it's actually not as true as it used to be. So, what changed? Why are there so many people and media people who want to see division I go to a playoff system instead of the traditional bowl system? Why don't the people in charge of division I want a playoff system? My working hypothosis is that the demographics of college football have changed, thereby altering views and perspectives on college football. The national media is also heavily influencing the dialogue, and the people in power have not changed.

I'll start by saying that the people in power have not changed because they don't need to. It's all about money and they are making a ton of it! If it ain't broke... Of course everyone who disagrees with the BCS system could just boycott it...but we all know that isn't going to happen. Now that we got the obvious stuff out of the way, let's talk demographics. Division I college football is a tradition that sprang up and has largely been centered in the midwest and the south. Think of all the traditional powerhouses...Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio St., Penn St., Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue are all in the general vicinity of the midwest. Then there's Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Clemson, Miami, Florida, Florida St. All in the south. There have been some other great schools that are from different areas of the country, think USC, but not as prevalent. This has changed. Obviously, the south is still dominant (college football IS religion). The midwest has declined a little bit. Joe Tiller, Purdue's head coach who is retiring after this season said that part of the reason the Big 10 is struggling is that high school football in the midwest has declined. The west, which includes the mountain west and the Pacific coast have improved drastically over the last 40 years, mainly due to the simple fact that more people are living in these areas. Think of some of the western programs that have had success...USC, Washington, Oregon, Cal, UCLA, Arizona St., BYU, Colorado, Utah, Hawaii, Boise St. My point is this: College football has become a much more national past time, not just relegated to the midwest and the south. With these new programs having success in the west and even a little in the northeast, there are legions of newer fans who aren't familiar with the traditions or don't care about the traditions of college football. For example, why would a mormon BYU fan in Utah care about the Iron Bowl? He probably wouldn't even know what the Iron Bowl is or who plays in it! The shift in demographics essentially de-values the tradition of the game on a national level...though it is still maintained religiously on local levels. Another factor in the demographics and tradition issue is the national media. The national media is predominantly from the northeast, an area of the country that does not traditionally care about college football. However, for the sake of 24 hour sports coverage, the media has taken an interest in college football over the last several years, and whether it be pundits criticizing the bowl system or just sparking debate, the media has put the spotlight on this issue and even offered "solutions" to the "problem". So, along with the shifting demographics, the national media has also de-valued the tradition, and via the debates, the national media has also placed an emphasis on the need for a national champion, which the new fans wholeheartedly agree with. More and more fans want to see a playoff to bring a sense of closure and finality to the season. The BCS system was implemented as a compromise to this, but has not worked.

Then there's the argument that all the games matter. The reason I said that it is not as true as it used to be is due to the fact that two-loss teams can win the BCS championship now. Undefeated teams are slowly becoming a thing of the past. The competition has just become too much. So, with all this being said, here is my solution. I propose a compromise! Keep the BCS and all the bowl games. Keep the pre-season rankings and coaches polls and all that. I also agree that the mid-majors, i.e., MWC, WAC, MAC, etc. do not belong in the discussion unless they go undefeated. As a whole, they still aren't as strong as the BCS conferences. But, a playoff system needs to be implemented. Take the top 8 BCS ranked teams. This includes the 6 BCS conference champions and two at-large bids. Use the BCS bowls as the first 4 games then rotate which bowls get to have the final 3 games. Lot's of money for the powerful people. Because only 8 teams make it and we are keeping the polls and BCS, things like "strength of schedule" and "every game matters" remain important aspects of the game. Teams still have to win every week to even be considered an "elite 8" team. We will also get to see the "elite 8" battle it out in a playoff to determine who the best really is! How awesome would that be??? Will there be arguments over some of the top 8 choices? Of course! This will keep people interested and talking about the game. In summary, we keep almost all of the traditions, while truly finding out who the real national champion is year to year. It's a win/win!

In conclusion, I predict something similar to this will happen eventually, but not for a long time. The continuance of the demographic shift, the relentlessness of the national media, and the influence of younger generations will make the changes. At some point, the positions of power in the game will be manned by non-traditionalists who will finally make the necessary changes to the game to improve the overall product, while maintaining many of the old traditions that make college football such a wonderful game.

(My thoughts on the media's influence and the tradition were heavily influenced by Jason Whitlock, a former college player and sports writer who actually favors the tradtional system. The demographic thoughts came out of my clouded noggin)