The Bowl Championship Series is a horrible representation of college football that simply doesn’t work. Almost every year since the BCS system was implemented, there has been controversy over which teams belonged in the national championship.
Despite losing to the Texas Longhorns earlier in the season, the Oklahoma Sooners jumped the Longhorns in the latest BCS standings. This sparked an uproar with Longhorn fans and college football enthusiasts who want a playoff to determine an undisputed national champion.
A victory in the Big 12 Championship against the Missouri Tigers will seal a place in the National Championship Game for the Sooners.
Oklahoma losing in the Big 12 Championship could put Texas in the National Championship Game.
“Not so fast sweetheart!” as Lee Corso would say.
Even if the Sooners lose, Texas is still not guaranteed a bid to compete for the BCS title trophy in Miami.
A possible scenario in which the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide loses a close game to the Florida Gators, combined with a Sooner loss in its conference championship game, could result in the national championship becoming a rematch of the SEC Championship Game.
Recent college football upsets make this a possible scenario that would only add more fuel to this inferno.
This would not be the first time a team lost its conference championship and went on to play in the National Title Game.
Oklahoma did it in 2003 when it went undefeated in the regular season, lost in the Big 12 Championship Game, and still managed to earn a bid to play in the big dance.
Did Oklahoma deserve to be in that game?
Probably not, since the team lost to the LSU Tigers.
Was a clear national champion declared?
Nope, the BCS system failed again as LSU became co-champions with the USC Trojans.
National championship games have also been rematches of games earlier in the season. The Gators avenged their only loss to the Florida State Seminoles in the 1996 national championship.
Commotion and debate over which teams belong in the national championship game stress the fact that the BCS system fails in naming a true national champion as many teams like Texas are stuck on the outside looking in.
You do not have to look far for another example of the BCS’s failure to place two undisputed contenders against each other.
In 2007, the Georgia Bulldogs were thought by many analysts to be the “hot” team. Texas could face the same dilemma as the Bulldogs who were forced to watch the national championship from home.
Michigan was left out of the championship game in 2006, USC in 2003, Miami in 2000, and the list goes on and on.
The last time two undefeated teams played for the national championship was back in the 2004-2005 season, in which USC faced Texas.
So in this case, the system worked right?
Sorry, the BCS was wrong again due to the fact there were three other undefeated teams; Auburn, Utah, and Boise State.
So what should be done to fix this reoccurring problem?
Some NCAA coaches point to a plus one game compromise, but this could cause just another debate of which teams should be in that game.
College football should look to the March Madness tournament of college basketball for a hint.
Not with me yet?
The answer to the BCS system’s problem is…A PLAYOFF!
One design would be a 16-team playoff with two 8-team brackets. The brackets would consist of the 11 Division 1-A conference champions and five at-large bids.
First round games would be played at the home of the higher seeded team. The second round semifinals would be played at various minor bowl game neutral sites. The finals’ games would be held at two BCS neutral game sites.
The National Championship Game would be rotated among the four BCS sites.
Of course, there are downsides to a playoff-an extended season, traveling to possibly four neutral sites and interference with exams.
Despite these possible problems, a college football playoff is what the fans want, and it’s necessary to eliminate the national championship controversy.