Monday, December 7, 2009

The BCS: Blowing College Seasons since 1998

The BCS has been a part of college football for 12 years. Yes, it's really been that long. And again this year, it has proven why absolutely nobody likes it.

With five undefeated teams in the FBS this season, it would be impossible to give all of them a chance at the title under the current system. That is my major argument for an eight-team playoff, but that isn't why I'm writing this right now.

Looking at the bowl matchups, one in particular caught my eye: TCU vs. Boise St. Why, BCS, would you match up the two teams from non-power conferences?

I'll tell you why: Because they're scared of a repeat of the past two seasons. In 2007, Boise State shocked everybody by beating powerhouse Oklahoma in overtime, 43-42, using a variation of the "Statue of Liberty" play on the game-winning two-point conversion.

Last season, Utah finished the regular season undefeated and kept things rolling against Alabama (this year's current #1), building an early 21-0 lead and eventually winning the Sugar Bowl 31-17.

A quick look at the BCS standings will tell you that Cincinnati is third, TCU is fourth, Florida is fifth and Boise St. is sixth. Wouldn't it make sense to match up Cincinnati against TCU in a consolation bowl of sorts, followed up by a defensive-minded Florida team against the explosive offense of Boise St.?

These matchups would be possible, as none would ruin any of the current bowl affiliations. The Rose Bowl has always been the Pac-10 champion against the Big-10 champion, which would remain Ohio St. vs. Oregon. The Orange Bowl has ACC affiliations, and Georgia Tech would still play Iowa.

The Sugar Bowl has SEC affiliations, which could still allow a Florida-Boise St. matchup, while Cincinnati and TCU could play in the Fiesta Bowl, which has Big 12 affiliations (unless the conference champion is playing for the national title, which Texas is).

So again, I ask why not?

Imagine the chaos if TCU beat Cincinnati (I think TCU is the better team). And if Boise St. upended the superhuman Tim Tebow and Florida? The BCS would never hear the end of how flawed the system is, and the clamoring for a playoff would grow even stronger.

So they took the easy way out, pitting TCU against Boise St. and avoiding the potential implications of these two excellent teams proving their worth against the BCS-conference powerhouses. Shame on you, BCS committee. Shame on you.

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