We, as Utah fans, are all familiar with the old Bowl Championship Series debate. That is because the Utes were (for lack of a better word) screwed in the 2004 season despite getting through their entire schedule unscathed. Utah didn’t get into the national championship game because big-name powers like Auburn, USC and Oklahoma also went undefeated.
This didn’t really surprise me because Utah is from a smaller conference and the BCS has historically taken a collective s*** on smaller conferences, but to match the Utes up against the likes of Pittsburgh was an insult.
After that season, the majority of the college football world wondered if a four or possibly an eight-team playoff at the end of the season would cure all of the ills of the BCS. Now, by no means do I think that a playoff system would fix what I believe to be the most flawed system in sports (BCS), but it would go a long way toward evening up the playing field.
Right now, there are four undefeated teams in all of college football. Ohio State and Michigan both still have flawless records and sit atop every poll, but have to face each other this weekend. Now, according to my calculations, only one of those two teams will still be undefeated after the game.
Meanwhile, Rutgers is coming off a thrilling last-second victory over then-No. 3 Louisville, but the Scarlet Knights still aren’t getting much love from the pollsters, ranking behind three one-loss teams despite remaining undefeated. Rutgers still has a tough road game at West Virginia to finish its season but has proved its valor time and time again this year.
Then there’s the Boise State Broncos, who continue their flawless tear through the regular season, most recently beating San Jose State en route to a No. 12 ranking. Barring a serious collapse, the Broncos should make it through the rest of their schedule unscathed, but still may not be in position at the end of the year.
A picture-perfect scenario would entitle only two undefeated teams in all of college football, with both teams finishing the season at the top of the BCS standings. But how often does that happen?
What if there is only one undefeated team? Or none? What makes one one-loss team better than another? Is it their schedules? What about the teams they lost to? Does anybody even care?
The answer to all of these questions is that it doesn’t matter. Well, at least it wouldn’t matter if there were an eight-team playoff at the end of the season. Before the big-game sponsors get their panties in a wad, let me note that all of them would still have the national championship every four years. The remaining games in the tournament would be filled by random bowl games, which would, in turn, reap considerably more benefits than in previous years.
For fans, the playoff system means there would be three weeks jam-packed with seven of the best football games of the year. It also means that there would be almost zero controversy because you have the best eight teams in the nation vying for the national title.
For sponsors, it means a ridiculous amount of money (yes, much more money than they currently make).
With the eight-team playoff system in place, not even the BCS could screw up college football.
I realize that the BCS standings will surely shift before the end of the year, but this is what it would look like if the season ended today. Here’s what it would look like if you took the top eight teams and threw them in a postseason playoff system (I threw in my predictions for the games in case you guys care).
Ryan Perkins
