First, let’s get the haphazard observations and events out of the way here:
* I’ve chosen not to decorate my bachelor pad for the holidays (save for some pet-themed stockings). Why? Because I’m simply not in the mood. Not that it would take me a time-consuming 10 minutes to erect a desktop tree as well as wreath and lights for one of two windows. And having mistletoe above my one door would be tricky because virtually no friends or family visit, and a stranger making a sudden appearance (delivery person, Jehovah’s Witness, salesperson) might make for an awkward situation if one wishes to stay true to the mistletoe tradition.
* What merciful god would permit the Spice Girls to reunite and kick off a world tour? My sweet Jesus. I believe we all shall soon fall beneath a shadow of a plague of locusts. The end is near. Bring out your dead.
* The season finale of “Torchwood” and the movie/appetizer “Battlestar Galactica: Razor” each was awesome in a taut, tense, thrilling way. “The Boondocks” and “Pushing Daisies” are improving with each passing week. “The Simpsons” remains positively the same, but “Family Guy” and “American Dad” have gone gleefully insane this season. But in a good way.
* Must get the “Futurama” direct-to-DVD flick, “Bender’s Big Score.” Now.
* For giggles and out of curiosity, I've created a profile at Facebook. It's under my full name. If you're there, feel free to hit me up anytime. if you really, truly care. Chastize me, joke around, support my future presidential candidacy. Or maybe not. Whatever.
* Some family members of mine (like many other people) are feeling a bit down (for various reasons) this holiday season. Help me to say a prayer for them (or at least provide positive thoughts). I’d appreciate it.
Now to the main event:
So, why is it that virtually every sports organization in America from competitive knitting to college hockey has a fair way of determining an annual champion except for Division I-A college football? The current system, the Bowl Championship Series, should be renamed the Bull Crap Set-Up. How is it that the most popular form of college spectator athletics uses computer-generated rankings and the opinions of supposedly unbiased sports writers to determine a national champ? Under this ludicrous system, high-profile schools are assured of snagging millions of dollars in payouts, advertising revenues, sponsorships every year just because they get "appointed" to the BCS bowls. What about the worthy teams in low-profile conferences that must practically pray for a BCS shot despite undefeated or one-loss seasons?
The madness must stop. Sure, the current bowl system (and programs previous to the BCS) is lucrative for the select few conferences, schools and respective TV networks. Nonetheless, there is something reprehensible about a major athletic organization – NCAA Division I-A football – that refuses to let its absolute best teams (not necessarily the most honored or flashiest) to actually play each other to decide who wins a national title. The current bowl system is an archaic lifestyle run by money-hungry conference commissioners who are not creative or courageous enough to realize that a single-elimination playoff could yield yet EVEN MORE MONEY, HIGHER TV RATINGS and LESS CONTROVERSY for all those involved.
My idea is rather simple. Let’s have 16 teams fight for a new type of BCS national title. All I-A members could continue playing 10-11 game regular seasons. For a single-elimination, 16-team tournament, each Division 1-A conference would have at least one representative. This is based upon either a regular-season or conference-championship-game winner claiming an automatic berth. There are 11 such conferences as of 2007-08. (Just on name recognition alone, why the Ivy League is left out is beyond me. And no, don’t throw “academics don’t mix with athletics” jokes.) As it stands now, any I-A independent team or champ from a "lackluster conference" (Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA) that is ranked sixth or higher in the BCS standings is BCS-eligible.
However all conference champions must have at least seven wins against an I-A opponent. Wins do NOT include a conference title game outcome. Any conference champ that does not meet this criterion would be replaced in a tournament by a qualified wildcard. There would be 4 to 5 wildcards, depending on the presence of a qualified independent. Wildcards would be determined using four or five highest ranked non-conference champions – and independents – in the Bowl Championship Series poll. Any independent that goes the season undefeated, despite their overall BCS ranking, is BCS-eligible. The BCS poll essentially remains an averaging of the computer, Harris, USA Today and Associated Press polls.
The 16 BCS teams would be seeded 1-16, according to their top-to-bottom ranking in the BCS. (1 vs. 16; 8 vs. 9; 5 vs. 12; 4 vs. 13; 2 vs. 15; 7 vs. 10; 6 vs. 11; 3 vs. 14) as well as overall records and strength of schedule. This means 15 games to be played for the grand prize. The current bowl system, for the most part, can remain intact. Based on annual payouts to the schools, longevity and prestige, a bowl game can become THE national championship match or one of the semi-finals. Using the 2007-08 model, the most lucrative, prestigious and oldest (traditional) bowls are Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta (these four are the current BCS bowls that revolve each year as the so-called title game), Capital One (formerly Florida Citrus/Tangerine), Cotton, Gator, Outback, Chick-Fil-A (formerly Peach), Sun, Holiday, Liberty, Alamo, Independence and Insight. Of course, the payouts in this discussion don’t include advertisements, ticket sales, and television contracts.
Using this model, these bowls would play host to BCS playoff games in chronological order: Insight, Independence, Alamo, Liberty, Holiday, Sun, Chick-Fil-A, Outback (first round quarterfinals); Gator, Cotton, Capital One, Rose (second round semi-finals); Sugar and Fiesta (third round finals); Orange (national title game). One factor for determining who plays in what bowl in the first round could be region. Another factor could be the traditional invites that still dominate the non-BCS bowls. The new system wouldn’t have to be exact, but for the sake of argument the Cotton can still host a Big 12-SEC battle. Also, any of the four current BSC bowls can be rotated every year for hosting duties of the championship game, third round matches and a semi-final. The third weekend of December is when the tournament would start. Wednesday-Saturday, (1st round) sees two bowls played each day, allowing for adequate TV coverage. (Realistically, the tourney cannot compete with NFL Sunday.) Bowls traditionally played on New Year’s Eve and/or New Year’s Day and afterward are championship (Final Four) rounds.
Final 2007 regular season BCS rankings (amalgamated AP and USA Today polls / *-denotes conference title-holders / # - divisional leader
1. Ohio State (Big 10 *)
2. LSU (SEC *)
3. Virginia Tech (Big East *)
4. Oklahoma (Big 12 *)
5. Georgia (SEC East #)
6. Missouri (Big 12 North #)
7. USC (Pac-10)
8. Kansas (Big 12 North #)
9. West Virginia (Big East *)
10. Hawaii (WAC *)
11. Arizona State (Pac-10 *)
12. Florida
13. Illinois
14. Boston College (ACC Atlantic #)
15. Clemson
16. Tennessee
17. BYU (Mountain West *)
18. Wisconsin
19. Texas
20. Virginia
21. South Florida
22. Cincinnati
23. Auburn
24. Boise State
25. Connecticut (Big East *)
Unranked conference champions with automatic berths: Central Michigan (Mid-American); Troy (Sun Belt); Central Florida (Conference USA *). {Fucking Longhorns had to lose to OU, Aggies and Texas Tech, didn’t you. Might as well rename the Holiday Bowl the Mack Brown Bowl and just keep permanent hotel reservations in San Diego.}
For a 16-team field, schools would be seeded according to overall BCS numbers and, if needed, averaged USA Today and AP Top 25 polls and records. Regional interest in a matchup would be a factor in bowl placement, particularly in the first round. The new Top 16 (1 to 16) list is in order for these seeds: Ohio State, LSU, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Georgia, Missouri, USC, Kansas, West Virginia, Hawaii, Arizona State, BYU, Central Florida, Connecticut, Troy, Central Michigan. This is how the 2007-08 postseason would go down (if a bit more fairness ruled the land)...
FIRST ROUND (Dec. 12-15)
Insight Bowl in Phoenix (10 Hawaii vs. 7 USC)
Independence Bowl in Shreveport (13 Central Florida vs. 4 Oklahoma)
Alamo Bowl in San Antonio (9 West Virginia vs. 8 Kansas)
Liberty Bowl in Memphis (14 UConn vs. 3 Virginia Tech)
Holiday Bowl in San Diego (11 Arizona State vs. 6 Missouri)
Sun Bowl in El Paso (12 BYU vs. 5 Georgia)
Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta (16 Central Michigan vs. 1 Ohio State)
Outback Bowl in Tampa (15 Troy vs. 2 LSU)
WINNERS: Ohio State, LSU, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Georgia, Arizona State, West Virginia and USC.
SECOND ROUND {1-16 vs. 8-9 & 5-12 vs. 4-13; Bracket I} {2-15 vs. 7-10 & 6–11 vs. 3-14; Bracket II} (Dec. 20-21)
Gator Bowl in Jacksonville (Georgia vs. Oklahoma; Bracket I)
Cotton Bowl in Dallas (USC vs. LSU; Bracket II)
Capital One Bowl in Orlando (West Virginia vs. Ohio State; Bracket I)
Rose Bowl in Pasadena (Arizona State vs. Virginia Tech; Bracket II)
WINNERS: Georgia, LSU, West Virginia and Virginia Tech
THIRD ROUND (Dec. 28 Final Four)
Fiesta Bowl in Tempe (Virginia Tech vs. LSU; Bracket II final)
Sugar Bowl in New Orleans (West Virginia vs. Georgia; Bracket I final)
WINNERS: West Virginia and LSU
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Jan. 7)
Orange Bowl in Miami (West Virginia vs. LSU)
WINNER: Eh, you can play with that all you want.
Oh, and if you seek some levity with the bowl madness and corporate America overstepping its boundaries, consider these ludicrous monikers: Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl; Papajohns.com Bowl; R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl; San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl; Meineke Car Care Bowl. I long for the days of the Poulan Weedeater Bogdog.com Papa Dante’s Restaurant Cherry Bowl (brought to you by Allstate Agent John Doe).
