My NCAA Football Playoffs- Do it already!
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by Audino237
I'm sure many of you are big fans of the BCS system, as it has been tweaked in recent years and, so far, there have been no major screw-ups. However, there is nothing I would like to see more in sports then the implementation of a Playoff system. I love rooting for underdogs in all sports, it is what makes sports exciting. There would have to be many changes to make this possible, like eliminating championships, such as the Big 12. The champion would be named by regular season conference record to ensure that a Big 12 team would not play more then 1 game more then a prospective opponent.
Here are reasons why the playoffs would be beneficial to fans and the teams themselves:
1. Take last year for example. Ohio State and Boise State were the 2 undefeated teams heading into the Bowl Selections. Florida, USC, and Michigan were all lobbying for a spot in the title game with the Buckeyes. Because of their status as a non-BCS school, the Broncos were not taken seriously. They played Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl and won in one of the best games any of us will ever see. Florida ended up taking OSU apart handily. In a system where Boise State did all they could do over the course of the year and not get a chance at the title, something is wrong.
2. People will say that Boise State did not play in a good conference so a one-loss BCS team is better then them. That is certainly a valid argument. But what about in 2004 when unbeaten Auburn was left out of the title game in favor of USC and Oklahoma?
3. Some bowl games for teams outside of the playoffs could still be played, making money and offering marketing oppurtunities. I'm not an economist, but say California plays 3 high-stakes games in 4 weeks. Wouldn't that equal more revenue? There would still only be one title game, exactly the same as now, which would bring in the tremendous amount of dough.
4. It gives a chance for the little guys to show what they're made of. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Boise could have beaten Ohio State. Then again, they may have gotten killed. That's what sports is all about. The reason I thought about this post was by looking at this week's rankings and seeing all the teams that are in the Top 20 who aren't regulars at the top of the standings. Instead of having the same old teams playing like Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisonsin (can you tell I'm not a fan of the Big 10?), Texas, and Nebraska, some Cinderellas should get a chance.
5. Some argue that a playoff system would take too much time from the student athletes and their studies. Only a handful of teams would qualify for the playoffs, and half of them would be eliminated the first week of playing, which would be the week the earliest bowls were played. Therefore, by the time the National Title Game rolled around, it would be a month or so after the regular season, so if the team is good enough, they'd be playing anyway. The student-athletes participating would have to leave school early to travel to the site of the game, but that is not unusual for a big game.
THE FOLLOWING WILL NEVER HAPPEN BUT I JUST HAD TO ADD MY OWN TWIST
-Here's an idea one of my friends just brought up. It might sound stupid and too gimmicky, but it is interesting. He said in addition to the teams making the playoffs based on the BCS points system, there be a BCS school voted in by fans and a non-BCS school voted in. The BCS school would have to be a Top 25 type team, and the non-BCS school would have no more then 2 losses. There would also be a BCS wild card voted on by the BCS panel of voters (no computer ratings, just people voting for teams X,Y, and Z). There would also be a non-BCS team voted in by the same system, so we do away with any computer screw-ups. The 4 teams would be matched up (BCS v. non-BCS) for the right to play the top 2 teams in the first round. The winners of the polls aren't necessarily the best teams, but the team who the fans and voters think have the creativity and talent to pull off an upset. So, this is what my prospective playoff would look like if the season ended today, and I will be the lone voter for the 4 wild cards. This format, including the 4 wild cards, would include 18 teams and would span 6 weeks (includes a week between the semis and finals). I had to change the rankings because I don't think in a playoff the committee would allow two teams from one conference to play eachother in the first round.
I really don't know how to get the bracket I made up here, so I'll do my best to organize it. Also, please don't comment and whine if I pick your team to lose. This is just more of a fun thing to bring up ideas and promote the playoffs being implemented into the NCAA football culture, and alot of these matchups pairing big traditional schools with flashy exciting teams new to the national scene would be incredible to watch. After all, what's speculation without upsets, right?
First Round: 1. LSU-Wild Card Winner
Play-In: Non-BCS1 Wild Card Hawaii- BCS Wild Card2 Kentucky
9. Oregon-8. West Virginia
4. Boston College-14. Arizona State
5. South Florida-12. Missouri
2. California-Wild Card Winner
BCS Wild Card1: Cincinnatti-Non-BCS Wild Card 2: Boise State
7. South Carolina- 10. Southern California
3. Ohio State-13. Florida
6. Oklahoma-11. Virginia Tech
Second Round:
1. LSU (defeated Hawai'i) vs. 9. Oregon (defeated 8. West Virginia)
5. South Florida (defeated 12. Missouri) vs. 14. Arizona State (defeated 4. Boston College)
2. California (defeated Cincinnatti) vs. 10. USC (defeated 7. South Carolina)
3. Ohio State (defeated 13. Florida) vs. 6. Oklahoma (defeated 11. Virginia Tech)
Semi-Finals:
1. LSU (defeated 9. Oregon) vs. 5. South Florida (defeated 14. Arizona State)
10. USC (defeated 10. California) vs. 3. Ohio State (defeated 6. Oklahoma)
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Finals:
1. LSU (defeated 5. South Florida) vs. 3. Ohio State (defeated 10. USC)
Just by looking at some of the matchups pitting national powerhouses with no-names with up-start programs, you can see how this football-crazed nation would fall in love with a Cinderella and how excited the fan bases would become. I think it would be a win-win-win for the players, schools (money!), and fans.
