A Revolutionary Idea

The Bowl Championship Series is fantastic. College football is arguably the most exciting, entertaining, enjoyable game in the nation. However, this fact doesn't keep bellyachers from whining about their alleged need for a playoff.

When push comes to shove, what exactly do we need a playoff for? To determine a true champion? Why start now? From 1869-1997 (the pre-BCS era) there were multiple champions crowned in any given year. Did it cheapen the season somehow? Where were the demands for a playoff bracket in 1997 when Michigan and Nebraska claimed the rights to number one?

This year was a quagmire. Top teams were losing to unranked squads faster than Angelina Jolie adopts kids. People complained about this year being the year a playoff was required.

I don't recall the local media and less importantly OU fans demanding a playoff system in 2003 or 2004. Coincidence? Not likely. It's not just crimson and cream colored glasses who are mired in their fits of mass delusion.

I've heard semi-reputable sports personalities calling for a Division II type playoff bracket. Do we really need a 16-team tournament to figure out Kansas, Illinois, Missouri and Clemson are not the best college team this year? If the Division II playoffs are so great, why didn't anyone watch?

It's a 'lose-lose' situation if a three or four week playoff bracket was implemented into college football. The regular season would become college basketball. Regular season would be practically meaningless. What is the most exciting aspect of March Madness? The first two rounds. Everything slows to a crawl as we get closer to the Final Four.

I've also heard those same sports personalities telling us the BCS polls are tainted by bias. You mean to tell me humans are subjective, might hold grudges and can be swayed? Really? Perhaps a poll is needed just to be sure about this newfound factual data.

The suggestion? Let the computers do all the work and take the coaches vote out. Just don't tell the computer haters out there.

This stems directly from the Bowden boys, either fairly or unfairly, dropping Oklahoma in the final rankings. I have a better suggestion which will alleviate the bias voting structure. Win your games.

The colleges are making money hand over fist. The conferences rake in the bowl money and even split with the have-nots like Baylor and Vanderbilt. The bottom line is the almighty $$$. Earth shattering. I know.

If you insist on banging your head against the proverbial wall clamoring for a playoff, remember this: the contract with the networks trumps your voice, their articles and everyone's bitch sessions.

One lost cause in the "super-important" reasons to have a playoff system is the dejection players will face. The current bowl system allows half the teams to finish the season in celebration. It's a state of inclusion.

A playoff system will send seven to 15 teams home in disarray. Why not do our part to keep America's youth happy? Don't college kids have enough to worry about after graduation. Why slap another loss on them to end their season?

Still not buying the BCS? I don't blame you. It's imperfect. The point being this isn't the year to rattle the cage. This is the worst year of all to champion the argument.

The appalling football on display this year marks this year's champion with the moniker "The Best in a Bad Season."

Now, you don't have to listen to me. Just like I don't have to agree with your playoff demands. But if you can't trust me, who can you trust?

How about the supreme leader of the greatest university to ever... well... Bob Stoops.

Per Dennis Dodd on CBSSportsline.com: "Stoops is anti-playoff. Too many moving parts, he said. His reasons: the regular season would become less important... fans would have difficulty traveling from playoff site to playoff site... regular-season attendance might suffer... the bowls might be adversely affected. Anyway, he said, the status quo is 'sort of a like a playoff.'" Ahem.

Finally, what about the Tulsa's of the world? What happens to their Freedom Bowl or Liberty Bowl triumphs? To be honest, not much of the country gets amped up for a Bowling Green vs. Tulsa match-up. Gamblers aside of course.

However, this year, it is strategically placed one day before the BCS title game. All eyes will be upon the Golden Hurricane as they try to finish the season and Paul Smith's career with a victory celebration.

Seriously, are the playoffs really worth the trouble? If so, I hope we endure years of #6 Wake Forest vs. #12 Cal for your troubles.

The most underrated sidebar to this story is the passion evoked for college football in this state. My fantasy football league argued BCS, playoffs and the mess this year. More to the point-- I argued with the entire league.

The differences of opinions turned into an all-out brawl. People comparing this year's championship game to the pillaging of refugees during Hurricane Katrina. Others even talked themselves into a Hawaii versus Kansas game as if those are the two best teams this year.

Sane people were uttering words like "I'd much rather WIN a championship than become the beneficiary of one." Something tells me if the cards were stacked in OU's favor this year that Sooner Nation wouldn't mind being the beneficiary at all. Regardless of popular opinion, college football is not becoming a joke. Quite the contrary, it's a thriving business.

For the record, I'm a proponent of the plus-1 system. Use the current BCS rankings. Have the top four teams play in New Year's Day bowls or even a week prior. The formula would be 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3. Now, take the winners and match them in the National Title. Simple enough right?

Now, some will demand a playoff. Isn't the plus-1 the same as a four-team playoff? I'm not an unreasonable person. I'll let you call it a playoff as long as the first round doesn't involve West Virginia playing Illinois. Don't waste my time. If you want West Virginia versus Illinois, let them play in the Capital One Bowl.

BCS > Playoffs.