Parity Will Lead to Death of BCS

by David Piper on Oct 15, 2007 7:09 AM PDT in Oregon Ducks Football

So I was talking with my college roommate on the phone Saturday night. We talked about just how wild this season has been. Upsets galore. Top ten teams dropping like flies. Teams like South Florida at the top of the rankings. It's the craziest season I can remember since becoming a college football fan. Parity is reigning supreme, and we love it because you never know what you are going to see. And at the end of the conversation, we came to one conclusion:

This is the season that is going to force a playoff.

Think about it. Your remaining unbeatens are South Florida, Ohio State, Boston College, Kansas, Arizona State, and Hawaii. Hawaii is irrelevant, and, the way they are playing, will likely lose to Fresno or Boise. USF still has Rutgers and Cincy. Ohio State still has Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Illinois. BC still has Va. Tech, Miami, FSU, and Clemson. ASU still has Cal, Oregon, and USC. And Kansas still has Colorado, Missouri, A&M, and the Big XII title game. None of these teams will go undefeated. Its almost guaranteed.

We are going to have a glut of one loss teams at the end of the year. And if we have five or six one loss teams, the BCS will not work. There will be outrage. Picture this scenario:

LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Cincinnati all win out. Ohio State and South Florida lose only one game. That's six one loss teams. Who goes to the NC game?

Not only that, but can you imagine the outrage is South Florida goes to the NC game? If they deserve it, I don't see what the big deal is. But you know that the traditionalists will have a coronary.

And this isn't a fluke. This is the future of college football. Players don't want to go to Florida and be the third string running back when they can start at Kentucky. All schools are getting national TV exposure. All schools have good facilities. And, one credit the BCS, all major conference schools have a shot to play for a NC. And there are more major conference schools than ever before.

This crazy season is showing all the inefficiencies in the current way that college football operates. Those in charge of the BCS have been trying the quick fixes. They will run out of those soon. BCS, your days are numbered. Parity will demand that.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

GO DUCKS!!!

--Dave

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Comments

Don't agree

Can't be with you on this one. The $$$ behind all of this is the only thing keeping a playoff system from happening.

While I agree with most of your points, I honestly think that a team like USF in a major bowl will be "proof" for all the pundits that this current system is working. Just look at all of the attention Boise State got last year...They're already branding these teams "Cinderellas" and that's a load of bunk in my mind. To be a Cinderella, you've got to PLAY someone. The Big East is such a joke right now, and upsetting an unprepared Auburn or West Virginia, while nice...is one thing...but the strength of conference opponents must be taken into account here. There's no way USF could even finish .500 in any other major conference out there.

Dan Fouts is a douche!

by PacBellBoozer on Oct 15, 2007 9:35 AM PDT reply actions

I Sure Hope So!

The BCS blows.

Period.

It's very difficult for an SEC or PAC 10 team to run thru a conference schdule undefeated- parity or not.

But in the ACC, Big East, WAC or at present Big 12, any mediocre team can do it. Add to that the east coast bias and the Notre Dame suck up when they have 1 or 2 losses and it's a stinkin' joke. South Florida, Oklahoma... would have a minimum of 3 conference losses in the SEC or PAC 10, yet they benefit from a cup cake non conference schedule and even easier conference schedule.

I have two suggestions:

[my favorite] Screw the BCS and any organized national championship events. Make all bowl games open, let trhe teams play whoever they want and then us argue over who's the best. It makes for great fun and keeps us entertained during the off season.
Take all conference champions, regardless of records, and use some of the bowl games (on a rotating basis) to host a short tournament. If you start with 12 teams, give the top 4 conferences a bye in the first round, it will take either 3 or 4 games to win the tournament. Cut back to 11 games and it's doable. The non conference champs that qualify can play in the other bowl games as they please.

by BLAZER PROPHET on Oct 15, 2007 8:22 PM PDT reply actions

I think

it's pretty naive to think that if things play out like that that the sytem will really change. Other years have been just as bad (like the year Oregon finsihed #2 or the year Auburn went undefeated playing in the SEC, or the year LSU and USC split the title). As GangGreen said its all about money and the powers that be are going to do what's most lucrative not what's most fair. I guess a playoff is the best solution, but I don't like the idea of teams that are perenially in the top five like USC having the enough margin for error to lose one or possibly two games and still having a shot at the national title.

by Grant on Oct 16, 2007 12:05 AM PDT reply actions