BCS Roulette

I realize there is still a few weeks left in the college football season and nothing is EVER set in stone, but I would be hard pressed not to vent some early frustrations with the BCS and College Football.

My first frustration lies within the Big XII conference. Next weekend's game between Texas Tech and Oklahoma could prove to be disastrous for the outcome of the National Championship. Should Oklahoma win, which I believe they are fully capable of doing, there would be a three way tie in the Big XII South and the tiebreaker, the TIEBREAKER, is the BCS Rankings of the team at the end of the season. With how flawed this system actually is, Texas Tech is immediately eliminated from any shot of not only a National Championship, but their conference championship as well. I would have to believe Oklahoma could jump Texas in those rankings and have a shot to win the conference and play for a national championship.

My second gripe is for yet another plea for a playoff system. If the Big XII mess does not upset you as a fan, the need for a playoff system is once again apparent and should be demanded given the caliber of football being played this season. Right now there are at least eight elite teams in the country. Alabama, Texas Tech, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Boise State, and uggh USC (even though they could not win their own conference). Being a fan of Cinderella stories I would sooner give Ball State a shot before USC because any team that can go undefeated, no matter who they play, deserves a shot at the title in my book. Think about college basketball. If there was a minor conference school who ran the table, they would certainly be ranked higher than most minor conference champions, and at least give them a shot at the title. What the BCS is saying to schools like Ball State, Boise State and Utah is "your conference and your schedule isn't tough enough to warrant an opportunity for you to play for the national championship and with our pockets lined with a fat contract, we're not going to change the system anytime soon so you're going to have to live with that."

...and I digress

I just do not understand why the powers that be will not give the fans a playoff and settle it the same way EVERY OTHER SPORT does. I had a heated discussion with a friend last weekend about the differences between college and professional football. I claim, and still truly believe, that college football is a far superior product and sport than the NFL. The passion that players posess every Saturday is unlike anything I have seen in all my sports watching years. They play as a team and they play to win, EVERY WEEK. In the NFL, you watch teams get to the point of no return and you see the team give up and start playing for next year's draft pick. It's taken an entire week to come up with finite proof, but I honestly believe that the NFL does not stand a chance in this argument because as flawed as college football is in determining a champion, it has not stopped teams from wanting to do something truly remarkable and have an undefeated season.

That being said, I want to see an Oklahoma vs. Florida National Championship Game. But I can honestly say I would be ecstatic if one of those mid major schools with a perfect record were given their due and a shot to win the title. And if Barack Obama, as our new President, can do something about the BCS system and implement a playoff, that just might win my vote in 2012 (raise my taxes like you said you wouldn't, as long as you put in a playoff system in college football)