The BCS: A Big Crappy System

Midway through the college football system, the debate over who should be ranked where, who will get snubbed, and who's overrated has already begun. Boise State and Cincinnati may both go undefeated and neither will probably receive a bid for the National Championship. There is a debate over whether Alabama or Florida is really the number one team. Texas beat Oklahoma this past weekend, but that can hardly feel reassuring since Texas won last year as well, but Oklahoma was the team to receive a bid for the national title. While the unpredictability of this system may make it intriguing to the fans, there is always a good percentage who feel slighted at the end of the season. Despite the desire of...well, everyone that the system be changed, the people who run the BCS remain maddeningly stubborn.

The current system chooses ten teams to compete in the five BCS bowl games at the end of the season (the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, and the National Championship Game). The top two ranked teams in the BCS standings receive bids for the national championship. Conference winners of the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10, and SEC receive automatic bids. Non BCS teams receive an automatic bid if they are ranked in the top 12, but if there is more than one in the top 12, only one is given an automatic bid. Notre Dame receives an automatic bid if it is ranked in the top eight. At large bids are given to fill the remaining slots with various rules as to who can be picked.

You're probably asking yourself the obvious question, why no playoffs? Since pretty much every sport has a playoff why not college football? College football was very popular in the early 1900s. The travel costs and time of a playoff system were just not feasible at that time, leading to the creation of a bowl system in 1902. This system has been changed and modified into what we have today. Certainly the creation of a bowl system made sense in 1902 and the system is very unique. Logically, it also makes some sense. The two best teams play in the championship, the winners of the toughest conferences play in the subsequent bowl games and only other teams that have proven they are good enough are given at large bids. The system, however, has glaring problems that have been exposed repeatedly year after year.

In 2004 USC, Oklahoma, and Auburn all finished the season undefeated. As Auburn was ranked number three, they were snubbed. In 2007 Missouri beat Kansas and received the chance to play for the Big 12 championship. Missouri was beaten while Kansas watched from home. Kansas received an at large bid to the Orange Bowl while Missouri was not invited to a BCS bowl. I guess it would have been better for Missouri to lose to Kansas. That wasn't the only problem that year. Virginia Tech and LSU earned bids for the ACC title game and SEC title game respectively. Viginia Tech was ranked higher than LSU, beat a higher ranked team than LSU and by more points. LSU was given a national title bid over Virginia Tech, however, because LSU had beaten Tech earlier that season showing just how arbitrary the system really is. I could go on and on. Who will be snubbed this year? I guarantee someone will walk away from this season upset with the BCS.

It's time for a change in the system. Look at any league with a playoff system. Do any teams complain about who receives a playoff bid? No. Spots are earned by very clear rules, not arbitrary rankings. Now everyone and their mother seems to have their own idea for how the system should change. Probably any one of those systems is better than what they have now. The BCS, however, is dragging their feet. Despite the fact that EVERYBODY hates the system, they have made it clear that while the bowl games continue to bring in so much money, they will not change the system. It seems unlikely that this will ever change. In situations such as these, something dramatic has to happen to force their hand. Despite the numerous problems of every single season the system remains in place. Despite how unpopular the system is with everyone the system remains in place. If the BCS hasn't felt forced to change thus far, I doubt they ever will. We will just have to keep our fingers crossed that one day they will see the light.