BCS Buys Some Time
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
I like to compare attempts to get a college football playoff to field goal attempts. Time and time again field goal units are sent out onto the field - sometimes in the form of sports writers, sometimes in the form of polls involving college football players, and sometimes in the form of the President of the US - in hopes of putting the metaphorical ball through the metaphorical uprights which sharply divide the realm of fiction and idea from the realm of non-fiction and reality. Over the years attempts have been abruptly rejected by an extremely formidable defense that seems to block every field goal attempt they're faced with. Over the past year, however, it seemed as though a stronger field goal unit was being recruited through the attempts and persuasions of many important people with a lot of say. Many thought this attempt had a real chance of putting points on the board. Along with the momentum built with this unit came a bowl season filled to the brim with disinteresting and lopsided games; it was as if the stars were aligning and the quest for a playoff was nearly within grasp. There we were, watching our metaphorical football sailing over those who usually block it, silently yet authoritatively deeming all attempts futile. Then, just when we thought the ball was going to gently float through the uprights into the realm of reality, a torrential gust of wind came and sailed the ball wide left. Oh, so close. That gust of wind has a name, by the way: the Tostitos National Championship Game. That's right. Just when we thought we had a chance, the championship game - the final of all the frustratingly pointless and insignificant bowl games - ruined most hope we had in our new field goal unit. The Auburn football players and coaches weren't the only victors after Monday nights national championship game. The BCS system was also victorious, being able to claim for another year that the system provided the best possible matchup and provided an adequate level of excitement for fans. After all, excitement is one of the key components in the argument for a playoff in college football. So, since the BCS system produced a game between two undefeated teams that went down to the very last second, it can boast its effectiveness for at least another year.
The momentum I spoke of during the past year was real - there's never been a stronger resurgence against the current BCS system as those with power in the sports world anted up their arguments both for a playoff and against a bowl system. Writers portrayed the numerous benefits that would accompany a playoff, from both a financial standpoint and an excitement standpoint. 
Over 100 current college football players were anonymously polled as to whether they'd rather have a playoff or bowl games, and an overwhelming 62.2% said they would prefer a playoff. President Obama even made his voice heard on the matter, claiming, "[a playoff] makes sense. If you've got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there's no clear decisive winner." However, despite this momentum and effort it seems as if the BCS will live to see another day. Monday night's game gave those who support the BCS a major edge in their argument as to why their system is best from an excitement standpoint.
Over 100 current college football players were anonymously polled as to whether they'd rather have a playoff or bowl games, and an overwhelming 62.2% said they would prefer a playoff. President Obama even made his voice heard on the matter, claiming, "[a playoff] makes sense. If you've got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there's no clear decisive winner." However, despite this momentum and effort it seems as if the BCS will live to see another day. Monday night's game gave those who support the BCS a major edge in their argument as to why their system is best from an excitement standpoint.
However, despite an extremely close and exciting national championship game, bowl season was filled with games that epitomized the frustrations people have with the system. Games like the Orange Bowl, in which Stanford thumped Virginia Tech by 28 points; the Fiesta Bowl, where Oklahoma whooped UConn 48-20; the Capital One Bowl, which was interesting until the game actually started, resulted in an Alabama 49, Michigan State 7 thrashing. It's games like these that make bowl season frustrating. I'm not going to sit here and say that the national championship game was a bad game - I watched nearly the entire game and it was extremely exciting the whole way through. What I will sit here and say, however, is that we saw two teams matched up because, by no fault of their own, they were able to cruise through a flawed system on their way to the top while other legitimate contenders (TCU!!!!!!!) had to sit helplessly and watch. The end result was great but the ends don't justify the means. All we can hope for now is: that all of the collective efforts that pushed for a playoff over the past year were not in vain, that despite this years exciting BCS finish, logic and common sense will compute to those who rely on computers to decide who the best team in the country is, and that we can all get our Wes Byrum on and kick us a field goal.
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