A College Football Postseason That Can Work

Before I say anything, I just want to say that the Utah Utes are my college football national champions for the 2008 season. Why? Because college football is stuck in an archaic tradition in which the national champion is decided by a poll each year. If AP voters get to pick their national champion, why can’t I pick mine?

What we all know, though, is that the college football postseason is way overdue for a change. Yes, some years, like 2002, the BCS helped. But in other years, like 2008, the BCS was a complete disaster. Why? Because it’s inherently flawed. The BCS is designed to unite the top two regular season teams in a championship game. That’s just fine when in 2002 Ohio State and Miami (FL) were the only undefeated teams.

But what about this year? Utah and Boise State finished the regular season undefeated. Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, USC, Florida, Alabama, and Penn State all ended in loss. How in the world can the BCS claim to “know” which of those teams are the best two? Each of them made a good case for consideration.

So, with the idea that a college football playoff is not on the BCS agenda, what can be done to fix this problem? The answer is a format plus one.

Currently, the BCS pairs the top two teams at the end of the normal station. A plus-one format takes the bowl season into account before deciding who the top two teams in the nation are. Imagine this year if the bowls had been Florida beating Texas, Oklahoma beating Ohio State, and Utah dismantling Alabama? Wouldn’t bowl season have justified Utah playing Florida in the title game? Imagine a national championship in which both teams did more than just win the perceived “best” conferences in college football?

So here’s a postseason proposition for college football that may actually work. First, add a fifth bowl to the BCS bowls. The Cotton Bowl seems like an obvious choice. Then, create a traditional rivalry between the conference champions. The following might work:

Rose Bowl: Pac 10 vs. Big 10
Fiesta Bowl: Big 12 vs. WAC
Sugar Bowl: SEC vs. MWC
Orange Bowl: ACC vs. Big East
Cotton bowl: C-USA, Sun Belt, MAC

The top two ranked teams between C-USA, Sun Belt, and MAC get to play in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame enters the Cotton Bowl if it is ranked No. 8 or higher and is also ranked higher than at least two of those conference champions.

Now all these bowls will be played in two days to bring back the New Years tradition. Two bowls are played on December 31 and the other three on January 1. Adjust accordingly if one of them falls on a Sunday. Make these BCS bowls the last bowls played of the season. Once all the bowls have been played, including these BCS bowls, the BCS re-ranks the teams.

The plus-one format would require the new number one and number two to face each other in the national championship game. It is perfect? No, because there will always be controversy. But has anyone ever tuned in to a bowling game where their team isn’t playing? This would bring the importance of the college football regular season to the bowl season. Losing a bowling game would be more than a disappointment as it is now; it could derail your national championship aspirations.

A tiebreaker is the only true way to eliminate controversy in this sport, but we all know that the BCS and the powers that be are not going to let that happen anytime soon. That is, of course, unless Obama and the administration step in and stop the BCS’s unfair practices. I wouldn’t hold your breath though. Until a tiebreaker can become a reality, this plus-one proposition would be the best we could get.