Yes. This is another article related to a playoff in division 1A college football. Division 1A college football is lacking a playoff, and that is a fact. I am not going to pitch my ideas about an 8 or 16 team playoff/tournament. I am not going to degrade the BCS. Well, I might do this a little. I want to have a discussion about the word “playoff” and/or “tournament” and the idea of either term not being part of college football vocabulary.Turn the TV on ESPN during the end of the seasons related to pro baseball, pro football, and pro basketball. You hear that word: Playoff. You say to yourself, “Man, I am a college football fan. I wish college football had a playoff.” Dreams ensue, and the world is perfect. You awake from the dream and finally realize that the word “playoff” will never be used in the same sentence as college football (div. 1A) in a positive manner. That word is used more and more as the seasons of the big three sports progress. Which teams will make it? Which teams will barely miss it? Which teams can lose early and claw their way back into playoff contention? Just imagine if these questions could be asked when watching college football.
But as a fan of the greatest sport in the world, you are relying on a bunch of computers to decide which two teams will play in the national championship game. Think about how ridiculous that is. As a fan, you hover around your television when the first BCS standings are released. And the bad part is, you already know which teams take up the top two spots. Then what? You will continue to watch for the BCS standings each week until the season ends. What is so bad about that? Most of the time, controversy erupts. It does not end until the game is played and the final score is displayed. Did we get what we wanted? Well, if Oklahoma 13 Florida State 2, Miami 37 Nebraska 14, Southern Cal 55 Oklahoma 19, LSU 21 Oklahoma 14 along with Southern Cal 28 Michigan 14 rings a bell, then I doubt the serious college football fan got what he/she wanted.
A college football team has to play a very near perfect season and play in a BCS conference to land in the national championship game. Very slim odds. These odds do not exist in any other sport, not even the pros. We are talking about college kids playing a game in front of thousands of fans. Injuries, illnesses, and family matters also exist while athletes are in college, don’t they? Perfection is not part of professional football. Why should it be this way in college football? The way the BCS is set up now, if a team loses their first game or maybe lose two out of the first three, then the national title hunt is over for them. What is left to strive for? Incorporate a playoff, and the season will still mean something. A lot of playoff bashers don’t see it this way. Who cares? They see a lot of things differently, and they could be just as wrong as the next person.
Just think about it. Your favorite team is preseason ranked in the top 10, and they lose the first game of the season. They win the next game and lose the third one. Your team is out of the national title picture. The coach and coordinators do some work and make some changes. Your team wins the next 9 regular season games and wins the conference title game. The season produces a 11 – 2 mark for your team. The way it is set up now, your team does not stand a chance at the national title game. Instill a playoff and your team is within reach of the title game. A lot of other teams will have the opportunity to show what they can do at the end of the season.
The college football national championship will finally be settled on the field, not on some computer that contains a formula that resembles an Arabic version of the Rosetta Stone.