Bowls Biggest Indictment on Current System

The present structure of Division I-A college football is no stranger to criticism.  Even Congress joined the parade of those questioning why big time college football can not have a playoff to determine its champion.  Now anything that Congress questions has a pretty good chance of being restructured in the future, but the best ammunition for adopting some sort of playoff system still can be found by examining the bowls.The recently played Rose Bowl will go down as one of the greatest national championship games in college football history.  It was No. 1 versus No. 2, two Heisman Trophy winners versus a guy who will likely win one if he chooses to return for his senior season.  The game featured big runs, questionable decisions, and last second heroics.  It was simply amazing.  It also could have very easily been shrouded in controversy.  If either team would have entered the game with one loss or if Penn State or someone else had joined Texas and Southern California in the ranks of the unbeaten, the game would definitely not have the same historical significance.  

College football fans would be left to wonder would Vince Young be able to take over a game against a tough Nittany Lion defense.  His outstanding performance would have an asterisk beside it.  Likewise everyone time someone talks about the Trojans throttling of Oklahoma in the 2005 BCS Championship Game, someone else will bring up the fact that Auburn and Utah also were undefeated.  Yet, as it has in other seasons, the Bowl Championship Series lucked out this time.  College presidents and conference commissioners hope their chances of avoiding controversy will increase next season as the BCS will expand to five games, matching No1. against No 2. after the bowl games.  Still that is walking a tightrope because if there are more than two teams deserving of playing for the national title controversy will persist.  After watching Young will the Longhorns to victory Wednesday night, having to talk about anything but his performance would be a shame.  

Who should play for the national champion is important when judging the BCS and a possible playoff system, but who wants to play football at all is also important.  A great portion of the teams that played in bowl games this past season looked as if they would have preferred to be doing something else.  Georgia Tech, Miami, and Auburn did not show up to their bowl games.  Georgia Tech can sort of get a pass because they were playing a 6-5 team thousands of miles away from home.  Unlike Tech, Miami and Auburn supposedly had something to play for.  Miami was playing a top ten team and Auburn was playing a post New Year’s Day bowl game.  Those two footnotes meant nothing to those two proud programs as they went through the motions on their way to sound defeats.  The Georgia Bulldogs also found it hard to get up for their bowl game, despite it being a BCS bowl.  They trailed 28-0 before furiously rallying to turn their Sugar Bowl contest with West Virginia into a game.  

The fact that teams sometimes have letdowns in bowl games is not all on the players.  The coaches play a great part in it as well.  The notion that coaches enjoy going to bowl games because of extra practice time is more fiction than fact.  Coaches would rather be out on the road recruiting to ensure that they will play for something important in the future.  After the 26th of November coaches are permitted once again to go out and contact prospective recruits.  For most programs in the country organizing their recruiting calendar takes precedent over preparing for their meaningless bowl game.  In turn not only is their team likely to lose, but anyone hoping to see inspired football is likely to lose as well.  

As the bowl games prove, even when the current system in college football works it only works for two teams.  Teams who do not have anything to play for may take their bowl game lying down and actually lay down on the field.  When the current system does not work, college football fans are deprived of great match-ups and great college football teams are deprived of truly being called great.  This year controversy was avoided as two teams finished undefeated.  Yet a loss here or a win there and those discussing Vince Young performance in the Rose Bowl would have talked more about what ifs than what happened.