Well, starting in 2014 it is….
Today the Presidential Oversight Committee officially signed off on a plan to bring a “Playoff” to College Football starting in the 2014-15 season. So what do we know about this seemingly wonderful plan to finally fix College Football?
Well we know that the “Football Final Four” has an agreement for 12 seasons starting in 2014 and the locations for each Final Four game will be rotated between the existing BCS Bowls (Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta) along with two additional bowls that have yet to be named. So now we have a Final Four in College Football!!! Hooray!!! Woo-Hoo!!!
Before you start doing the Bernie and actin a fool there are still some questions that need to be answered about College Football’s new frontier…
What bowls will be added to the Football “Final Four”?
The first bowl everybody will consider if the Cotton Bowl, in my opinion it should have been apart of the original BCS lineup but now with the Cotton Bowl being played in Cowboys Stadium aka “Jerry World” the Cotton becomes the apple of the Final Four Eye. The other one is up for strong debate, the Presidential Oversight Committee has said they will look at what Bowls have genrated revenue that would sustain or even grow if inserted into the Final Four. Only two bowls are up for discussion outside of the Cotton Bowl, the Chic-Fil-A Bowl and the Capitol One Bowl. Ironically enough both of those bowls are affiliated with the SEC. It shouldn’t be that big of a problem but with the SEC carrying the weight they currently have now, some may have an issue with it.
Who and How do you get a selection committee
This could go a long way in determine who gets screwed and who doesn’t. Instead of taking the top four in a poll, it will be for the four “most deserving” teams. Do you use the NCAA Basketball Model with a 13-15 member committee consisting of Athletic Directors from different schools around the country. That might become a little hazy because do you want to see SEC AD’s put a one loss Georgia or Bama over an undefeated Virginia Tech? No. Will it happen, probably. Also, you couldn’t use the media because they would shut teams out like Boise St. which (fair or not) fail to reach the standards of a National Champion in the eyes of the media. My solution would be get a mix of ex coaches/ath. directors and have them get together in the final few weeks of the season and settle it that way.
Who are the winners?
Right now, the conferences with title games should be sitting the catbird seat. The Pac-12, ACC, Big 10 and SEC have that singular conference champion they could vouch for so you wouldn’t see a team who didn’t win it’s division/conference get in the Final Four (Nick Saban would beg to differ). Also, the big winners are the 5 “Big Conferences”, there have been many seasons where an Oklahoma/FSU/Oregon has been sitting at the No.3 spot and had to play in another BCS Bowl while hoping by some crazy chance they could get a share. Well now if someone from the Pac-12 wins their conference they could be in strong consideration for a shot at the National Title.
Who are the losers?
Boise St, Notre Dame, Traditionalists and the Big East. Boise St. thought it was tough going undefeated in the current BCS system. It’s even harder now with the new system coming in 2014. A committee will look at Boise St’s schedule and it’s great that they beat Michigan St. to start the season but after that they played 11 tomato cans and they deserve it more than a one loss Nebraska? Please! How about Notre Dame? If you know me, I’m a die hard Irish fan but I will be honest, their place at the big boy table just got a heck of a lot smaller. If Notre Dame wants to retain their equal partnership with the major conferences, joining a conference just might be an option. Lastly, the Big East, I don’t know if I’m the only one but with the losses of Pitt and Syracuse coming in 2014 who and what could the BCS do to get into the Final Four? Not one team seems to set themselves apart and with the Big East finishing with 6/7/8 win teams, the Final Four selection committee would shove the Big East “champ” in their major bowl slot for that season.