The BCS is not going to be sufficient in seasons like 2007, when not enough (meaning less than 2) teams distinguish themselves as "the best", nor will it be good enough in years where more than 2 teams show themselves to be great.
PAC-10 and Big Ten honchos want to hold on to the tradition of the Rose Bowl, while their fans want to be national champs...and keep the Rose Bowl around too.
The networks want to televise games that will give them high ratings and bring in ad revenue
The bowls, non-BCS that is, don't want to be marginalized any further, as they bring in tourist dollars a'plenty for warm-weather cities across the South and West...and those in the North with domed stadiums.
College Presidents don't want to jeopardize the students academic progress with a longer season...
... unless there's more money at play
Coaches are sick of having to lobby for a spot in the BCS ala' Mack Brown successful journey to the Rose Bowl the year before Texas...scratch that...Vince Young won the National Title, and Bob Stoops' unsuccessful attempt this year (he didn't have enough time).
Fans want their favorite sport to not be diminished or continue to have stupid ish like Oklahoma in the title game after losing to K-State in 03, Auburn getting left out in 04, and USC getting left out in 03, and then weird years like this one.
So how do we fix this? What can be done to appease everyone?
The answer is nothing. But I do have a solution that would take as little compromise as possible - and only add 4 games (not weeks, games) to the season
Tradition is a big deal in college football. Some traditions more than others. I wouldn't dream of asking Alabama and Tennessee not to play on the 3rd Saturday in October (though its happened), but I would ask teams to let go of their thanksgiving weekend matchups if they are in a conference with a championship game. Do you HAVE to play a game on Thanksgiving weekend? How big a deal is that? Why am I bringing this up anyway? Let's get to Dr Hak's "Fix It" solution.
Dr. Hak Fixes The BCS
I now unveil, the "Final Four Plus-One BCS Solution"
1) End (and, if needed, start) the season one calendar week earlier. Championship Week is Thanksgiving weekend.
2) Four games are played on the first Saturday in December among the "Top 8" teams, as determined by a blue-ribbon selection committee. Non-BCS conference teams are promised one spot per year.
3) Semi-final games and Plus One Championship Game rotate between the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls
4) Rose Bowl hosts a "semi" when both the Big 10 and Pac 10 champ survive into the Final Four. Bowl that "loses" the semi-game is the one that will host the title game the next year. If only one of the two conference champs is in the Final Four, Rose Bowl gets first replacement pick.
2006 Results
December Final Four Play-In Games
- Ohio State defeats Wake Forest or Oklahoma
- USC defeats Louisville
- Boise St defeats LSU
- Florida defeats Michigan
Rose Bowl Semi - Ohio State v USC
Orange Bowl - Boise St v Florida
Sugar Bowl - (loses Semi game, gets two picks) - Notre Dame v LSU
Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma v Louisville
2007 Projections
December Final Four Play-In Games
- Ohio State defeats Hawaii
- LSU defeats Georgia
- Virginia Tech defeats West Virginia
- Oklahoma defeats USC
Fiesta Bowl Semi- Ohio State v Oklahoma
Orange Bowl Semi - Virginia Tech v LSU
Rose Bowl - Illinois v USC
Sugar Bowl - West Virginia v Missouri
Comments and critiques are welcome
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