If you were paying attention yesterday, you were listening to the beginning of the end of the BCS. Actually, that started right before Thanksgiving, and I'll explain. Greed ruins everything, and thankfully, it's about to ruin the BCS.
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Gordon Gee, president at The Ohio State University, explained to anyone who would listen why Boise State shouldn't have a chance at a national championship. They don't play the schedule that Ohio State does (Ohio State's non conference: Marshall, Miami (FL), Ohio and Eastern Michigan, one of which ended with a winning record). They don't have to endure the rigors of a Big 10 or SEC schedule (You'll notice that the Big 10, with Nebraska, is joining hands with the SEC in this fight). Teams like Boise State could schedule big-time programs if they wanted to, but don't (nevermind them playing Virginia Tech and Oregon State this season).
It's the company line for the BCS Conference commissioners. They're starting to feel the pressure of the majority. You see, any poll of fans will show you that the people who pay the bills prefer a playoff to decide a national champion. Up until now, though, the conference commissioners, the NCAA and the BCS all had control of the media. They had their company line and that is the only argument that was given any credence.
This year, though, Yahoo's Dan Wetzel released a book that shook the BCS world. In "Death to the BCS", Wetzel thoroughly outlines the lies that the BCS "cartel" is perpetrating and also gives a well researched, viable solution to an NCAA playoff system. Wetzel's book has gotten a ton of press, and if you're a college football fan, you need to read it. The bottom line is that the wrong people get paid in the current system. The schools don't make good money. A playoff would generate 500% more revenue than the bowl system. It's time for a change.
The BCS Conference commissioners know this. They know it's time for a change. They know their backs are against the wall. They are starting to fight. The reason? The majority of their job is to protect their conferences' football programs and the revenue and prestige of those programs. A playoff system will allow the Boise State's and TCU's of the world to infiltrate that prestige. If that prestige goes away, so does their cushy job with the inflated paycheck. They're fighting. I would too.
Yesterday, reports came out with quotes from a press conference at a conference commissioners' meeting. They were telling and they were harsh. They were also a sign that the end is near. The conference commissioners are starting to fight, and with that fight comes contradictions to everything they've been saying about equality. The truth is they don't want equality. They want what they have.
Jim Delany of the Big 10 was the harshest. "The problem is your big stage takes away opportunities for my teams, to play on the stage they created in 1902."
What? Seriously? This has officially become AT&T vs. the world. AT&T created the stage and became a monopoly. They didn't want to give any more, and thus, the government had to step in and break AT&T up.
Then you have this gem that Beebe gave to FanHouse.com. "Don't push it past this because if you push it past this, the Big 12's position is we'll just go back to the old (bowl) system. You're getting the ability to get to places you've never gotten before. We've Jerry-rigged the free market system to the benefit of those institutions and a lot are institutions that don't even fill their stadiums."
He actually referred to the bowl system and the BCS as a "free market system". Maybe Mr. Beebe should be more involved in keeping his conference relevant instead of pumping up a system that may or may not include him in 5-10 years at the current rate.
It's quite simple, really. A playoff system makes sense. Every other sport uses one. Every other division of college football uses one. Every single BCS argument has been debunked. The teams in the smaller conferences have become more competitive every year with scholarship limitations and more exposure for the sport. The time has come. It's time for a playoff.
Mike Leach, former Texas Tech head coach, said it best on his radio show a couple of weeks ago. "Division-IAA hates their playoff so much that they expanded from 16 to 20 teams this year."
Keep it up conference commissioners, university presidents and BCS and bowl cohorts. Playoff supporters everywhere appreciate you continually sticking your collective feet in your mouths and increasing the chances that we will see a playoff soon!
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