Living somewhere between the world of fantasyland and real world practicality, what if the BCS had gotten it right from the start? Now that the powers-that-be are trying to add a bizarre piggyback game rather than a one-game, money-growing-on-trees-producing, national championship game after the bowls have been played, it's important to examine if this whole mess could have been corrected from the beginning, and how things might have shaken out.
For purposes of this exercise, forget about a tournament-like playoff. It will never happen and is a logistical and practical nightmare. Bowls are already worried about filling stadiums now much less for an eight-to-twelve team tournament. With that in mind, and assuming the BCS formula is still in place, here is what the BCS should do, should have done from the beginning and if it would have worked.
1) Whatever the BCS final rankings turn out to be, that is what they are.
Forget about conference ties and other suck-up-to-the-big-league rules; the top eight teams are in the BCS. That would silence the mid-majors from whining about not getting a chance to play for the big money. Finish in the top eight and you're in. That would also make the big boys happy since, realistically, no mid-major would ever get into the BCS.
2) BCS #1 plays BCS #4, BCS #2 plays BCS #3 on New Year's Day. The two winners face off a week later for the national title in fifth BCS bowl game (and make the Cotton Bowl part of the mix).
There's no excuse for this not to happen. School presidents can't whine about players missing class time since the final game happens around January 8th to 11th. (This just in, the college football season is played during the school year. Why is anyone worried about lost class time for a playoff?) It's only one extra game and not a full-blown playoff that would make teams plays several extra games. This would protect the integrity of the bowl system and the regular season without a gimmicky playoff system that rewards the hot teams. BCS teams 5-8 would be paired off to make the most geographic and good-of-the-game sense.
So this sounds great in theory, but how would it have worked in practice since the BCS went to its current system? Here's a look back at the last six BCS finishes and how things might have shaken out.
2003
BCS #1 Oklahoma vs. BCS #4 Michigan - Fiesta
BCS #2 LSU vs. BCS #3 USC - Rose
BCS # 5 Ohio State vs. BCS #6 Texas - Cotton
BCS #7 Florida State vs. BCS #8 Tennessee - Orange
What would most likely happen: Oklahoma over Michigan, USC (playing the equivalent of a home game) over LSU, USC over Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl
Who gets screwed? In this scenario, LSU for playing on USC's home floor, but then again, Nick Saban and the boys got to play at home in the Sugar Bowl. BCS #9 Miami would be screaming that Florida State is in a big money game, and #10 Kansas State would have a mini-beef before everyone remembered the Marshall loss.
2002
BCS #1 Miami vs. BCS #4 USC - Orange
BCS #2 Ohio State vs. BCS #3 Georgia - Sugar
BCS # 5 Iowa vs. BCS #6 Washington State - Rose
BCS #7 Oklahoma vs. BCS #8 Kansas State - Cotton
What would most likely happen: Miami over USC, Georgia over Ohio State (remember Buckeye fans, I picked OSU to beat Miami), Miami over Georgia in the Fiesta (I know, the logic doesn't quite work since OSU actually beat Miami)
Who gets screwed? No one. The top eight teams are solid, the Rose Bowl gets Big Ten vs. Pac 10, and the final four would be the best ever. Would you be shocked with any combination of the top four teams playing for the national title?
2001
BCS #1 Miami vs. BCS #4 Oregon - Orange
BCS #2 Nebraska vs. BCS #3 Colorado - Cotton
BCS # 5 Florida vs. BCS #6 Tennessee - Sugar
BCS #7 Texas vs. BCS #8 Illinois - Fiesta
What would most likely happen: Miami over Oregon, Colorado over Nebraska, Miami over Colorado in the Rose
Who gets screwed? Colorado and Tennessee for having to play bowl rematches over teams they already beat in historical fashion. SEC champion and BCS #13 LSU gets totally hosed considering what it did against the Illini in the Sugar Bowl. BCS #10 Maryland finished sixth in both polls (but the BCS is in place to weed out the historically flaky human element.)
2000
BCS #1 Oklahoma vs. BCS #4 Washington - Rose
BCS #2 Florida State vs. BCS #3 Miami - Sugar
BCS # 5 Virginia Tech vs. BCS #6 Oregon State - Cotton
BCS #7 Florida vs. BCS #8 Nebraska - Fiesta
What would most likely happen: Oklahoma over Washington, Miami over Florida State, Oklahoma over Miami in the Orange
Who gets screwed? No one except maybe Oklahoma being forced to play Miami in the Orange Bowl. The rematch of the classic Florida State - Miami could have gone either way since the Noles were blazing hot at the end of the year. Would you take FSU over the Canes in a really big game?
1999
BCS #1 Florida State vs. BCS #4 Alabama - Orange
BCS #2 Virginia Tech vs. BCS #3 Nebraska - Fiesta
BCS # 5 Tennessee vs. BCS #8 Michigan - Sugar
BCS #6 Kansas State vs. BCS #7 Wisconsin - Rose
What would most likely happen: Florida State over Alabama, Nebraska over Virginia Tech, Florida State over Nebraska in the Cotton
Who gets screwed? BCS #12 Marshall would whine after going 13-0
1998
BCS #1 Tennessee vs. BCS #4 Ohio State - Sugar
BCS #2 Florida State vs. BCS #3 Kansas State - Orange
BCS # 5 UCLA vs. BCS #7 Arizona - Rose
BCS #6 Texas A&M vs. BCS #8 Florida - Cotton
What would most likely happen: Ohio State over Tennessee, Kansas State over Florida State, Ohio State over Kansas State in the Fiesta
Who gets screwed? Big Ten champion and BCS #9 Wisconsin, in hindsight, gets screwed since it beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Everyone forgets what a monster the 1998 Buckeye team was with only a strange slip to Michigan State stopping a dominant season. Kansas State would have beaten the Marcus Outzen-led Seminoles.
For purposes of this exercise, forget about a tournament-like playoff. It will never happen and is a logistical and practical nightmare. Bowls are already worried about filling stadiums now much less for an eight-to-twelve team tournament. With that in mind, and assuming the BCS formula is still in place, here is what the BCS should do, should have done from the beginning and if it would have worked.
1) Whatever the BCS final rankings turn out to be, that is what they are.
Forget about conference ties and other suck-up-to-the-big-league rules; the top eight teams are in the BCS. That would silence the mid-majors from whining about not getting a chance to play for the big money. Finish in the top eight and you're in. That would also make the big boys happy since, realistically, no mid-major would ever get into the BCS.
2) BCS #1 plays BCS #4, BCS #2 plays BCS #3 on New Year's Day. The two winners face off a week later for the national title in fifth BCS bowl game (and make the Cotton Bowl part of the mix).
There's no excuse for this not to happen. School presidents can't whine about players missing class time since the final game happens around January 8th to 11th. (This just in, the college football season is played during the school year. Why is anyone worried about lost class time for a playoff?) It's only one extra game and not a full-blown playoff that would make teams plays several extra games. This would protect the integrity of the bowl system and the regular season without a gimmicky playoff system that rewards the hot teams. BCS teams 5-8 would be paired off to make the most geographic and good-of-the-game sense.
So this sounds great in theory, but how would it have worked in practice since the BCS went to its current system? Here's a look back at the last six BCS finishes and how things might have shaken out.
2003
BCS #1 Oklahoma vs. BCS #4 Michigan - Fiesta
BCS #2 LSU vs. BCS #3 USC - Rose
BCS # 5 Ohio State vs. BCS #6 Texas - Cotton
BCS #7 Florida State vs. BCS #8 Tennessee - Orange
What would most likely happen: Oklahoma over Michigan, USC (playing the equivalent of a home game) over LSU, USC over Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl
Who gets screwed? In this scenario, LSU for playing on USC's home floor, but then again, Nick Saban and the boys got to play at home in the Sugar Bowl. BCS #9 Miami would be screaming that Florida State is in a big money game, and #10 Kansas State would have a mini-beef before everyone remembered the Marshall loss.
2002
BCS #1 Miami vs. BCS #4 USC - Orange
BCS #2 Ohio State vs. BCS #3 Georgia - Sugar
BCS # 5 Iowa vs. BCS #6 Washington State - Rose
BCS #7 Oklahoma vs. BCS #8 Kansas State - Cotton
What would most likely happen: Miami over USC, Georgia over Ohio State (remember Buckeye fans, I picked OSU to beat Miami), Miami over Georgia in the Fiesta (I know, the logic doesn't quite work since OSU actually beat Miami)
Who gets screwed? No one. The top eight teams are solid, the Rose Bowl gets Big Ten vs. Pac 10, and the final four would be the best ever. Would you be shocked with any combination of the top four teams playing for the national title?
2001
BCS #1 Miami vs. BCS #4 Oregon - Orange
BCS #2 Nebraska vs. BCS #3 Colorado - Cotton
BCS # 5 Florida vs. BCS #6 Tennessee - Sugar
BCS #7 Texas vs. BCS #8 Illinois - Fiesta
What would most likely happen: Miami over Oregon, Colorado over Nebraska, Miami over Colorado in the Rose
Who gets screwed? Colorado and Tennessee for having to play bowl rematches over teams they already beat in historical fashion. SEC champion and BCS #13 LSU gets totally hosed considering what it did against the Illini in the Sugar Bowl. BCS #10 Maryland finished sixth in both polls (but the BCS is in place to weed out the historically flaky human element.)
2000
BCS #1 Oklahoma vs. BCS #4 Washington - Rose
BCS #2 Florida State vs. BCS #3 Miami - Sugar
BCS # 5 Virginia Tech vs. BCS #6 Oregon State - Cotton
BCS #7 Florida vs. BCS #8 Nebraska - Fiesta
What would most likely happen: Oklahoma over Washington, Miami over Florida State, Oklahoma over Miami in the Orange
Who gets screwed? No one except maybe Oklahoma being forced to play Miami in the Orange Bowl. The rematch of the classic Florida State - Miami could have gone either way since the Noles were blazing hot at the end of the year. Would you take FSU over the Canes in a really big game?
1999
BCS #1 Florida State vs. BCS #4 Alabama - Orange
BCS #2 Virginia Tech vs. BCS #3 Nebraska - Fiesta
BCS # 5 Tennessee vs. BCS #8 Michigan - Sugar
BCS #6 Kansas State vs. BCS #7 Wisconsin - Rose
What would most likely happen: Florida State over Alabama, Nebraska over Virginia Tech, Florida State over Nebraska in the Cotton
Who gets screwed? BCS #12 Marshall would whine after going 13-0
1998
BCS #1 Tennessee vs. BCS #4 Ohio State - Sugar
BCS #2 Florida State vs. BCS #3 Kansas State - Orange
BCS # 5 UCLA vs. BCS #7 Arizona - Rose
BCS #6 Texas A&M vs. BCS #8 Florida - Cotton
What would most likely happen: Ohio State over Tennessee, Kansas State over Florida State, Ohio State over Kansas State in the Fiesta
Who gets screwed? Big Ten champion and BCS #9 Wisconsin, in hindsight, gets screwed since it beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Everyone forgets what a monster the 1998 Buckeye team was with only a strange slip to Michigan State stopping a dominant season. Kansas State would have beaten the Marcus Outzen-led Seminoles.
