The BCS Busters Boise, Utah and TCU

[grokme]

First, let me state my affiliation. I am a TCU fan. TCU is pretty good this year. They are undefeated and they are ranked 6th in the current BCS poll. I am also a fair weather Texas fan. Texas is undefeated as well, and they are ranked 2nd in the current BCS poll.

I found an article (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/n ... &type=lgns) about how Boise (another of the undefeated teams) has challenged any of the big schools from the SEC or Big 12 to play them. No takers. The big conferences don't want to play them, because if they lose, it kills their chances at a BCS bowl. However, if they don't play them, and remain undefeated, they are likely to get either the Championship BCS game or one of the more vaulted BCS bowls.

Meanwhile, Boise and TCU are suffering together. They have good teams, but unless they can play the big conference teams, they will always be on the back burner. They might get one of the less prestigious BCS bowls if they go undefeated. However, even in that situation, they are criticized because they aren't playing the big conference teams. A big conference team, say Texas, could lose a game and still end up in a higher bowl than Boise and TCU.

In situations where these smaller teams have played the big conference opponents, they have done very well. Boise beat Oklahoma a few years ago. Utah won their bowl appearance against Alabama. This year, BYU stomped Oklahoma in a season opener.

The BCS has created a situation where competition is being stiffled. This is interstate competion, so it falls under the perview of interstate commerce. Congress has the right to control interstate commerce and enforce the antitrust laws. I think it is time for Congress to step in and reorder the BCS to be a playoff system.

Utah has already filed a lawsuit after going undefeated twice and denied a championship bid.

[summoner]

As much as I hate to see gov't get involved in this, I think it needs to here. The problem is those schools(TCU,Boise,Utah, et al) have shown they can play and beat the "big" schools. They get locked out of millions of dollars in revenue from big bowl games and it hurts their chances of recruiting. We really need a playoff!!

[grokme]

I don't mind government involvement at this point because the schools have had the opportunity to correct this for quite some time and they didn't do it. There's no incentive for teams like Texas, Florida, USC, etc... to change. Time to hit them in their pocketbooks. Either they play teams like Boise and TCU or forfeit their bowl bids.

What I don't understand is why they don't realize the money that could be made off of a playoff system. Look at the final four. They could have something similar. It would allow their teams to play in more big games.

[grokme]

Iowa lost today and TCU is killing San Diego State. TCU should be a top fiver after this week. Alabama is probably going to escape the LSU game, but if they had lost, the BCS would have to entertain TCU in one of the top 2 bowls if they continue to win.

[dragon04]

Government intervention? Into who gets to play in Bowls for National Championships? C'MON, guys. SHEESH.


There needs to be a playoff format, plain and simple. Yearly, the NCAA Tournament in basketball accounts for the good teams in the "crappy" conferences. They get their chance.

I don't know about everywhere, but here in West Virginia and neighboring Ohio and Pennsylvania, State Football Champions are determined by a playoff system. At the level on the other side of College ball, the NFL CHampions are determined by a playoff system.

So why is the CFA so utterly resistant to a playoff format to determine the football National Champion? I guess one would have to follow the money. The usual suspects fear the loss of top recruits (and the possibility of losing a lot of Alumni $$$) and use their weight to protect their interests; the only people NOT making money hand over fist in College Football are the athletes. But, that's a topic for another day.

The current BCS is crap. It's an elaborate construct to give the appearance of an unbiased system by which a national champion is determined.

I would love to see TCU, Boise State and Utah (or any others) all finish undefeated with all 3 in the top 5 a few years running. However, there IS something to be said about the level of competition those schools play against. I know that on the surface, it's easy to say that they do it "because the Big Schools won't play them", yet I often see a lot of derision when those very same Big Schools play "no name schools".

It's kind of a double standard. People are quick to argue that a school like Alabama doesn't deserve to be #1 because their schedule has too many games against schools from "weak conferences", yet they're also admonished because they are "afraid to play" teams like TCU and others who despite being very good are from.... "weak conferences".

Another (important) thing to consider is that no matter how good Boise State is, schedules are made out 5,6,7 and even 10 years in advance. Schools can't simply call their scheduled opponents on the phone and tell them that theyve got to drop them because Utah is hot this year. Schedules are contractual agreements.

Yet another problem is conference schedules. The schools like TCU and others (rightfully in a way) complain that they can't get a game with a big school in order to prove that they are just as good. I understand and sympathize with it, but let's face facts.... Arguably, the SEC is probably the toughest conference in College ball. While Boise State is complaining that they can't get that one signature game to prove themselves, 'Bama is playing a "signature game" every Saturday.

While it's maybe unfair for BSU, how can we expect Alabama to have to face the likes of Florida, LSU, Georgia, etc week in and week out and then be expected to ALSO play tough non-conference games as well?

Conferences. Maybe TCU, Boise State and Utah should make their own conference and play each other every year like Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, etc, do in the Big 10. If their programs are so solid, certainly, they'd welcome the opportunity to prove themselves against their fellow oppressed programs.

[grokme]

Dragon,

You say you don't want government intervention, but then you say they should have a playoff. The only way a playoff will happen is with government intervention. The big schools certainly aren't going to change things of their own accord. Government intervention is perfectly suitable to this situation. This is interstate commerce, and the constitution grants congress the authority to control interstante commerce. This falls under fair trade and antitrust laws. The usual measure the Supreme Court looks at is whether these monopolie negatively affect the consumer. In my opinion they do. Being a consumer of all types of football, I think the BCS as it now stands does not bring forward a true national champion. They bring forward a "best guess". I would like to buy a product with a proven champion.

What other sport doesn't have some type of playoff system? I can't think of many.

Also, why shouldn't the big schools have to play strong teams week in and week out? If they are the supposed national champs, they should be able to handle any level of competition from week to week. I cringed this week when I saw that Texas was playing Central Florida. Com'n. That's not a football game. I would rather watch TCU and Texas and see who is actually better. Then I will be satisfied and know that the product I am purchasing clearly determines who the best team is.

Instead we have this waterend down college football. I think it would be cool to see great college teams play each other and have stnadings more like you see in the NFL, where a Super Bowl champ still loses 3 or 4 games a year. Also, it's big money for the colleges when a good product is out there. They could probably make back all their money on killer tv contracts. Look at the NFL. They have literally billions of dollars of contracts out to the various networks.

[grokme]

Dragon,

To address a couple of your other points, first the one about TCU, Boise, Utah, etc.... creating their own super conference, wouldn't that just be a duplication of the problem? There is always going to be some upstart small school that should be given a chance to compete.

Also, non conference games are scheduled months in advance, not years in advance. Here's a site http://huddleuptexas.com/College/FutureSkeds/index.htm that has the following quote:

The most-hackneyed saying in college football is: "Schedules are made out years in advance."

Yes, a few games are.

But in today's college football, some non-conference opponents aren't finalized until a few months before the season. And full schedules are rarely solidified until the spring before the season begins.

[dragon04]

Well bud, that's where you and I part paths. I'd rather see your "watered down college football" than having the damned Government controlling yet another aspect of private America.

[grokme]

My opinion has little to do with the matter. The federal government has always controlled situations where the national markets are out of whack, and where violations of fair trade have occured between states.

[drwayne]

An adjustment to the BCS formula that more heavily weights strength of schedule, or even breaks off
non-conference strength of schedule *might* be a solution if one wants to see more games featuring
these sorts of matchups.

I cringe when I see a schedule for a major college team feature 2 or 3 games against "directional"
schools. One thing to keep in mind is that for the tomato can - oops, smaller school, such games bring
in a lot of money - in some cases one such game can almost make their budget for the year.

Wayne

p.s. I remember some years ago when I saw one school, Memphis State, was homecoming opponent
for something like 5 different teams.

[abq_farside]

I don't mind government involvement at this point because the schools have had the opportunity to correct this for quite some time and they didn't do it. There's no incentive for teams like Texas, Florida, USC, etc... to change. Time to hit them in their pocketbooks. Either they play teams like Boise and TCU or forfeit their bowl bids.

What I don't understand is why they don't realize the money that could be made off of a playoff system. Look at the final four. They could have something similar. It would allow their teams to play in more big games.

Being a fan of a non-BCS school, I am in favor of a least a 8 team playoff and would prefer a 16 team format. I think it is highly hypocritical for the presidents to continue to keep the current system (due to academics supposedly) but then to allow the other football divisions and D1 basketball to have a national tournament. But the powers in the BCS will fight tooth and nail to keep the money in the 6 so-called "power" conferences.

I can see TCU being undefeated and I think they are stronger than Boise, but neither will get a chance to play for the BCS title. Hell, only one of them are likely to get a big money bowl (BSC).

In NCAA football, D1 (Football Bowl Subdivision) is the only football division without a national playoff. Why is that? Because it is all about the money.

Q: Who was the last NCAA D1 Football National Champion?
A: There has never been a D1 Football National Champion!

[brandbll]

Well bud, that's where you and I part paths. I'd rather see your "watered down college football" than having the damned Government controlling yet another aspect of private America.

The government wouldn't be stepping in on the basis of making a sport better, they'd be stepping on the basis of the NCAA discriminating certain schools from the oppurtunities(mainly monetarily) they deserve just as much as any other Division 1 school does. Boise State is a Division 1 team, so either the NCAA should treat them like a Division 1 team or send them back down to a lower level.

The NCAA is stupid for not having a playoff system.