COLUMN: Finally the underdog has a chance
I’ve been watching college football my entire life and have never understood why some teams had a chance to go to the championship while others could only dream.
After a few years, I realized that the biggest problem with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was its reliance on computers, because the underdog never gets taken into account. The computers regularly miscalculate the power of a conference, which overshadows teams that could compete in, and maybe even win, a championship game.
These computers will be thrown out the window come next season and will be replaced by a 15-person committee in order to determine four playoff teams.
Even though the BCS used a mixture of computers and humans in the past, I believe the sole reliance on an educated debate between commissioners and athletic directors will rightfully determine who should compete in the national title game.
Just imagine the results of a team like Boise State University, TCU or Utah winning in the semifinal and then upsetting their next opponent in the title game. Not only would this create revenue and excitement about college football, it would give these smaller schools a fighting chance in the years to come.
Some schools have always had a chance for a title run, while others are not even considered a possibility. Even if a team goes undefeated throughout the season, they know they will end up in a pointless bowl game. The playoff series would level the playing field for mid-major schools and make college football more competitive.
The only downside to abandoning the BCS is that the narrowed focus of a playoff system could ultimately hurt teams that acquire benefits from low-profile bowl games. Games like the Motor City Bowl or the Holiday Bowl will all be obsolete and quickly forgotten by fans after the playoff system is implemented.
Although these pointless bowl games obviously benefit these schools, I believe that a team who is teetering on the edge of .500 should not even be given a chance to play in a bowl game. These games might generate some revenue, but it doesn't do much for the popularity of college football.
College football has been missing the boat with their reliance on the BCS. Teams should compete in the national championship based on their victory against an opponent, not on some computer formula.
