How To Fix College Football
Fix college football? Blasphemy! College football is the world's greatest sport. However, I think we all agree the system could use some tweaks. Here's my three big recommendations:
(1) Playoff system. Duh. Specifically, I think we only need to add one game. Rather than simply tacking on the BCS Championship game as an extra bowl game, what they should have done was play #1 vs. #4 in one of the BCS bowls, #2 vs. #3 in another, and let the other two bowls have their traditional rivalry. That way, each bowl stays intact, they still make a ton of money (possibly more money), and at the end of the year we have something we have never had in the history of college football...a system for determining the undisputed national champion. On top of that, the major bowls have their traditional rivalry every other year, and a playoff game every other year.
Sure, there may be years when a #5 team has a legitimate gripe that they should have been #4. However, that's a lot different than an undefeated #3 from a major conference who is excluded from a title shot because their preseason poll was low. That's garbage.
(2) Conference championship games for all BCS conferences. That's right, I'm talking to you, Big 10 and Pac 10. You need to find a way to become the Pac 12 and Big 10 (with 12 teams). You need to divide yourself into north and south, where the north teams play all of the other north teams every year and half of the south teams every year, and vice versa.
Texas and Oklahoma have a legitimate complaint that they have to play each other twice every year, and if they split those games, neither of them gets a title shot. They are right. That isn't fair, and it doesn't make sense. Moreover, a conference championship game gives the conference legitimacy, makes more money for the conference, and ensures that no team can slip into the national championship game without beating at least one high quality opponent.
Here's how I propose we do this:
Big 10 -- Easy. They already have 11 teams. Notre Dame is practically in the Big 10 already. Half of their schedule is Big 10 opponents, every year. Notre Dame doesn't have to officially join the conference (so they can keep their sweetheart deal with NBC, etc.), but they do have to play all the other teams in the Big 10 north (so that they can preserve their traditional rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State, etc.), half of the teams in the Big 10 south, and have to participate in the conference title game if they make it. They can play four teams in their out of conference schedule, who will probably be USC, Stanford, Army, and Navy most, if not all years. Take a look at their schedule...this would not make a big difference for them. They won't do it, you say? If the BCS says that you have to win a conference title to play for the national championship, guess what? They'll do it.
Pac 10 (Pac 12) -- Hello, BYU and Utah. Or UNLV and Nevada if you want to keep it closer to the coast, although I think BYU and Utah would be a better fit for the Pac 10 in terms of quality and style of play. Either way, two teams join the Pac 12 north with the Washington and Oregon schools, and the Pac 12 south is made up of California and Arizona schools. Best conference record in the north plays best conference record in the south. Head to head is the obvious tie breaker. No more controversy, no more complex system...all is fair in love, war, and football.
What about the Big East, you ask? The Big East shouldn't have been a BCS team in the first place. They get dropped. (That is, unless they want to take on TCU, Fresno State, Navy, and Boise State...wouldn't make sense geographically, but at least that would create a respectable conference schedule for Big East teams).
Now there are 5 BCS conferences, and each produces a champion. Most years, four of those champions will go on to compete for the national championship. Some years, a non-BCS conference will sneak someone in there, though I suspect that won't happen often. West Virginia or TCU might occasionally go undefeated and find themselves in the top 4, but otherwise it's not going to happen. Every once in a while, a conferece might get two teams into the top four, but this isn't likely given that they all have to play a conference title game, and late losses aren't good in the polls.
I know, I know...this isn't politically feasible. But if it could be done, it would improve college football dramatically. Having different sized major conferences, some of which have to play a championship game and some of which don't, is silly. The Pac 10's recent move of having each team play every other team in the conference every year helps, but I don't think it's enough. There needs to be a way to create consensus conference champions in all of the major conferences.
(3) Organized compensation system for players. Yes, I said it. If you want players to stop jumping ship to the NFL, you have to at least give them the opportunity to stay in college. These kids need to be taken care of, over the table, using legitimate means. Then, if someone cheats, you can really bring the hammer down, and the general public might actually care.
Right now, the quasi-amateur status of college football is a joke. I agree that they should be forbidden from endorsement money and professional agents. College players should not be millionaires. While a free education is a good start, it doesn't put food on the table.
Here's what I propose: Uniform stipend for each member of the active roster, plus a limited number of redshirted players. Let's say $25,000 per year. A college kid can live off of that reasonably. They won't be faced with a choice of staying in school and starving or going pro too soon.
Then, if a kid is caught taking extra money or perks, we can legitimately say that they are cheating, and that they should be sanctioned by the NCAA, kicked off the team, or whatever. Right now, the fact that Rhett Bomar needed a fake car dealership job to get by is really, really dumb.
Bottom line is that this issue is really killing college football. It's like steroids in baseball. It's clear that there is a lot of cheating going on, and that the enforcement is ineffective and arbitrary. Unlike steroids, a zero tolerance policy on getting money for playing college football is not the way to go here. In light of the millions of dollars they are bringing in to the school and other interested parties, it is only fair to let the kids have enough legitimate, clean money to live a normal life while they are in college. Then you won't have to have phony car dealership jobs supporting college football...college football can support itself.
(1) Playoff system. Duh. Specifically, I think we only need to add one game. Rather than simply tacking on the BCS Championship game as an extra bowl game, what they should have done was play #1 vs. #4 in one of the BCS bowls, #2 vs. #3 in another, and let the other two bowls have their traditional rivalry. That way, each bowl stays intact, they still make a ton of money (possibly more money), and at the end of the year we have something we have never had in the history of college football...a system for determining the undisputed national champion. On top of that, the major bowls have their traditional rivalry every other year, and a playoff game every other year.
Sure, there may be years when a #5 team has a legitimate gripe that they should have been #4. However, that's a lot different than an undefeated #3 from a major conference who is excluded from a title shot because their preseason poll was low. That's garbage.
(2) Conference championship games for all BCS conferences. That's right, I'm talking to you, Big 10 and Pac 10. You need to find a way to become the Pac 12 and Big 10 (with 12 teams). You need to divide yourself into north and south, where the north teams play all of the other north teams every year and half of the south teams every year, and vice versa.
Texas and Oklahoma have a legitimate complaint that they have to play each other twice every year, and if they split those games, neither of them gets a title shot. They are right. That isn't fair, and it doesn't make sense. Moreover, a conference championship game gives the conference legitimacy, makes more money for the conference, and ensures that no team can slip into the national championship game without beating at least one high quality opponent.
Here's how I propose we do this:
Big 10 -- Easy. They already have 11 teams. Notre Dame is practically in the Big 10 already. Half of their schedule is Big 10 opponents, every year. Notre Dame doesn't have to officially join the conference (so they can keep their sweetheart deal with NBC, etc.), but they do have to play all the other teams in the Big 10 north (so that they can preserve their traditional rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State, etc.), half of the teams in the Big 10 south, and have to participate in the conference title game if they make it. They can play four teams in their out of conference schedule, who will probably be USC, Stanford, Army, and Navy most, if not all years. Take a look at their schedule...this would not make a big difference for them. They won't do it, you say? If the BCS says that you have to win a conference title to play for the national championship, guess what? They'll do it.
Pac 10 (Pac 12) -- Hello, BYU and Utah. Or UNLV and Nevada if you want to keep it closer to the coast, although I think BYU and Utah would be a better fit for the Pac 10 in terms of quality and style of play. Either way, two teams join the Pac 12 north with the Washington and Oregon schools, and the Pac 12 south is made up of California and Arizona schools. Best conference record in the north plays best conference record in the south. Head to head is the obvious tie breaker. No more controversy, no more complex system...all is fair in love, war, and football.
What about the Big East, you ask? The Big East shouldn't have been a BCS team in the first place. They get dropped. (That is, unless they want to take on TCU, Fresno State, Navy, and Boise State...wouldn't make sense geographically, but at least that would create a respectable conference schedule for Big East teams).
Now there are 5 BCS conferences, and each produces a champion. Most years, four of those champions will go on to compete for the national championship. Some years, a non-BCS conference will sneak someone in there, though I suspect that won't happen often. West Virginia or TCU might occasionally go undefeated and find themselves in the top 4, but otherwise it's not going to happen. Every once in a while, a conferece might get two teams into the top four, but this isn't likely given that they all have to play a conference title game, and late losses aren't good in the polls.
I know, I know...this isn't politically feasible. But if it could be done, it would improve college football dramatically. Having different sized major conferences, some of which have to play a championship game and some of which don't, is silly. The Pac 10's recent move of having each team play every other team in the conference every year helps, but I don't think it's enough. There needs to be a way to create consensus conference champions in all of the major conferences.
(3) Organized compensation system for players. Yes, I said it. If you want players to stop jumping ship to the NFL, you have to at least give them the opportunity to stay in college. These kids need to be taken care of, over the table, using legitimate means. Then, if someone cheats, you can really bring the hammer down, and the general public might actually care.
Right now, the quasi-amateur status of college football is a joke. I agree that they should be forbidden from endorsement money and professional agents. College players should not be millionaires. While a free education is a good start, it doesn't put food on the table.
Here's what I propose: Uniform stipend for each member of the active roster, plus a limited number of redshirted players. Let's say $25,000 per year. A college kid can live off of that reasonably. They won't be faced with a choice of staying in school and starving or going pro too soon.
Then, if a kid is caught taking extra money or perks, we can legitimately say that they are cheating, and that they should be sanctioned by the NCAA, kicked off the team, or whatever. Right now, the fact that Rhett Bomar needed a fake car dealership job to get by is really, really dumb.
Bottom line is that this issue is really killing college football. It's like steroids in baseball. It's clear that there is a lot of cheating going on, and that the enforcement is ineffective and arbitrary. Unlike steroids, a zero tolerance policy on getting money for playing college football is not the way to go here. In light of the millions of dollars they are bringing in to the school and other interested parties, it is only fair to let the kids have enough legitimate, clean money to live a normal life while they are in college. Then you won't have to have phony car dealership jobs supporting college football...college football can support itself.
posted by AdmiralLando at 12:21 PM
2 Comments:
I think BYU and Utah would come in and compete with the Pac 10 just fine. Additionally, being a Pac 10 team would improve their recruiting and make them even better. Remember, BYU and Utah have both had historically strong football teams, can hold their own in basketball (more so than Oregon State and Washington State, anyway), and are strong in various other sports as well (both are strong volleyball schools, for example). That's why I would favor bringing them in over the Nevada schools, even though the Nevada schools would make more sense geographically.
I agree that conference championships should be more meaningful. The problem is that there is no real way to create a conference championship game without having two divisions within the conference. That's why I think the Big 10 and Pac 10 should expand.
I don't think you can create a simple playoff amongst the champions of the top 6 conferences...there can only be four in the hunt for the championship. Otherwise, you add too many games.
Another problem is non-BCS conference teams that run the table. Often, these teams deserve a shot. (For example, Alex Smith's undefeated Utah team a few years ago, or LaDanian Tomlinson's unbeaten TCU Horned Frogs). Under the current system, they won't get a shot. Maybe they get into a BCS game, but they can never win a championship. Boise State, Fresno State, Utah, and TCU...every so often, one of these teams is going to run the table...and when they do, they ought to be invited to the big dance. Also, if the Big East gets booted out of the elite conference club, West Virginia and Louisville would need a vehicle for getting into the playoff when they deserve to be there. If they are in the top 4 at the end of the season, bingo...they'd be in.
...but what if their conference doesn't have a conference championship game? I agree with the rule that you should have to win a conference championship to get into the BCS top 4 and get a shot at the title. Maybe if that rule is implemented, it would get all of the conferences on board with creating a title game, and get Notre Dame, Army, Navy and Temple to join a conference. Army and Navy could join up with the Mountain West, as there would be two spots available when BYU and Utah join the Pac 10.
Of course, none of this is as simple as I am making it sound...but it could happen eventually. The four team playoff shouldn't be that difficult to implement, and I think eventually we'll see it in place. 12 team Pac 10? Not impossible...remember that the Pac 10 was once the Pac 8. Probably the toughest thing would be getting Notre Dame to join the Big 10...unless you create a rule that only a conference champ can play for the title. Of course, Notre Dame is a big enough dog in the college football world that they could single-handedly block that from happening, and probably would.
I think BYU and Utah would come in and compete with the Pac 10 just fine. Additionally, being a Pac 10 team would improve their recruiting and make them even better. Remember, BYU and Utah have both had historically strong football teams, can hold their own in basketball (more so than Oregon State and Washington State, anyway), and are strong in various other sports as well (both are strong volleyball schools, for example). That's why I would favor bringing them in over the Nevada schools, even though the Nevada schools would make more sense geographically.
I agree that conference championships should be more meaningful. The problem is that there is no real way to create a conference championship game without having two divisions within the conference. That's why I think the Big 10 and Pac 10 should expand.
I don't think you can create a simple playoff amongst the champions of the top 6 conferences...there can only be four in the hunt for the championship. Otherwise, you add too many games.
Another problem is non-BCS conference teams that run the table. Often, these teams deserve a shot. (For example, Alex Smith's undefeated Utah team a few years ago, or LaDanian Tomlinson's unbeaten TCU Horned Frogs). Under the current system, they won't get a shot. Maybe they get into a BCS game, but they can never win a championship. Boise State, Fresno State, Utah, and TCU...every so often, one of these teams is going to run the table...and when they do, they ought to be invited to the big dance. Also, if the Big East gets booted out of the elite conference club, West Virginia and Louisville would need a vehicle for getting into the playoff when they deserve to be there. If they are in the top 4 at the end of the season, bingo...they'd be in.
...but what if their conference doesn't have a conference championship game? I agree with the rule that you should have to win a conference championship to get into the BCS top 4 and get a shot at the title. Maybe if that rule is implemented, it would get all of the conferences on board with creating a title game, and get Notre Dame, Army, Navy and Temple to join a conference. Army and Navy could join up with the Mountain West, as there would be two spots available when BYU and Utah join the Pac 10.
Of course, none of this is as simple as I am making it sound...but it could happen eventually. The four team playoff shouldn't be that difficult to implement, and I think eventually we'll see it in place. 12 team Pac 10? Not impossible...remember that the Pac 10 was once the Pac 8. Probably the toughest thing would be getting Notre Dame to join the Big 10...unless you create a rule that only a conference champ can play for the title. Of course, Notre Dame is a big enough dog in the college football world that they could single-handedly block that from happening, and probably would.
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