It's time for NCAA Football playoffs

[MileHighWrath]

We will shortly have a President that has been out spoken about a need for a playoff system in college football. Not that I want my President to be too concerned about such matters but it is a bully pulpit for more than just running our government and his words can and do influence citizens. Add a fan base that has been gradually building towards a more uniform recognition of the same and a year that leaves a lot of questions about the legitimacy of the "national champion." Note the quotations.

Meanwhile the NFL is experiencing a playoff season featuring a team that has never won 2 playoff games in the same year is from the worst division in their league and is 1 Sunday shy of the largest stage in all sports. A .500 team from the worse division in their league is 8 quarters away from meeting them there. The unpredictability of this NFL season illustrates louder than any debate can regarding the need for a playoff system in college football. There's only ONE way to win a championship in sports and that's to actually WIN it. Anything else is nothing more than speculation.

[OrangeHoof]

If Obama wants to hire a Secretary of National Football Playoff, I'll submit my resume.

[broncos4life88]

It is time to seriously consider a playoff format. IMO I don't think the plus one format would be much more beneficial as seeing that some great teams don't even make it to the bright lights of the BCS (BS) bowl games. Hopefully since we do have a president that is willing to throw it out there on how he feels about such non-political matters something will finally get done, even if it does take a new position on his cabinet. :lol:

[Slick]

Conference champs play it off. It doesn't have to be complicated...and don't give me that "school" excuse. If the 1-aa teams can do it, so can the big boys.

[Broncospsycho77]

Yeah we do!

[FanInAZ]

If the Cards can make a play-off run in the NFL why can't my Wyoming Cowboys make one in the NCAA's? Aside from the fact that they have no way of recuiting enough tallent to do so. Never-the-less, let us have our one shot at Florida or USC once every eight to ten years (which is about how often we win the Mountain West). If we could pull off just one play-off upset against a team like those, it would be as big in Wyoming as the Cards winning the SB.

[broncos4life88]

If the Cards can make a play-off run in the NFL why can't my Wyoming Cowboys make one in the NCAA's? Aside from the fact that they have no way of recuiting enough tallent to do so. Never-the-less, let us have our one shot at Florida or USC once every eight to ten years (which is about how often we win the Mountain West). If we could pull off just one play-off upset against a team like those, it would be as big in Wyoming as the Cards winning the SB.


Right on!!! Same with the Hawkeyes!!! :salute:

[Nomad]

Funny! Congress is holding debates on the playoff issue as we speak.

[MOtorboat]

Funny! Congress is holding debates on the playoff issue as we speak.

:rolleyes:

Seriously? I hadn't even heard this, but I hate it when Congress pokes into sports issues. They know nothing about it. Hell, they know nothing about a lot of the crap they talk about.

OK...sorry...no more politics for me.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

:rolleyes:

Seriously? I hadn't even heard this, but I hate it when Congress pokes into sports issues. They know nothing about it. Hell, they know nothing about a lot of the crap they talk about.

OK...sorry...no more politics for me.

If I remember correctly, in one of the debates, Obama was ask what he would change in sports, and he responded in regards to the BCS rankings, and what they determine.

http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/31/congress-wants-playoffs/#more-1044

March Madness and who will rule college basketball is topic number one right now in the sports world. So why exactly are the Senate, the House, and even the President also talking up another game?

Three big letters: BCS. That’s why.

BCS stands for the college football “Bowl Championship Series”. There may be nothing more controversial in the intercollegiate athletics than the way the football champion is crowned every year.

Unlike all other major college sports, football does not have a series of playoff games that result in the last man standing. Instead they use a complicated formula based on polls to determine team rankings. At the end of the season, the 2 teams with the highest rankings play each other in one of the major bowls games to determine who actually is number one. The other teams ranked below them play in other bowls, but the winner of the top bowl game has always been crowned national champion. The past season it was Florida, which was ranked #1, beating Oklahoma, which was ranked #2, by the score 24-14. Read the story.

Ever wonder what formula a mathematician would use to combine the poll data to come up with number one? Well, here it is:

BCSAvg = ( HP/2825 + UP/1550 + (C1+C2+C3+C4)/100 ) / 3

To figure it out, you need to know what everything stands for: BCSAvg is the overall BCS average for a given team, following the procedure (algorithm.) HP is the total points the given team is awarded in the Harris Interactive Poll. UP is the total points the given team is awarded in the USA Today Coaches Poll. C1, C2, C3, and C4 are the four point totals assigned by the four computer-ranking polls.

Got it now? Don’t feel badly. Virtually no one else does either. And there are people in Congress who share your pain.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) saw his undefeated University of Utah team barred from the championship game this year because the formula placed them 6th, and therefore ineligible to compete for number one. See the standings. Senator Hatch calls the BCS system un-American, and he’s got it on the agenda of his Senate Antitrust Subcommittee this term. Read the story.

Over in the House of Representatives, several congressmen have gotten into the act. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) even has a bill that would force the BCS to scrap the name “National Champion” from the national title game unless they have a playoff series.

What does the NCAA think of all of this? Here’s their statement when CNN contacted them on Monday:

“We understand people in DC need to respond to their hearts and constituents….we think leaders of higher education are the better group to manage post season football.” (Bill Hancock—BCS Administrator)

What will come of all of this? Congress has broached the subject before, but never passed legislation. Will this time be different? Having the President of the United States on your side doesn’t hurt. When asked in January by reporters about the matter, President Obama replied simply: “We need a playoff.”

[Nomad]

Congress has given the BCS 2 months to come up with a playoff system and if they don't then Congress will intervene and pass what ever bill that is in the works.

Do I agree with the gov't getting involved? Yes and No!

Yes, because the Utah's of college football would have a legit shot at proving themselves and actually have a shot at receiving the 'big' money for their schools. Spare me with the tradition talk:rolleyes:, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is why the larger conferences especially the Big 10 and Pac 10 are against the notion of a school like Utah kicking their ass, which Utah would have this year! In the end, it's all about the money and not the competition because like I said some of these largers schools would actually have to play football and prove themselves.

No, because congress has better things to than piss around with college football!


Anyway, we'll see and people may get their wish of a playoff system, but we'll always have pissing and moaning by some.....it's an American tradition!:whoknows:

[FanInAZ]

I really would like to see a play-off system, but I am more conserned right now with things that Congress should be more conserned about right now. In case they have not notice, our economic crisis is far from over and terrorist still want to destroy our contry. I would prefer to see them address those issues.

[OrangeHoof]

I think it would be great if college football coaches got to choose what laws were passed in Congress. I mean it makes as much sense as having politicians decide who wins the national championship in football, right?