Monday, November 20, 2006

Only One Person Loves the BCS... [J. Mark English]

...and that person would be J. Mark English.
The new BCS standings for week 13 came out yesterday and to no one's surprise, Ohio State is sitting pretty at the top, with a ticket already punched in for the national championship game.
In the number two slot, Michigan still remains, with U.S.C. narrowly closing in from the third spot. Behind U.S.C. sits Flordia who will play Florida State next week. And rounding out the top five, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, prepare for battle against the U.S.C. Trojans next week.
Can your nerves stand it much longer? Talk about some great football this BCS system is providing. People who are clamoring for a playoff system seem to disregard the excitement of the regular season. Every top ranked team is playing in what seems like a playoff game every weekend. This past weekend it was Ohio State vs. Michigan. Before that it was Flordia again South Carolina, or Texas vs. Kansas State, or Louisville vs. Rutgers.
Even games that are otherwise meaningless have plenty of implications in the BCS system. If Notre Dame beats Army 20-9, as opposed to 41-9, that hurts their BCS standings. So that game becomes a must watch for a Notre Dame fan.
Now that Rutgers has lost to Cincinnati, now every game in the Big East has huge implications for Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers as they all fight to win the Big East crown and have an automatic bid in to the BCS.
The playoffs in the BCS are alive and well, and they exist in the regular season. The BCS generates tons of discussion, debate, and great theater.
If College football went to a playoff system, it would soften the impact of the regular season. Lets face it, in college basketball, I really don't start paying attention to the games until championship week, and then of course the tournament. I mostly write off the season all together.
But in football, every game is so important that one must watch it all the time to keep up! Why get rid of system that allows for a season-long playoff atmosphere?