BCS BS

A lot of actual sports writers will write far more eloquent articles about how the BCS system doesn’t work. They know a lot more things than I do as a simple slightly more than casual fan. As an “everyman” fan, however, my views are very likely not just my own.

Having TCU play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl is a gutless cowardly act. Sure it gives you another match-up of unbeaten teams, but what’s the point of having Cinderella dance with Cinderella? Why invite your country cousin to Christmas dinner if you’re going to make them eat at the kids table?

The BCS and the major conference are too scared that they might lose and be revealed as the frauds that they are.

In one breath they maintain that the non-major-conference teams need to play a schedule as tough as a the major conferences to earn a shot at the title, then they put Texas in the title game despite a schedule arguably weaker than TCU’s (see midway through this article) and refuse to allow the non-major-conference teams to play big games.

Heck, no BCS team will even accept Boise State’s offer to play a regular season game.

The BCS was so determined to keep TCU out of the title game that they did everything they could to get an extra second on the clock for Texas and prevent Nebraska’s upset (see the same article as above). Why? Because if TCU went on to beat Alabama, the BCS would have no legs to stand on.

The BCS won’t even let us see TCU take on Florida or Boise State against Cincinnati. Why? Because if either or both of the non-major-conference teams won, the BCS would be similarly screwed.

The non-major-conference teams can’t prove they’re worthy by beating major conference teams if they never play them. And that’s exactly how the BCS wants it.

So what if the Fiesta Bowl and the BCS wanted to have a second game featuring two undefeated teams? You could still have that with Cincinnati vs. Boise State. (Personally, I don’t see why the BCS is trying to protect Cincinnati’s reputation anyway. They’re just a few years removed from playing in Conference USA. In fact, three of the Big East’s 9 teams were playing in Conference USA in 2004, and 1 other – Connecticut – wasn’t even a Division I school. How are they a major conference again?) The Big East has no automatic bowl tie-in. They don’t have to play in a certain BCS bowl the same way Ohio State and Oregon are obligated to play in the Rose Bowl. There’s no reason you couldn’t put them in the Fiesta Bowl against Boise.

Except that you’re scared to.

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For a more in depth article about how a playoff system would work and why there should be one, read Dan Wetzel's article in Yahoo Sports. The last few years he's posted his 16-team playoff bracket. Here's this year's: