The BCS Won; A Playoff is Dead

Like it or not, we are now stuck with the tragically flawed BCS system for a very long time. Any hope of an inclusive playoff system died last weekend when Auburn beat Alabama, Boise lost to Nevada, and TCU agreed to join the Big East. The stars were almost aligned to create enough controversy to implode the system from the inside, but it didn't happen. Now the odds of it ever happening are statistically improbable.

The AQ conferences have now successfully swallowed up all but one viable BCS buster and in doing so left Boise with no one to play. Their already weak schedule will only get weaker making their already tenuous grasp on national relevancy nearly impossible to hold. Then the next time they make any noise, people will just point to this weekend's loss to Nevada and say "yeah, but remember what happened last time we thought they were any good?"

There is no one left to challenge the BCS anymore. It will be very difficult for Boise to maintain their talent level. Hawaii was never a real threat. Nevada or any other teams will take years to even attempt to make a case, and even then they will not have the schedule to make it.

And if any team does start to rattle some cages, the BCS has an open slot in the Big 12 sitting in its back pocket ready to swallow up any serious threat. The Big East can still add teams. Heck, the Pac-12 can still add teams.

The truth is the FBS exists in two tiers and probably should officially. Maybe then, and this is a big maybe, the AQ tier of the FBS could have a playoff. But that's not happening anytime soon.