College football at the division 1 level is one of the most popular sports in the country. Good teams get a packed stadium almost every Saturday. The BCS bowl games usually receive top notch ratings every year. Even though the college football is very successful, it could easily rise to another level. The only missing factor is a playoff system at the end of the season. Throughout history, successful college football teams have always relied on a single bowl game to end their season. I can imagine that most of those teams were left with an empty feeling in their stomachs. Nearly every year, more than two teams deserve to have a chance to win the national championship. Many teams have fallen victim to having an undefeated season, yet not getting a chance to play for the national championship. Our own Penn State football team has fallen victim to that circumstance. In 1994, the Lions finished the season with a 12-0 record, yet they didn’t get a chance to play for the national championship. It is a shame that a team’s football season has to be decided by a computer and a couple of writers. Not only would the teams want a playoff system, but also the millions of fans. I understand one reason the NCAA would just want one bowl game. The reason would be to not stretch out the season too long. The players are students before they should be considered athletes. The plan I propose would be to just make a 4-team playoff. The top four teams would have a chance at winning the championship. Not only that, but the season would only be extended for only one extra game. After that, everyone should be happy, from the fans to the players.

The BCS, since its inauguration in 1998, has undergone change almost after every single year. I believe that the BCS is too inconsistent to be considered legitimate. Strength of schedule, margin of victory, and quality wins all were important factors in the decision-making process of ranking teams; now all those factors have been eliminated as of next year. Had these new rules for next year been in place in the past, the national championship match-ups would have been different in certain years. An inconsistent system such as the BCS should not be responsible for making such important decisions. The decisions made by the BCS not only affect the players, but also the millions of fans.

Over the years, the BCS has been accused of being biased against teams from mid-major conferences. Mid-major conferences are the conferences that don’t generate as much revenue and fanfare as the major conferences such as the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, and ACC. Even though the mid-major college programs are not as big and popular as the programs from major conferences, some years there is a mid-major team worthy of participating in a BCS bowl game. The only mid-major program to ever get invited to a BCS bowl game was Utah in 2004. Since 1998, more than one mid-major college program has been deserving of an invitation to a BCS bowl. The BCS has constantly been criticized for favoring large college programs from major conferences. Even though I disagree with the BCS’s alleged preference of major teams, I understand its reasoning. If the BCS chooses a mid-major team, the television ratings would likely be low mainly because of lack of fanfare. Every year when a popular team such as Notre Dame gets invited to a major bowl game, the game receives spectacular ratings. I doubt that the same could be said of a mid-major team.

A playoff system would seem like the perfect solution, but for certain possible reasons it has not yet been implemented. I believe that one of the arguments against a playoff system is that it would make the season too long. Football is a grueling sport that requires a huge amount of strength and endurance. By the last games of the season, the players are struggling and are worn down by fatigue. The decision to institute a playoff system involves adding several games to the season. An extended season would be very tough for the players. The extension of the season is not the only factor that has prevented a playoff system. People have to remember that the players are students just like everyone else in college. The workload in the classroom gets difficult at times. The players’ priority should go to studies before sports. The players need time to focus on their studies. If the season gets extended several weeks, the players will have less time to study and do homework. Several coaches have also disagreed with a playoff. Certain “old-school” coaches such as Bobby Bowden from Florida State have publicly disagreed with a playoff system. Those coaches would prefer to conserve old tradition in college football. Those have been several of the arguments against a playoff system.

Even through all those arguments, I still overwhelmingly favor my proposed playoff system. As I stated earlier, I favor a 4-team playoff at the end of the season. The top four teams in the nation would have a legitimate chance to win the national championship. A playoff system would put to rest all of those conspiracy rumors about the BCS. The 4-team playoff scheme would only add one more game to the season. I think that the players would also agree with that decision. Certain years in the past, more than two teams have finished with undefeated records at the end of the season. The only way a national championship would be fair in that situation is if all the teams get a chance to compete for the championship. Never has there been a year in which more than three teams ended up undefeated. Thus, with my playoff scheme, every undefeated team would get a chance.

Not only would my playoff scheme be popular with the players, but it would also be popular with most college football fans. Many fans have felt like they’ve been left empty-handed at the end of the season because their undefeated football team did not get a chance to win the national championship. Had it not been for one play with one second left in the game against Michigan, the Penn State football fans would be going through that feeling right now. That game at Michigan was the only loss of the season for the Nittany Lions. I believe that a playoff scheme would also be very successful with television ratings. The positives that come with a playoff system definitely outweigh the negatives.

Bibliography

Barnhart, Tony. “Football: BCS Draws Ire in Congress Representatives Ask: Why No Playoffs to Crown Champion?” The Atlanta Journal- Constitution. 8 Dec. 2005: D3.

Blauldschum, Mark and Reid Laymance. “Changes in BCS Are Underway.” Boston Globe. 6 Jan. 2006: D7.

Ford, Bob. “Lucky BCS is Still a Big College Sham.” Philadelphia Inquirer. 2 Jan. 2006: 1.

Lopez, John P. “Coming Up Soon: The Apathy Bowl.” Houston Chronicle. 1 Jan. 2006: 4.

Kellar, Jerry. “Paterno, Bowden Completely Disagree on Playoff Issue.” Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader. 1 Jan. 2006: 1.

Vega, Michael. “Defippo Endorses a Playoff.” Boston Globe. 8 Dec. 2005: C8.

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