Tide Swells for a Playoff

Alabama's Trent Richardson celebrates the BCS title (AP Photo)

The Bowl Championship Series has its flaws, but for the first time the system truly failed.

In most years, the BCS has benefited from an undisputed champion winning like in 2001 when Miami beat a Nebraska team who did not win their own conference and jumped two other deserving schools.

The BCS did not get that luxury on Monday.

Despite all the talk of the tough, grueling SEC schedule, the SEC was not great this year. Alabama's path to the championship was untested and despite the dominating effort Monday night they don't have a championship resume.

The Tide played just three games (with just two wins) over teams that finished ranked in the final AP poll. No other BCS champ has played fewer than four games against teams in the final polls.

People took notice of the rematch.

The TV ratings for the LSU-Alabama championship game drew a 13.8 overnight rating, among the worst in the history of BCS title games. It ties the Miami-Nebraska game, previously mentioned for also having a questionable participant.

The one possible benefit to a boring SEC title game, it could be the catalyst for change.

The LSU-Alabama debacle may open the door for a four team playoff, that not only fits into the old bowl system but gives fans a "true" champion.

Honestly, four teams is the ideal number for a playoff. With few exceptions since the BCS started, there haven't been more than four schools with a legitimate case to play for college football's ultimate prize. 

And take this year's I-AA playoffs for instance. The I-AA, or FCS division, actually expanded its playoffs from the "perfect" 16 team field to 20 teams, but it was all about four schools.

The top seeded Sam Houston State, North Dakota State, Georgia Southern and Montana made up your semi-finalists, with the Bisons taking home the prize. To get there, they just had to play two superfluous games.

A four team playoff would likely mean higher quality championship game. This year, LSU had a 37-day layoff and Alabama had 44. Even larger, Ohio State had a 51-day break before it played for the 2006 title, which it badly lost.

Momentum is building for a playoff, albeit a small one. It would be a much needed remedy for a system that's starting to really fail.