College Football "Playoff" Not an Upgrade

There was an interesting juxtaposition today in the world of college football.

As I watched the Army-Navy game, and parts of the I-AA (FCS) and D-III football playoffs, there were student-athletes playing the game they love for no other reason. Those playoff formats leave absolutely no room to debate who calls themselves champs.

On the flip side, three D-I college football players were in New York for the annual beauty pageant known as the Heisman Trophy ceremony. That celebration serves as a nice segway into the way D-I (FBS) football settles its championships, which is also essentially a beauty pageant.

Fans are stuck with the broken BCS system for this year and next, before we transition to a four-team "playoff." That will only make the pageant mentality worse.

I am a self-admitted flip-flopper when it comes to the BCS. I called for a true 8-team playoff when it started, then took a rebellious stance defending the BCS when it became wildly unpopular. But, the 2011 BCS title game proved the system is broken beyond all repair.

Last year, poll voters rejected Big 12 league champion Oklahoma State -- who played in the best conference according to the computer rankings -- in favor of SEC West division runner-up Alabama, who had a worse resume but better brand name. Simply put, the Cowboys could not overcome a fluky double-overtime loss and the fact they do not play in the SEC.

Over the past few weeks, CBS Sports and SI.com ran through mock playoff selections for the current season, coming to the same conclusion: Notre Dame, Oregon, Alabama and Florida would battle it out there was a playoff.

The glaring flaw is the actual selection committee is supposed to have an emphasis on conference champions. Yet in this mock exercise conference champs Kansas State and Stanford, along with Georgia, who won its division beating Florida head-to-head, were all left out. As CBS blogger Jerry Hinnen put it the "annual end-of-season controversy" might get worse.

He's most certainly right, because instead of cutting out one maybe two teams, it will four or five teams. The only way out for I-A to follow its small compatriots in I-AA and move to a 20-team playoff when the four-team contract expires.

With 20 teams there is room for everybody, including the "little sister's of the poor" such as NIU and Boise State. In fact, 20 playoff spots will probably include a couple teams that may not otherwise deserve one.

What's not to love about 19 games that would matter? Instead over the next three weeks we get 35 bowl games, featuring 14 schools with a 7-5 record, 12 with a 6-6 record and one with a losing record (6-7).

Bowl games used to be great entertainment showcasing great teams, now they are just big money. ESPN paid more than $5 billion to win the broadcast rights to the new playoff for 12 years and the six associated bowls in that format.

Can you imagine how much money would change hands for 19 games?

Hopefully university president's will get their act together for 2026, but it's doubtful the system will change. Until D-I football gets a playoff, enjoy the arguments, because they are about to grow in multitude with the slight championship upgrade.