SupportAPlayoff.com

Could empty seats at bowl games become the eventual and final motivator that results in a playoff system? As Monte Poole from the Oakland Tribune points out in this article, there’s already plenty of apathy on the part of the fans regarding many of the meaningless 34 bowl games that we have now. As that lack of interest grows, revenue from these bowls decreases and something must be done right?

This coincides with an idea that came to me recently. What about taking it a step further and making a statement by refusing to watch the “championship” game? It’s too early to get the word out this year, but for next year could we unite as pro-playoff, anti-BCS activists and boycott their mythical championship game? Hit those greedy self-absorbed suits in the only place it could possibly hurt them, their wallets. If nobody’s watching the championship game, advertisers withdraw their millions, and the BCS takes a MAJOR revenue hit.

Something to think about right?

Thank you Sloppy Joe, over at College Football Cafeteria. This is a spirited and finely crafted rebuke of many of the ludicrous and thoughtless arguments that idiots like Dick Bestwick put forward in favor of the BCS over a playoff.

A great read, and some great counter-arguments, Sloppy.

“When one of the guys benefiting the most from the BCS system is not a proponent of it, then the system is broken.”

Yep, Colt McCoy, one of D-1’s best-known players has publicly voiced his desire for a playoff.

Come on, the rest of you high-profile players and coaches! Follow Colt’s lead and speak up!

Rep. Barton’s bill made it out of subcommittee. Saddle up.

So my beloved Cornhuskers came within a hair’s breath of winning, but fell short. Such a shame. Now the BCS Fatlards can legitimately keep TCU out of the title game since they have 2 undefeated teams to put there from the SEC and Big 12. Such a shame. And they can shuttle TCU over to the Fiesta Bowl to play Boise State and tout it as the Battle of the Two Non-BCS Undefeateds. Well whoop-dee-freaking-doo, a rematch of last year’s Poinsettia Bowl.

How magically convenient that neither Florida, Oregon, Iowa, nor Cincinnati has to risk an embarrassing loss against that TCU team from one of those “weaker” conferences. Once again, we’ll never know how good TCU (or Boise State for that matter) was, whether they could’ve hung with a “powerhouse.” Such a shame. Did I say that yet, such a shame?

Meanwhile, for now I’m going to pin my far-fetched hopes to the U.S. Congress. If Rep. Barton’s bill can make it out of committee to the House floor, then it’ll have more momentum than any other legislative effort to date. Here’s a brief article from the Wall Street Journal regarding the bill and where things currently stand.

And here’s another fantastic piece from Dan Wetzel, a great article hating on all the BCS stupidity, as well as another look at his playoff plan. Dan mentions a book of his that will be published next year: “an investigative book on the BCS that will come out next season. That book will, in clear detail, lay the system bare – the finances, mathematics, biases, waste, contracts, scams, etc.” Can’t wait, Dan!

This weekend I’m returning to my roots. Not all of my roots, just one root. See, I lived in Nebraska for one year (my 3rd grade year). I think that that one year qualifies as having a “root” in Nebraska.

So I think it’s time I became a Cornhusker fan again, at least for one Saturday. This Saturday my beloved-of-yesteryear Cornhuskers take on the mighty Texas Longhorns for the Big 12 Championship. For four hours I will be a die-hard Nebraska fan, and here’s why.

A Nebraska win sets the table for a number of potential Anti-BCS outbursts. First, I’m going to assume that a Nebraska win would drop Texas below TCU in the BCS standings. I really hope that’s a safe assumption, but I guess you never know. Operating on that assumption, here are some fun scenarios involving a Nebraska win:

1. Florida or Alabama wins the SEC Championship game. The loser, with their one loss, drops below TCU in the BCS rankings. For the first time ever you would have a non-BCS team playing in the National Championship game. Personally, I think Florida/Alabama vs TCU would be a great matchup. And personally, I would love to see another MWC team put a beatdown on an SEC powerhouse, like Utah did to Alabama last year. But I digress in my desires to see the mighty being humbled. I like this scenario because as long as TCU keeps it close, it would show that the non-BCS conferences should be given a shot at that championship game every year, not just when one team happens to be able to string together 2 or 3 straight years of dominance. It would also cause a lot of dumb fans to yell like idiots about how TCU, no matter what, should never be eligible to play in that game, given the conference they come from. Either way, it causes controversy about the current way the rankings are calculated. And controversy is good for those who want a playoff.

2. The loser of the SEC Championship game doesn’t drop below TCU in the BCS rankings, and therefore the National Championship game becomes a rematch of the SEC Championship. I hope that this ludicrous scenario speaks for itself. What an absolute travesty this would be, but it’s actually very possible. If it were to happen, the outcry from fans, coaches, writers, and players would be enormous. Two teams from the same conference in the National Championship Game? The system doesn’t have some kind of fail-safe that prevents this stupidity from happening? You’re telling me that none of the fat lard BCS geniuses ever thought of including a No-Two-Teams-From-The-Same-Conference rule in all their nonsense? I really would enjoy this scenario, given how retarded it will make the BCS administrators look.

3. Let’s not forget #5 Cincinnati in all of this. A win at #15 Pittsburgh on Saturday could be enough to jump TCU in the rankings. What if that happened and the Bearcats were left out of the Championship game as a result of Scenario 2? Cincinnati being from a BCS conference, the outcry would be even more boisterous.

4. And of course, there’s Boise State again. Almost every year they go undefeated, and every year, through no fault of their own, they’re a few positions removed from that championship game, without even a remote chance of getting in.

This is another good year for BCS controversy. Put on your Cornhusker red. Let’s go Nebraska!

Not a single intelligent, open-minded, fair reason exists why Cincinnati, Boise State, and TCU shouldn’t at least have a shot at the National Championship game this year. And that is sad. Everyone knows we need a playoff, everyone knows teams like this have at least earned a shot at the title, but nothing can be done. What a sad, sad commentary on the behavior of the Fat Lards that hold this system together and don’t allow the big change we all want.

But anyway, this is shaping up to be a great year for the end-of-season chaos we all want, right? Assuming Cincinnati doesn’t lose at Pittsburgh, we could easily end up with 5 undefeated teams at the conclusion of the season. Haven’t had that kind of logjam at the top since 2004, and I LIKE IT! This is what we need folks, multiple teams with a realistic claim to be able to play in the title game. These undefeated teams have clearly earned a shot, yet there’s absolutely no chance for most of them to get there.

Taylor Smith at NFL Soup has written a great article about that fact, especially considering the number of ranked opponents the top teams have faced this year. Taylor also “makes mincemeat,” to borrow a phrase from his article, of those boring asinine excuses that BCS supporters refer to when confronted with the playoff issue.

This FANTASTIC article from Scott Kellogg at The Daily Cardinal brings up a very good point.

Scott points out that a TCU-Iowa National Championship game isn’t impossible this year, and he shows us how it can happen. It’s not as far-fetched as you may think. And that may be just what college football needs to finally bring about some change: a wholly unattractive championship game pitting 2 teams against each other that few people care about. If the fan following isn’t there, the viewers won’t be there. And we all know how willing advertisers would be to dish out the dough on a game with no viewers. Ooh I like this idea.

If there’s no cash from advertisers, this cash-grab system falls on its face! I love it.

This article at the Washington Post is one of the best articles I’ve read on the sham that is the BCS. John Feinstein takes a look at the current BS system (including a look at the current rankings and the controversies that are already brewing for this season), effectively rebukes all the BS excuses for not implementing a playoff, and does it all in style.

Thank you John for a fantastic look at the BS.

Oh and by the way, we all know this whole BCS monopoly is about money right? That fact is abundantly clear, in my opinion, and anyone who denies that fact is either an idiot or one of the lying Fat Lards whose wallets are being filled by the the financial successes of the current system. Since we all know it’s about the volume of money that the current system generates (and the unwillingness of those who run the system to share that money, ahem) how is it that they don’t see the revenue potential of a playoff, as illustrated in this article by Mark Blaudschun at the Boston Globe.

This is a fantastic article from Amphibious Sports Duo about the true agenda behind the BCS system.

“… the BCS has never had a team that’s not one of the winningest or iconic programs of the last twenty years. Look quickly at the list of teams that have competed for the crystal football since the BCS came about: Oklahoma (4x), Ohio State (3x), Florida State (3x), Florida (2x), Miami (2x), USC (2x), LSU (2x), Texas, Nebraska, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Not one dark horse program…”

And D-1 College Football is the only major sport in the world that can rightfully make this claim, that their champions ALWAYS come from the elite football programs. No run-of-the-mill, average-programs-having-a-fantastic-season, Cinderella stories in our system, no way! Only the popular need apply!

If you’re not one of the Ohio States or Floridas of the sport, you are welcome to pick from one of our second- and third-tier bowl games, we think you’ll be impressed with the selection. Oh and by the way, FORGET ABOUT EVER HAVING EVEN A SHOT AT A CHAMPIONSHIP. This country club is for members only baby!