by J. James Reider

Created on: May 28, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Given the rich tradition of college football and it's bowl games, there is not much of a possibility that a playoff system would be feasible any time soon. It is a sport that is so proud of it's tradition, poll history and bowl affiliations that the fans are the only ones who want to see some sort of change.

A playoff system would reduce the prestige of entering the post season ranked number one. It would also produce a clear cut number one at the end of that post season. Anyone who knows sports in general, knows that controversy breeds ratings. There may be three unbeaten teams at the end of the regular season, but that third team that doesn't make the BCS championship game will be watched heavily in their respective bowl game. The BCS is a financial powerhouse in so many other ways than what everyone is seeing. As long as the universities are making their money from this cash cow, there will not be any sort of change implemented.

What other alternatives are there? There is the possibility of allowing the rest of the nation to be included in the BCS formula. Why not allow fans to vote in the polls? It would be easy enough these days with wide access to the Internet. However diminutive the fans factor may be, at least they would feel included. So, if the BCS would include the coaches poll, the computer poll, a team's overall record, strength of schedule and the fans poll, it is my belief that it would at least give some satisfaction to the masses.

As much as we may believe that adding two or three more games to the schedule would not be detrimental to the athlete, let us remember that we are dealing with STUDENT athletes. The term "student" athlete has never changed throughout all of college football history. This would include, in all likely-hood, a tour of three extra cities in three or four weeks. The bowl games would never go away, so I would imagine there would be some sort of rotating playoff format in which the Fiesta Bowl may be a first round game this year, but a second round game next year.

To put the whole student athlete conundrum into context, we need some sort of exhibit. So let us use, for example, The Oregon Ducks. So, the Ducks win the Pac-10 title in the first year of this new playoff format and it works out that their first playoff game is in the Orange Bowl. Now, they have to fly all the way across the country to play in this game, which they end up winning. The next round takes them to the Rose Bowl, back on the other side of the country, which they end up winning. To be fair, the championship game is not the Sugar Bowl, or the Fiesta Bowl, but labeled as the FBS Championship Game, and this year, it happens, is in Miami. NOW, our beloved, yet weary Ducks have to fly BACK across the country to play in the championship game. Not only would this take a toll on the quality of their play in these games, but it would take a toll on the athlete's studies. We have all heard of NFL rookies "hitting the wall" and tiring out around weeks 13 and 14, and I have no doubt that something similar would happen here.

As much as we all would love to see a playoff that would work, I think we all know that any sort of playoff would come at a cost to major college football. The ratings will be significantly less for opening round games than they would be for the prestigious bowl games that they are supplanting, with the majority of money being made in the finals and the championship games. As long as the estimates for these games are less than the overall earnings that the bowl games are already making, there will be no changes. On the other hand, there will always be the controversy on why the number nine team was ousted in favor of Notre Dame.

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