by Scott Gragg

Created on: December 26, 2008

Although a vast majority of fans, coaches, and sports writers would like to see a playoff system in college football, there is a very slim possibility of it ever happening. Corporate sponsors, schools' booster clubs, and athletic directors would never allow it to happen. The very obvious reason is because of the money involved in the current BCS system. Every bowl game from December 20 of this year to January 8 of 2009 has a sponsor included in the name. These sponsors pay top dollar to have their brand affiliated in something so widely watched. The businesspeople that run television networks and booster clubs know that under a playoff system, they cannot make as much money as they do under the BCS system.

The not so obvious reason for not having a playoff is related to the NFL. Take the Arizona Cardinals of the current NFL season. At best, the Cardinals will finish 8-8 this season, yet they have already clinched the weak NFC West. The same goes for the winner of Sunday night's game featuring the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. The winner of that game will win the AFC and a playoff berth, with only an 8-8 record. However, the New England Patriots could finish 11-5 and miss the playoffs completely, because of the division they play in. This has NFL fans questioning the playoff system that the pros use.

If college football went to a playoff system, problems such as this one would occur more often than not. The playoff system discussion really got heated in 2004 when the Auburn Tigers went 13-0 and did not get a shot at the BCS National Championship. However, situations like this one very rarely occur. If there were a playoff system in college football, a mediocre team from a weak division could make the playoffs, while a good team from a strong conference (such as the SEC) would be left out of the playoffs completely. An example of this would be the 2008 Georgia Bulldogs. UGA finished with a 9-3 record, but did not win their division (SEC East). All three loses came to ranked teams. There is no question that UGA deserves a bowl game, however, under a college football playoff, the Bulldogs would most likely be left out of the playoff. This type of situation would be much more prevalent than one such as from 2004.

The current system is not popular with many people, but it is the system that is here to stay. At least under the BCS, many teams get a shot at a bowl game, which helps them recruit. This way every regular season game is important to every team. This way makes college football the most exciting sport to watch in America. Because of this, the BCS is here to stay.

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