by Kamryn Adams

Created on: September 16, 2009

You may have heard President Barack Obama say he thinks there should be a playoff system in college football. College football currently has a bowl system determined by the BCS ranking. The BCS is a mystical entity that assigns points to victories in order to determine where a team is ranked for the week. In this system it is possible for you to not play at all, but still move up if the right team loses. Sounds ridiculous? It is.

Unlike the NFL, football in the NCAA has an "arbitrary" national champion. It's arbitrary because a team's standing going into post-season play has been determined by the "computer". Here's how it works...A team's highest and lowest computer ranking will be discarded from figuring a team's computer poll average. Points will be assigned in inverse order of ranking from 1-25. The four remaining computer scores will be averaged and the total will be calculated as a percentage of 100.

All three components-The Harris Interactive Poll, the USA Today Coaches Poll and the computer rankings-shall be added together and averaged for a team's ranking in the BCS standings. The team with the highest average shall rank first in the BCS standings. First of all the coaches poll is ridiculous. How in the world are you focused on what other teams are doing if you are playing at the same time? You didn't see the game!

Those that argue that the BCS is good for college football do so because it is lucrative for the schools. Yes, it is a way for colleges to make money for post season play. But all the bowl creations every year are getting out of hand. What's next? The "INCONVENIENT TRUTH MELALEUCA" bowl. Only teams that wear the color green can play in it. Enough!

Ever heard the term "Any given Sunday?" That's right. It means that football is a competitive sport that has so many variables, injuries, and rabble-rousing rookies that you never know what is going to happen during a week of football. College football has taken away that aspect of the game with the BCS. If Kentucky beats LSU...they beat them. In a play-off system the Wildcats would advance while the Tigers go home. However, the BCS computer takes into account other variables besides who won the game. So LSU plays for a National Championship while Kentucky goes to the "Music City" bowl in Nashville -close enough for fans to travel and buy tickets.

So the computer says there always has to be an SEC team in the BCS championship because it's the toughest conference. SEC teams couldn't walk into the Championship game yearly if they were forced to play and win each week leading up to the big game. Case in point: The 14-6 New York Giants beat the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. If the NFL used a BCS system, the G-men would have been at home watching direct TV instead of making history. NCAA athletes deserve to make history. Go to a play-off system and may the best team win!

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