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We've had this discussion before, but with the college football top 10 shaping up the way it is now, it would be cool to have it again. 

As you all know, 2007 and 2008 were seasons riddled with upsets.  Now currently, you have seven teams that are unbeaten, and six could very well stay that way.  Here are the seven unbeaten teams which also comprise the top seven in the latest BCS poll.

1. Florida 8-0
2. Texas 8-0
3. Alabama 8-0
4. Iowa 9-0
5. Cincinatti 8-0
6. TCU 8-0
7. Boise State 8-0

It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Florida and Alabama will meet for the SEC Championship game, so one of them will walk away with a blemish on their record.  Which brings me to this point.  What happens if you have six unbeaten teams at season's end??

IMO, if the upsets of 2007 and 2008 don't make a case for a playoff system, this certainly does. 

Discuss.

Six unbeatens now because Iowa sucks.

Playoff.  You can even do it so they keep most of the bowl games.  Take the top 16 or 8 teams and make them play it out. 

As long as the schools and NCAA are generating millions off the bowl games you will never see a playoff system.

Bingo.  The University Presidents will line their pockets with those millions. 

And this is why Congress needs to continue their investigation and do what they need to do to declare the BCS as Unconstitutional. 

OK, we've got six unbeatens now, and we could very well end up with five at season's end. 

First off all, I think the Congress has more important things to worry about than the bowl system. Second, please show me authority in the constitution that could serve as support to declare such a system as unconstitutional.    ::)

Anyway, I do agree that a playoff system in CFB is way overdo.  But it will not happen for the aforementioned monetary reasons. 

I personally couldn't give a shit about the colleges and how much money they make off the bowl games (don't believe me, ask my alma mater).  There's money and there's doing what's right which will in the long term make you even more money.  The fact that they won't do it speaks volumes about the state of our universities in this country and is a big reason why I repeatedly thumb my nose at academia. 

I do not see how academia has anything to do with it. It is all about the trustees, boards, and pure greed

I support a playoff system.

That said, I don't think that this conversation means squat until you're at the end of the season and there are more than 2 zero loss teams from major conferences.  The Boise States of the world are cool stories, but nationally, nobody cares.  Also, nobody cares when 1 loss teams bicker about who should have the chance to play.

As for the money thing -- I'm sure that's the case, but why?  Couldn't you still have the bowls, but make the bowls as part of the playoff system?

Actually academia would have a lot to do with it.  Seeing as the playoffs would come in the month between the last game of the season and the major bowl games, and the students have finals during that time, that would be another thing to take into consideration.

Here's hoping they have a true #1 and a true #2 again so that I don't have to listen to another offseason of University X got screwed by the BCS

I'm not sure you would get the same attendance numbers. Think about it, there are teams who typically travel very well to support their team in a bowl game but they only have to travel to one game. How many of those people are going to be able to afford to travel multiple times? I think you are going to take attendance losses by having teams in a playoff.

And that is why you wait until you get to the final four teams before you start using the BCS bowl sites. 

There are four BSC Bowl Sites:  Miami (Orange), New Orleans (Sugar), Phoenix (Fiesta) and L.A. (Rose). 

Two of those sites can host the semifinals, then the following week one site can host the "third place" game and one can host the championship.  The four sites can rotate every year.

^^^ That still doesn't address the fact that people would likely not be able to afford going to more than one game.

Maybe they will be able to afford going to two games instead of one.

I don't believe attendance would be an issue at all in regards to a playoff system in college football...too many people in those market areas who "aren't" fans of the teams that make it to the playoffs would buy up any tickets not sold to fans of the schools involved, and frankly...I can't imagine those fans letting the ticket opportunity for a playoff game slip through their fingers. You could also affiliate some of the non-championship bowls into the opening round games if you wanted, to keep the fringe sponsors happy.

^^^^^

I'd stop short of using non BCS Bowl sites in the opening round because then there would be a little too much travel involved.  Remember, the players are in finals during the month of December when the playoffs would take place, so there needs to be as little travel as possible. 

Since everyone focuses on the BCS top ten, here is my proposition:

- Use the BCS Formula to determine the top ten teams at season's end, with winning (or losing)your conference championship game counting more heavily than it does.

-  Week 1 is the Wild Card Round immediately following the last week of the season.  #10 plays at #7 and #9 plays at #8 for the right to face #1 and #2 respectively. 

- Week 2 is the Quarterfinal Round.  7/10 winner plays at #1, 8/9 winner at #2, #6 at #3, and #5 at #4. 

- Now there are four teams left.  Here is where you use the BCS Bowl sites.  Two of them will be used for the Semifinal Round in Week 3.

- In Week 4, you use a third BCS bowl site for the semifinal losers in the "Third Place" or "Consolation" game.

- The following week you use the fourth BCS Bowl site for the championship.

- The BCS Bowl sites will rotate each year and will keep their bowl names and sponsors.

- All teams finishing outside the BCS top ten can play in a non-BCS Bowl Game, and the same bowl eligibility rules apply (six wins against Division 1-A opponents).

Let's do a little informal test Stroke. I know you are a BIG college football fan. How many bowl games have you attended since they play in Miami? I haven't gone to any and I have two in Orlando.

I'm a big college football fan in general, but I'm not the best person for this informal test to give any accurate representation...as I rarely go to see games in person.  I've been to one Orange Bowl in my 11 years down here in FL (2002, Florida vs my alma mater, Maryland) ...and only 3 total bowl games in my life, with the other two being Fiesta Bowls.

Note for above...I do not count games like the East-West game, Senior Bowl or that type of player showcase game as "bowl games" for my statement above. If Senior Bowls count, then add 2 more. ;D

I actually think you make a pretty good representation for a poll such as this (provided the sampling universe was bigger then two people).

Understand also that implied in this question is the massive reduction in bowl games. 

Wrong.  Read this little excerpt my post up above.  There would be no reduction in bowl games whatsoever.

Tommy,
Most bowl games start after finals week and conclude before the next semester. At most a couple of teams might have to take a final or two a little early if you make it to a lesser bowl.

Most of the bowl games do, but if you start the playoffs immediately after the season's end (first weekend in December) then you'll have a situation where it will coincide with finals.

I'd like to see them cut down the bowl games to 8.  Do we really need the Chicken Gizzards Backyard Bowl brought to you by WhoGivesAShit.Com?  This is kind of a separate issue though. 

In either case, I'd still like to see the BCS replaced with a 16 team playoff.