Obama Favors a Playoff for NCAA Football. Who doesn't?

[Dave Gray]

I think a playoff system would encourage teams to put tougher opponents on their schedules, and more importantly, remove cupcake opponents out of your conference.

[dolfan13]

"... every week is a playoff..."

what an utterly ridiculous point made by bcs apologists. a playoff tournament implies some level of entry standard for participants, with an increase in difficulty as a team progresses in the tournament. its just silly to suggest that a game against the baylor bears in the last week of the season equates to a playoff game.

college football is the only sport in existence where you have people that literally sit at home on the couch, drinking beer and eating chips, casting a ballot in order to determine who plays where.

[Spider-Dan]

I think a playoff system would encourage teams to put tougher opponents on their schedules, and more importantly, remove cupcake opponents out of your conference.

I don't think this would happen... Duke, Wake Forest, and North Carolina are doormats in college football, but I don't think the ACC wants to kick their basketball programs out.

Here's the issue, as I see it:  with an 8-team playoff, you would have an opportunity to include the champions of the major conferences (Big 10, Big 12, ACC, SEC, Pac-10, Big East) as well as two at-large teams; e.g. the Cinderella teams like Utah and Boise State that are just having a great year.  If you aren't even the champion of your conference then you have no legitimate gripe at being left out of the playoffs anyway.

There will always be a cutoff, but I would rather that the 9th best team be excluded from championship contention than the 3rd best team.  If you are the 9th best team in the nation and you did not win all the games on your schedule, you have no claim to the national championship.

[Dave Gray]

I don't think this would happen... Duke, Wake Forest, and North Carolina are doormats in college football, but I don't think the ACC wants to kick their basketball programs out.

That's not what I mean.  What I mean is that you'd still play your easy conference games, but you wouldn't schedule easy games that weren't in your conference.

[Spider-Dan]

Ah.  I don't see that as a significant factor; national-championship-caliber teams have plenty of incentive now to put good teams on their schedule.  OU owes their trip to the Big XII title game to their scheduling; their victory in the computer rankings was pretty slim.

If there were to be a playoff with the conference champions invited, I don't think there would be much of a net change in scheduling:

- On one hand, since non-conference losses would not be as significant for teams in the six major conferences (win your conference and you're in anyway), teams might be inclined to schedule more powderpuffs.
- On the other hand, if you don't secure your conference title and you wanted to get one of the two remaining at-large bids, that's where it would pay to have a strong schedule.  Furthermore, for purposes of seeding, obviously a better rank still helps you out.

The most likely change I would see would be more powderpuff scheduling for the mid-major contenders like Boise State; for those teams, even a non-conference loss is a dealbreaker.  However, given the situation this year (with three undefeated mid-major conference champions in Utah, Boise State, and Ball State), I think that would be enough of an incentive for the mid-major contenders to make sure that they have at least a semi-legitimate non-conference schedule.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Good news.  Obama has bipartisan support in the house.

http://www.zoneblitz.com/2008/12/10/congressman-proposes-bill-ending-bcs/

Thank god, they are focusing on what is important and not being sidetracked by silly things like the war and economy. 

[Dave Gray]

Thank god, they are focusing on what is important and not being sidetracked by silly things like the war and economy. 

Why do people always say this?

It's not like you can't tackle more than one problem at once.  It's not like congress has to put the rest of the issues on hold until the war is over or the economy is fixed.

The economy, the war, etc. --  it isn't a light switch.  You make your decisions and then you move on to something else.

It's like when people get caught for speeding and then complain that the cop isn't out solving murders.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

After reading this article in my SI magazine, I can say that the only ones who don't favor a playoff system are the commissioners of the six major conferences.  And the reason?  Money. 

[NADS]

I do appreciate all of your support for a playoff system (I agree with Tommy entirely.), but I'm looking for someone who DOES NOT support a playoff system. Is there no one in the entire land of TDMMC who thinks playoffs are a bad idea? There must be someone. Show yourself!

After reading this article in my SI magazine, I can say that the only ones who don't favor a playoff system are the commissioners of the six major conferences.  And the reason?  Money. 

I'm against a NCAA football playoff system.  Tommy is right about the money deal--this is why Notre Dame is still an independent.  They win a bowl game and keep all the cash and half the time I don't think they deserve to be in one.  Everyone in the Big Ten gets a piece of the action if a team makes it to a bowl game.  Also, if you're gonna make a college kid play 18 games he should get paid. 

I like the things in football that separate college from the pros like the one foot in bounds deal and how overtime is played.  I think there were more than enough posts to classify the weaknesses within and amongst the individual conferences.  Two examples: the ACC, and of 120 NCAA bowl-series teams it seems 98 of them cracked the top 25 at one point this season.  I think the BCS computer is bullshit and it's possible to climb back into the top 5 as long as you don't lose early in the season.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Obama has a new ally....AG of Utah....

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-bcs-utahlawsuit&prov=ap&type=lgns

Utah AG: BCS may violate antitrust laws

By BROCK VERGAKIS, Associated Press Writer 13 hours, 53 minutes ago


SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Utah’s attorney general is investigating the Bowl Championship Series for a possible violation of federal antitrust laws after an undefeated Utes team was left out of the national title game for the second time in five years.

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff contends the BCS unfairly puts schools like Utah, which is a member of a conference without an automatic bid to the lucrative bowl games, at a competitive and financial disadvantage.

“We’ve established that from the very first day, from the very first kickoff in the college season, more than half of the schools are put on an unlevel playing field,” Shurtleff said Tuesday. “They will never be allowed to play for a national championship.”

BCS administrator Bill Hancock said he couldn’t comment on the investigation until he had seen something in writing from the Utah attorney general’s office.

“We just don’t think it’s appropriate to comment until we’ve seen something to comment on,” Hancock said.

The BCS is designed to pit the top two teams against each other in a national championship game each year. It uses a complicated formula based on human polls and computer rankings to determine who plays in that game, which Shurtleff contends is biased.

No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Oklahoma have one loss each but will play for the BCS national championship Thursday night in Miami.

The Associated Press crowns its own national champion based on a poll of sports writers who are not bound to vote for the winner of the BCS title game. Many fans are clamoring for voters to put Utah—the nation’s only undefeated team—in the No. 1 spot in the final poll.

On Friday, Utah became the first team from a non-BCS conference to win two BCS bowls after it upset No. 4 Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. Utah also beat Pittsburgh in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl to complete an undefeated season.

Shurtleff said his office is still in the initial stages of reviewing the Sherman Antitrust Act to see if a lawsuit can be filed. To succeed in a lawsuit, he would have to prove a conspiracy exists that creates a monopoly.

Shurtleff said he prefers that BCS officials and university presidents solve the problem of excluding some schools from a national title game by creating a playoff system, but added he’s committed to doing whatever it takes to produce change.

If a lawsuit is filed against the BCS, though, Shurtleff could end up suing the state he represents. Utah is a member of the Mountain West Conference and Utah State belongs to the Western Athletic Conference; both leagues are members of the BCS.

“We have to determine the answer to those questions,” said Shurtleff, whose planned investigation was reported by the Deseret News on Tuesday. “You determine who it is you’re bringing action against.”

The BCS is comprised of the 11 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences, the University of Notre Dame and representatives of the bowl organizations.

Under the BCS, about $9.5 million is distributed among Conference USA, the Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Western Athletic conferences for making their teams available to play in BCS games.

If a school from any of those conferences receives an at-large invitation to play in a BCS bowl or championship game, those conferences get an additional 9 percent of BCS revenues among them, which come from television rights and the bowls themselves.

If more than one school from those conferences make the BCS bowls or championship game, those conferences get an extra $4.5 million for each additional team.

By comparison, the share to each conference with an automatic berth in the BCS—the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC—is about $18 million each. When a second team from one of those conferences qualifies to play in a BCS game, as the SEC accomplished this year with Alabama and Florida, that conference gets an additional $4.5 million.

“It’s not about bragging rights. It’s a multimillion dollar—hundreds of millions—business where the BCS schools get richer and non-BCS get poorer,” Shurtleff said.

[BingeBag]

If the playoff system is utilized, all conferences should be included. No "At Large" bullshit. You are just pushing the smaller conferences into the ground instead of encouraging growth.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

The president, the congress and the atty gen of utah.  I think the BCS is in for a major fight. 


http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=507300

Congress to hold hearings on BCS

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), the incoming chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said he will hold hearings and possibly subpoena NCAA officials, college presidents, players, coaches and athletics directors in an effort to force a playoff in Division 1-A football, USA Today reports.

"I think you really do not get a true No. 1 out of (the Bowl Championship Series)," Towns told the newspaper. "Nobody questions the Super Bowl. The team that wins is the best team that year. I think we can do the same thing at the college level where once it's over there is no questions about who is No. 1 and who is No. 2."

Click here to find out more!
Questions were raised again this season about the legitimacy of the widely unpopular BCS format when unbeaten Utah didn't get a chance to play in the national title game. The 13-0 Utes finished second in the final AP top 25 poll and fourth in the final coaches' poll. The 13-1 Florida Gators, who beat Oklahoma in the BCS national championship game, were voted No. 1 in both polls. Oklahoma finished fifth in both polls.

Texas (12-1) and USC (12-1) also had complaints about the BCS system, each believing they should have had a chance to play for the national title.

"I really feel that you can't leave it as is," Towns said. "Right now, if you ask what the No. 1 team is, a lot of people would say USC. Others would say Texas and if you ask anybody in the state of Utah, they would say their team was best. I want to get a system that has credibility."

President-elect Barack Obama has expressed support for a playoff system in college football, and Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is moving forward with an inquiry into whether the BCS system violates antitrust laws. The American Football Coaches Association also is reviewing the BCS system, specifically how the coaches' poll plays into the calculations.

"The presidents, bowl administrators, commissioners and others who are involved with postseason college football are pleased to work with Congress, as they have on several occasions in the past, and welcome any questions or ideas for improving the system," Dr. David Frohnmayer, University of Oregon president and chair of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee, said in a statement.

Former house Majority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri said he thinks Congress won't have time to deal with this issue with so many issues, particularly the economy, facing lawmakers. "I think this is something that colleges will have to figure out together," Gephardt told USA Today. "I'm not sure this is what the public wants Congress to be spending their time on."

[YoFuggedaboutit]

^^^^^

It's about fucking time. 

[pintofguinness14]

BCS doesn't violate anti-trust laws any more than the NFL, NBA, and MLB. It's long been recognized that sports leagues cannot operate without collusion on pricing and participation amongst the league members. The Utah AG's investigation isn't going anywhere. I don't even need to read the post. Frankly, were I a resident of Utah I would be annoyed that my public officials are wasting tax dollars on such a frivolous issue.

I want a playoff too, but suing the FBS for violations for the Clayton and Sherman Acts doesn't make sense.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

BCS doesn't violate anti-trust laws any more than the NFL, NBA, and MLB. It's long been recognized that sports leagues cannot operate without collusion on pricing and participation amongst the league members. The Utah AG's investigation isn't going anywhere. I don't even need to read the post. Frankly, were I a resident of Utah I would be annoyed that my public officials are wasting tax dollars on such a frivolous issue.

I want a playoff too, but suing the FBS for violations for the Clayton and Sherman Acts doesn't make sense.

Actually both the NFL and MLB would violate the anti-trust laws (don't know about NBA one way or the other) if the law didn't have specific clauses exempting them from the law in whole (MLB) or in part (NFL).