The BCS: Does it Work?

For the last twelve years, College Football fans have had to endure to the philosophy of The Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Some like it some do not. If you read my blog or my twitter, it is no secret that I do not hold the BCS in high-regard. Pure hate probably best describes how I feel about the BCS. I have not really understood how some people support the BCS in lieu of a playoff system. I do not feel it does its job. According to the BCS Web site (http://www.bcsfootball.org), “It is designed to ensure that the two top-rated teams in the country meet in the national championship game, and to create exciting and competitive matchups among eight other highly regarded teams in four other bowl games.”

Now, the BCS wants you to believe that is its goal, but in reality, The BCS, in my mind, is designed to set up a game in which a “National Championship” game pit teams ranked #1 and #2 in order to generate the most money for the member schools. The winner of the game is awarded a trophy, which is sponsored by a Corporation, in order to generate the revenue.

In addition to that Mission Statement, if you want to call it that, the official Twitter account (@EveryGameCounts) of the BCS describes the BCS as “The home for the BCS, the passion and the emotion of college football and its fans. In the run for the National Title, Every Game Counts.” In a related matter, I have had many friends of mine say that a playoff system would render College Football’s regular season meaningless.

Over the next few weeks and months leading up to what the BCS wants to believe is a National Championship game, I will be examining several case studies that will detail the flaws of the BCS and why a playoff system is the only way to go when deciding College Football’s National Champion. It is clear to me that the best two teams have not played for the “National Championship” because the BCS has not made it clear for the majority of the 12 years who is #1 and #2 at the end of the season. The first case study will examine what happened back in the 2000 College Football season.