It Can Pay To Lose In College Football

Forbes ^ | 12.05.06 | Matt Woolsey

[sean327]

Just one more reason to kill off the BCS. Div-1 Football needs to go to a 16 team playoff format that includes the Champs from all 11 conferences, and 5 at-large teams. The at-large teams should be the 5 highest ranking teams after the Conference champs.

Let the fur fly boys. I love to stir the pot this time of year. This should make for some great arguments.

[mainepatsfan]

Then of course we'd have the possibility of a team winning the national championship without winning their conference. Although that scenario doesn't seem to bother anyone when it comes to basketball.

[sean327]

How else could it be done? A true playoff has to include ALL 11 CONFERENCES. The BCS system is a crock, it doesn't give us a true Champion, it gives us a beauty contest winner.

[Always Right]

Then of course we'd have the possibility of a team winning the national championship without winning their conference. Although that scenario doesn't seem to bother anyone when it comes to basketball.

In basketball that probably happens more times than not. Nobody seemed to like the idea that the best two teams in college football just may be from the same conference.

[kevkrom]

In NCAA Division I football, profits are higher for doormats from the six "major" conferences--Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and Southeastern--than for champions from the five smaller conferences.

For a couple of reasons:

1) The mid-level teams from a major conference are still better, in general, than top teams from weak conferences, their records are a result from having played much tougher opponents. (And no "doormats" qualify for bowl bids anyway.)

2) No one cares about the Boise States of the world. No one really wants to watch them, and how are you going to attract advertising and sponsorship $$$ for teams no one wants to watch?

[mainepatsfan]

You're preaching to the converted. It'd be nice someday to see a team handed a trophy that reads "NCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS".

[mainepatsfan]

Nor does anyone have a problem when a non division winner wins the Super Bowl or the World Series.

[sully777]

The NFL has champs that are wildcards. MLB has champs that are wildcards. And the NHL...don't get me started.

[sully777]

Beat me by a few seconds.

[vin-one]

they would watch them if they did it by playoff's.

[Popocatapetl]

It's the same with pro football, and the reason the Arizona Cardinals are always in the 3rd place from last position for over a decade. Their owner wants them to be there. Here's his logic. He doesn't make too much money from the box office, and TV revenues are divided among NFL teams. So where he can make the real bucks is by being in 3rd from last place every year. If the Cruds were in last place *every* year, then they would get sanctioned. But being in third from last every year, they still get good draft picks that Bill Bidwell, the owner, can sell. He makes millions selling off the best new talent, and replacing them with nursing home cast-offs. He makes them the deal that if they win a few each season, and lose the rest convincingly, he will keep them long enough for them to get their NFL pension without any more disabling injuries. The QB also gets lots of supportive publicity, and good references if he ever wants to transfer to another team. Now that he has totally suckered the city fathers of Glendale, AZ, to put the city in hock for 100 years to buy him a stadium and give him everything for free and more, the rest is pure profit. And that's all Bidwell cares about. So the least we can do is to place bets accordingly. That might be why Vegas isn't so hot for win/lose bets anymore, preferring over/under and the others.

[Always Right]

Nor does anyone have a problem when a non division winner wins the Super Bowl or the World Series.

The line that "Michigan had their chance" really was effective. That flipped more votes from Michigan to USC then to Florida than anything else. The only positive thing I see from the voting is that when OSU slaughters Florida, it will settle things. But the #1 and #2 team are not playing for the championship like the BCS intended. The rematch would have been a much better game. Although the USC-Michigan game should be good.

[kittymyrib]

It doesn't bother the NASCAR Chase for the Championship either, where the winner doesn't have to win any of the races.
That is just odd...

[mainepatsfan]

Well the NHL and NBA have killed themselves by making their regular seasons almost irrelevant.

[mainepatsfan]

Agreed. I don't think many of the voters actually felt Florida was a better team than Michigan. That and the screams from the SEC would have been deafening.

[Bat_Chemist]

Forget everyone but the conference champs. Let the 11 conference champs play, and the heck with the rest.

Including the independants.

[Boston Blackie]

Ohio State vs Michigan would have created a situation where Ohio State would have to win two out of two against Michigan while Michigan would only need to win one out of two for the national championship....essentially punishing Ohio state for winning the conference game.

We need a playoff for the championship!!!!!!!!!

[mainepatsfan]

Heck even before the chase was initiated you didn't need to win any either.

[Dixie Yooper]

OSU and Michigan are going to get beaten badly because they haven't played a game for at least two weeks longer than their opponents. They get beat in the bowl games every year because of this and will continue to get beat every year. The NCAA National Champions are The Buckeyes and Michigan is #2. The bowl games are so far removed from the regular season, they are meaningless, other than bringing in more money to the system.