Why Has ESPN Been Curiously Mum on All the Silly New BCS Ventures into Social Media?
College Football, ESPN November 30th. 2009, 11:49am
The BCS is so detested that it felt compelled to start up a twitter account defending itself. And then a website. And the BCS is now on Facebook. Each social network experiment has been a resounding failure, primarily because the BCS is an inadequate, unfair, pathetic end to the college football season. This is nearly unanimously agreed upon, except for a handful of “traditionalists” and the greedy suits who profit handsomely from the dozens of meaningless bowl games.
Even the highest profile media “defender” of the BCS, Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated, is changing allegiances.
I’ve long been anti-playoff (albeit wanting a plus one), but these @InsidetheBCS tweets may be the straw that turns me the other way.
The media, the President, bloggers, and twitterers – have battered the BCS mercilessly. Guess who has been strangely quiet on the BCS front this year?
ESPN.
Amazingly, this is the only piece we could find on ESPN.com about the BCS and social media. It was penned by a freelancer and may as well have been written by a member of the vaunted BCS PR team.
Why wouldn’t ESPN chime in on the hot-button topic in college football?
ESPN’s baseball writers talk about Bud Selig’s postseason blunders. Its NFL writers have debated the merits of an 18-game season. Its college basketball reporters write about the silly minority that wants to expand the NCAA tournament.
Why nothing on the BCS?
ESPN is the most powerful brand in sports. It has a deep group of college football columnists, reporters, and bloggers … and very few (if any) are railing against the BCS. Ivan Maisel wrote a column that got some front-page play about how the season has been a letdown … it doesn’t even make mention of the BCS. An ESPN.com search for “Bill Hancock” (the new BCS executive director) turned up a few AP articles and very little else. Meanwhile, Hancock is going on radio shows around the country attempting to defend the BCS.
Could it be that ESPN owns and operates a handful (best we can tell, five) of bowl games? Or that ABC/ESPN will be televising 27 bowl games this winter?
Sigh. Maybe we shouldn’t be hopeful about ESPN getting the fans, players, and coaches what many of them seem to want – a playoff.
132 Responses to “Why Has ESPN Been Curiously Mum on All the Silly New BCS Ventures into Social Media?”
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November 30th, 2009 at 11:50 AM
doesn’t bspn try to ignore all social media because, well, it isn’t an evil arm of disney?
November 30th, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Does not compute.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Because you’re the only one who cares
November 30th, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Ummm, not even close.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:55 AM
honestly…im cool with the BCS.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:56 AM
trust me: for every “greedy suit” from a “worthless bowl,” there’s about two dozen coaches of revenue-less sports (gymnastics, swimming, track and field) who are equally as happy.
money from the “worthless bowls” help keep those sports — and said scholarships for those athletes — afloat.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:57 AM
I dont understand college basketball. I think they should do an 8 team best of 5 playoff series over the course of 2 months to determine their champion. I would probably still think the sport was stupid, but they should change it just to see if I can like it.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:58 AM
same here. i don’t think it is as big of a deal as everyone else thinks it is.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:58 AM
Why should they cover the BCS using Twitter or Facebook? I don’t see how this is a story at all.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:58 AM
same here. i remember the pre-bcs days. those were HORRIBLE.
under the previous system, there would have never been a miami-ohio state championship, never a usc-texas championship, and i dare suggest not a (potential) texas vs. bama-florida game this year.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:00 PM
ESPN doesn’t badmouth business partners. The BCS is a business partner of ESPN.
And it’s not like they’re needed to hear the cries of every fan who wants a better way to crown a champion than letting people who see only 10% of all games tell us so.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:01 PM
WOW, TBL, this small sampling completely undermines you’re baseless “unanimous” comment. Care to be responsible and redact it?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Screw the fond memories and great experiences that the players/parents/fans get touring a city for a week that none of them have ever been too. Stupid kids and their expanded horizons.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:01 PM
i would have been really interested in what would have happened if auburn knocked off bammer, then bammer beat florida, and then nebraska beat texas. now i guess it just comes down to who gets in to the title game if texas loses. TCU or Cincy?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:02 PM
screw the entire system… do away with conferences all together, throw every cfb program into a big ass bracket-style tournament, seed them as accurately as possible, and start that bitch up week 1.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Sparty –
No way in hell would the SEC allow TCU v Cincy. The title game would just be a redo of the Bama/Florida game.
/I think I’m joking.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:04 PM
We’ve really crossed the Rubicon of foot-stampy pissiness if you need a BCS-related opinion on a sports blog redacted.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:05 PM
Cause and effect fail?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Not a facebooker but I thought the purpose of the program was for people to communicate, not corporate entities.
And really if your company has stooped to twitter you got some serious issues.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:06 PM
i have no problem with that. i don’t see why a team that loses week 14 or whatever it is, should be any different from a team that loses week 1 and can have all season to move back into contention. i know most disagree with that, but whatever.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Exactly. Under the old system, Florida won a NC because Florida State and Arizona State couldn’t play each other. And Penn State didn’t play for one because they were locked into a crappy Rose Bowl vs. Oregon.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:08 PM
clown – good point. changed to ‘meaningless.’
November 30th, 2009 at 12:08 PM
The BCS using social media is a hot-button topic???? Epic, epic, epic fail.
ESPN isn’t chiming in because it’s meaningless.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:09 PM
yeah, undefeated penn state and undefeated nebraska not playing each other because there was no bcs was so fair.
yeah, undefeated nebraska and undefeated michgan not playing each other because there was no bcs was so fair.
is the bcs a great system? no. but it’s light years better than the previous system, which was none.
i used to be a strong proponent of a playoff. in recent years i’ve changed my mind. with a little tweaking a bcs — or even a final four version of the bcs bowl winners — is adequate.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Not true at all. That shows an ignorance of the proliferation of the use of social media in corporate America.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:11 PM
nice usage of Rubicon!
November 30th, 2009 at 12:11 PM
if Bama loses to Florida on a neutral field in the SEC championship and they have a rematch for the National Title, what happens if the Bama wins on a neutral field? who is crowned the National Champion?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:12 PM
ask bobby bowden.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Undefeated Texas?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:16 PM
Without the BCS this weekend’s SEC Title Game is as meaningless as all the major conference basketball tournaments
November 30th, 2009 at 12:17 PM
I just won a $100 gift card on Twitter. I’m glad that company has an awareness of that particular social media platform.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:17 PM
if Bama loses to Florida on a neutral field in the SEC championship and they have a rematch for the National Title, what happens if the Bama wins on a neutral field? who is crowned the National Champion?
Alabama. ALl the BCS is desinged for is to create the National Title game. Once the game is set, they unplug the computer and mothball it until next October.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:17 PM
forgot to add if Texas loses in Big 12 championship
November 30th, 2009 at 12:18 PM
All I want is a plus one. Keep everything else as it is.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:20 PM
not even close to unanimous agreement.
I could write 1000 words on why the BCS is perfect and another 1000 on why a playoff is necessary.
by the way, screw what Obama thinks about college football.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:20 PM
man, you hit the nail on the head. college basketball tournaments are the epitomy of “worthless.”
yeah, sure, the winner gets an automatic bid. but if you are a decent team you still get an at-large bid. hell, even if you are an average team you can still get an at-large bid.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:22 PM
playoff or not, you’re still going to have to rely on computers to rank the teams that get into the playoffs. The bitching will never end. Theres too many teams.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:22 PM
the acc/big ten/big east basketball tournaments are no less/more worthless than, say, the outback bowl.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:23 PM
it would have been Bammer vs. Texas, unless Texas lost BIG to Brasky. in that case, it would have likely been Bammer vs. Cincy (Cincy likely jumps TCU in the final BCS standings if they beat Pitt this coming weekend…unless the coaches started giving TCU first place votes to keep them above Cincy).
November 30th, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Because there are more important issues to cover.
/Notre Dame coaching search
//while they still technically have a coach
November 30th, 2009 at 12:24 PM
I don’t think Roy Williams even cares about the ACC Tournament and why should he? He sat Ty Lawson when the guy probably could have played but the NCAA Tournament is the only thing that matters in college basketball so his thinking was just eff it
Few regular seasons are as meaningless as college basketball’s and without looking it up don’t TV ratings agree with this?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Shocking: it turns out the Chargers players were embellishing that McDaniels “trash talking”.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:25 PM
for evidence, consider the kvetching and hand-wringing the monday after selection sunday, which should be called “mope monday.”
all these half-assed teams bitch because they weren’t selected as the 65th team in the tournament. i’m sorry, if you can rack up enough wins to get into the ncaa basketball tournament, you have no reason to whine. basically, if you are from a power conference and have a winning record, you’re in.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Why don’t they just make 6 16-team “superconferences” with 4 divisions and playoffs, and just pit the best 4 left standing against each other?
/serious
November 30th, 2009 at 12:27 PM
a plus one this year would solve … zero.
which team do you want to shaft, gog?
and CC – you’re dreaming. I’ll be beating the Playoff drum until this blog goes under. I won’t care of its my waterloo.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Bammer is the official BCS national champ in this case. the only wrench in the equation is if the AP voters revolted and gave the AP championship to Florida…and that would all depend on margin of victory the first time and margin of loss the second time.
however, there WILL NOT be a rematch between these two, even if it’s decided by a one-point, 15-overtime game. Texas would have to lose badly, possibly with a big injury to McCoy.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:29 PM
But I always thought that Shaun Phillips fellow was such a professional! I’m scandalized!
November 30th, 2009 at 12:29 PM
If you were going to start a system from scratch would the BCS be it? Why settle for mediocrity?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:29 PM
i heard an executive of bspn who oversees college basketball coverage interviewed last week about this. he said there are “pockets” of the country where november college basketball games get good ratings and those pockets are generally in college basketball hotbeds like the midwest and some areas of the northeast and the atlantic seaboard.
i really enjoy college basketball but i cannot really get into it until after the holidays when the conference schedules begin. even then, i don’t get fully involved until after the super bowl.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:29 PM
Rubicon? Waterloo? All we are missing is a Custer’s Last Stand.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:31 PM
A rubicon reference, followed by waterloo. Any chance for Cincinnatus?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:32 PM
if it’s based on rankings, you “shaft” the #5 team. if it’s based on rankings and conference championships, then you probably “shaft” TCU.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:32 PM
But I always thought that Shaun Phillips fellow was such a professional! I’m scandalized!
not all Purdue grads are classy like Brees and I
November 30th, 2009 at 12:32 PM
I could write 1000 words on why the BCS is perfect and another 1000 on why a playoff is necessary.
Well, work is pretty slow today… have at it, hoss.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:32 PM
benjamins my friend, benjamins. there’s a shitload of money in those “worthless” bowls. that’s why they continue to exist, much to the irritation of TBL.
trust me, there are some really intelligent people who run athletic departments and college conferences. these people are gifted in knowing how to find and make money.
if there was a way to rake in more cash than the current bowl system, and the hundreds of millions of dollars each conference takes in from those “worthless” bowl games, the bowls would be history.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:33 PM
Why does TBL continually write these like he’s speaking for everyone? Like I’ve said plenty of times college football fans don’t mind the BCS. Would we like a plus 1? Sure. Are we outraged at the BCs. I don’t think so. I think it’s ok. It could be better, but like I’ve said I don’t want an 8 team playoff. I would take 4 and that’s it.
If this is a “sports” blog then shouldn’t you be writing it from the individual sports fan perspective and not a casual perspective?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:33 PM
Rubicon? Waterloo? All we are missing is a Custer’s Last Stand.
It doesn’t get real for me until sparty goes all Thermopole on us
November 30th, 2009 at 12:35 PM
see college hoops
November 30th, 2009 at 12:36 PM
I see no reason why you could not have bowl games in addition to playoffs…
Having access to free labor is not what I would really call gifted.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:36 PM
can’t do it, ill. this is the first post I’ve commented on…too much post-Thanksgiving shit to do at work.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Has anyone bothered to ask the question why we even need a college football national champion in the first place? There are too many teams and too few games that can be played amongst them to even attempt it in my opinion…again I’ll state I liked things better in the old days when all I cared about was Wisconsin winning the Big Ten and then hopefully the Rose Bowl, a national championship field will always come down to some subjective observations
November 30th, 2009 at 12:36 PM
TCU has quality wins. why shaft TCU instead of Boise?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:37 PM
You know what IS a big deal? Central Michigan WR Bryan Anderson set an all-division NCAA record this weekend by making a catch in 52 consecutive games. Chippewas play in the MAC championship game on Friday on ESPN2. Dan LeFevour is a stud.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Having access to free labor is not what I would really call gifted.
You have to be pretty gifted to convince the vast majority of the country there is no problem with that.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:37 PM
TCU beat Clemson, BYU and Utah. (2 ranked, one could be BCS-bound)
Boise beat Oregon.
why shaft TCU?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Are you saying college hoops doesn’t use computers to determine who gets in? Um, whats the RPI then? Someone’s opinion? Of course, the committee uses RPI to help determine who gets in no matter what they say. Not to mention their own preconceived bias before discussing teams.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:38 PM
basketball can be played on back-to-back days, hence a 30+ game regular season in cbb vs. a 12 game regular season in cfb.
don’t blindly use cbb to try to justify a playoff in cfb. it makes you look shallow.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:39 PM
bingo.
have a 16 team playoff.
and then the rest of the teams can have their bowl games. aren’t like 50 teams playing in bowl games, anyway?
how is that different than what we have now?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:39 PM
@miz – S&F, not Paolo-style in the thread.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:40 PM
miz, you need to go back and read what i referred the college hoops to. it had nothing to do with ‘games.’
just ‘rankings.’
November 30th, 2009 at 12:40 PM
don’t blindly use cbb to try to justify a playoff in cfb. it makes you look shallow.
TBL only wants to fuck college basketball because its prettier?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Chippewas play in the MAC championship game on Friday on ESPN2.
I love the MAC for the simple fact that it provides me with mid-week games to wager one. Great conference…
November 30th, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Boise isn’t even in the discussion. TCU is “shafted” becuase it’s ranked high enough to be in the discussion of a plus-1. Boise isn’t even being considered.
The teams involved would be Florida, Bammer, Texas, and TCU/Cincy. that’s why I qualified with “if it’s based on rankings” or “if it’s based on rankings and conference championships”.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:43 PM
Why would you want a bunch of 2 loss teams in the national title mix?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:43 PM
- get rid of 12th game
- 8 team playoff immediately when season ends – 1-4 get home-field
- two weekends wittles it down to two teams – those teams play National Title Game, other six get slotted into bowls as normal (no more meaningless than they were before)
November 30th, 2009 at 12:44 PM
TBL – you need to link your shit if you want me to try to understand the context of the points you’re trying to make. I’m not female so I can’t read minds.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:45 PM
FYI Oregon/Oregon State is on Thursday.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:46 PM
Those D2 admins must really be genius by this logic.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:47 PM
Getting a pass on that $120k room and board that every other student must pay? Chump change.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:48 PM
miz – read closer, my friend
http://thebiglead.com/?p=29627&cpage=2#comment-590564
you’re crowning the champion of a sport. why does the champ have to be unbeaten? you are determining the best team – not the team that schedules best.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:49 PM
so you want the UF-Ala loser to stay in the ‘2 team playoff.’ miz, you often post silly stuff in these college football discussions, but that might be the craziest. your 2-team playoff solves nothing this year. it leaves out 2 unbeaten teams that have proved they can play with the big boys (Boise, TCU).
try again
November 30th, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Getting a pass on that $120k room and board that every other student must pay? Chump change.
In comparison to what that labor is worth to the schools, yes it is.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:50 PM
Someone will ALWAYS get shafted, but the more teams you add, the harder it is to determine who you shaft. Say you want a 16-team playoff, the difference between #16 and #17 is most likely minute at best. As for this year, Cincy gets the shaft (unless of course they lose to Pitt, and then Boise and it’s pathetic schedule gets shafted and no one cares).
November 30th, 2009 at 12:50 PM
FYI Oregon/Oregon State is on Thursday.
The MAC’s had 13 games on Tues-Thurs this year.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:50 PM
god forbid one of those 2 loss teams outplays the undefeated teams!!!!!
November 30th, 2009 at 12:53 PM
And where is the money from the 12th game going to come from?
Bitch and moan all you want, the only feasible option is a plus one. Nothing else will come to pass until the lower conferences become equal to the BCS conferences in terms of draw.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:53 PM
I know, I was just telling you there are two weekday games you can bet on this week.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:53 PM
Okay, this is where it gets fun — how much then should the backup point guard on Binghamton University get paid, then? How much is he worth? Since $120k isn’t enough.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:53 PM
the division II championship BEGINS on November 14 and ENDS on December 12. FBS conference championship games aren’t until December 5.
d-II also only plays 10 or 11 game regular seasons that begin in late August.
so, the season starts sooner and doesn’t last as long…genius.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:55 PM
If there’s a playoff system, Notre Dame will always somehow be at least the 16th seed. I’m all for it.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:57 PM
You’re right, 3 loss Oregon State (#16 BCS, #13 AP, #16 Coaches) deserves just as much a shot at the title as Florida.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:59 PM
so clown, tell us – who ‘deserves’ a shot at Florida?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:59 PM
You’re right, 3 loss Oregon State (#16 BCS, #13 AP, #16 Coaches) deserves just as much a shot at the title as Texas.
/more accurate
November 30th, 2009 at 12:59 PM
Hey as long as we throw in home field for earlier rounds, I can somewhat get behind it. But if we’re talking “neutral” site games that all happen to be in Florida or Cali, I’m out.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:01 PM
what? that makes no sense, TBL. usually my silliness is reserved for clowning on you. try to pay attention: if it’s based on rankings, and UF-Bammer play a close game and the loser gets dropped no lower than #4 (which is what will happen when final BCS standings come out this comins Sunday), then yes, the UF-Bammer loser is in. it’s not perfect, but it’s based on rankings. if it’s based on rankings and conference championships, then the loser of the SEC championship game can’t be in the 4-team mix because it didn’t win the conference championship. how hard is this to understand.
a 2-team playoff is what we have now…a game between #1 and #2. and, jsut to be clear, you want a playoff that includes all unbeaten teams, right? so, this year, it needs to be at least a 6-team playoff. how many would it have been last year? or, the previous year?
try again
your turn.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:02 PM
Bammer? then, if Bammer doesn’t get it done, Texas?
November 30th, 2009 at 1:04 PM
I’ve long been an advocate of the plus-one. And in that plus-one, I would be fine with it being the undefeated teams, minus Boise State (especially if Oregon State wins on Thursday)
November 30th, 2009 at 1:05 PM
dammit…should have proofread and html-fail-checked comment 95.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:06 PM
Have you ever heard of the Free Market? (Also many other problems with your logic, like how somehow the marginal cost of 1 additional student would be 120k…)
November 30th, 2009 at 1:07 PM
Ohio State had more fans in Tempe than did Florida and they were still crushed.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:09 PM
In college sports? Keep dreaming.
I also don’t think that’s what TST had in mind.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:10 PM
Not a bad point. But I would never claim that “crowd noise” really has that much of an effect on games, in fact, I think it’s overrated. I’m talking about having my team fly all over as opposed to driving or walking to the venue. There’s a major difference with 18 year old kids, especially if my team has to fly cross country four straight weeks.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:14 PM
it seems that is is Doable in football despite the ability to not play back to back games.
Season does not last as long is a weak excuse considering you have that whole Dec 5 – Jan time frame.
You can love the BCS (or hate a playoff) but scheduling is a poor argument for it.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:16 PM
I assume you are referring to playing against USC in the rose bowl because I’m pretty sure Florida is not close to Tempe.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Maybe that’s why I didn’t get into the Cronkite school at ASU.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:22 PM
I agree with Miz. No matter how unpopular that makes me.
TBL- last week you wanted a 16 team playoff with the winners of ALL the conferences invited. That is crazy. Ohio-Florida 1st round! What a joke. Then if we shorten it to 8 teams and take all 6 BCS winners and 2 at larges based on rankings guess what. Boise gets left out because it will be
Florida
Cincy
GT
Oregon
Texas
Ohio state
Alabama
TCU
because the two highest at larges would be Bama and TCU. So either you do the top 8 by ranking or you take the 6 BCS champions plus 2. Either way someone gets “shafted”.
I’m not even sure what you’re arguing because in any playoff proposal you’ve put out there teams get left out which is exactly what you’re complaining about now.
Playoffs work in Division 1AA and lower because there isn’t a huge discrepancy between conference winners and and at larges. Last year Cincinnati was 12 in the BCS. Who gets left out if they get to go? Texas Tech? Boise? Alabama? TCU, Utah? All those teams were ahead of them in the rankings.
There is no perfect way but I’ll take this way or a plus 1. That’s all I’m willing to vouch for.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:25 PM
scheduling is an excellent and necessary argument to use. the FBS teams aren’t starting sooner because it limits their practice time. they aren’t cutting games out of the schedule to accomodate an earlier start to some potential playoff because they just ADDED a game so as to make more money.
I agree though, too much time between December 5 and January 7.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:26 PM
only TBL will hate you for this…I think.
/seriously, do I have a nemesis around here?
November 30th, 2009 at 1:28 PM
that would be a tough sell. i believe i read that florida pulls in $5 million on a home game (which is one reason they won’t travel outside the old confederacy to play a regular season game).
November 30th, 2009 at 1:30 PM
The real root of the problem is that outsiders dont get that Nat Champs just dont mean that much in college football, seriously. They are vague and undefined, and sometimes there’s multiple champions. The goals of a CFB Season:
1. Win Conference
1a. Tailgate and get drunk
2. Beat Rival
3. Get revenge on teams that beat/wronged you last year
4. If you catch a few breaks and things work out maybe you get a chance at a title, but most likely you have a nice bowl vacation
Notice how the most important ones you have control over?
November 30th, 2009 at 1:34 PM
TBL until you come up with a post that details a specific format where BSU and TCU wouldn’t get screwed, I just can’t take these continued polemics against the system seriously. RS just debunked the merits of the potential 16 team playoff format that you had previously supported. So please, come up with something that works, or stop the bitching!
November 30th, 2009 at 1:35 PM
my god! from the grave, bo shitbechler posts on thebiglead.com!!!
November 30th, 2009 at 1:42 PM
a “final four” type of playoff seems to be the easiest solution.
the current bowl format(s), including the bcs would remain intact with one caveat, the bcs cannot match up two teams with undefeated records (i know, what if there are five undefeated teams? just play along). in a sense, this would be a bye of sorts.
take the winners of the four bcs games and have a final four. team ranked no. 1 in the bcs plays the no. 4 ranked team (of the survivors). no. 2 faces no. 3.
this could be spaced out over a month with the championship played on the week prior to the super bowl, the nfl’s “off week.”
November 30th, 2009 at 1:42 PM
so your title situation changes yearly, maybe depending on who is unbeaten? not sure i follow …
November 30th, 2009 at 1:42 PM
The Bowl games then feature teams of little to no interest if the top 16 teams are in a playoff. The Bowl committees and sponsors lose millions and millions of dollars. The Midas Car Care Bowl is not what people watch or travel to.
You will never get a 16 (or 8 for that matter) team playoff. I don’t care if you’re Todd Rundgren, TBL.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:43 PM
AHH!!! ZOMBIE!!!
/i keed, SC
November 30th, 2009 at 1:44 PM
whoa. i for sure want 16 teams. the 11 conf winners and 5 at-large teams, as mentioned in the post, was from some writer in Idaho. it sounded fair. i did not spend the time to look at a schedule/where games played/etc/etc.
when/if i do all that jazz, i’ll let you know. it certainly wont be thanksgiving week or this month.
off to the gym, be back in time (hopefully) to comment on the notre dame post, which is coming!
November 30th, 2009 at 1:47 PM
It’s not fluid. Plus-one means the top four teams, which in this year’s case means of the unbeatens Boise State gets left off due to their bad overall schedule.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:48 PM
/makes wanking motion
November 30th, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Exactly, if a 4 loss SEC team doesnt have the chance to win the title then I’m not interested.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:00 PM
/seriously, do I have a nemesis around here?
Not me… I surppress all my anger, so we’re cool.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:04 PM
Really. Practice time? I have not idea what the rules are with CFB practices but I am very sure this could be fixed easily.
No One would have to get games cut out.
Do you think if there someone offered a huge some of money for a playoffs that scheduling or practice would hold that back.
It is about the money but its about the current structure of payments not about total dollars. You could literally change almost nothing by adding playoff games in December get the same bowl games that are currently in place (losing teams in tourney go to bowls) and add a few marquee matchups which would be HUGE revenue generators.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:18 PM
D-II starts sooner. the NCAA has strict limits on practice time for FCS. in order to start sooner, the schools would have to agree to less practice time or the NCAA would have to change rules to accomodate an earlier start.
by December 6, the teams with conference championships will have played 13 games is 14 weeks. some of the teams in the D-II playoff have only played 10 games. FCS games would have to be cut!
who is this mysterious “someone” you speak of?
it IS all about the money. the bowl system is historic and a huge money generator. and, you’re advocating the championship to be determined before bowls are played? I think I don’t understand…
November 30th, 2009 at 2:37 PM
Why? Even if you assume games could not start earlier, with schedule as is you have three weeks in December.
ESPN?
No. Playoff games would get played before bowl games but championship game would not have to. Are you saying that the ‘History’ is why bowls are so valuable. Take a look at baseball, more by extending more games, divisions, wild card, they get more revue.
If you had a playoff over three weeks in Dec for Champ game to be played in Jan it does not change the schedule. Bowl games would still get filled by good teams (losers in the playoff). More money would be made by the extra games.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:47 PM
That’s a great business plan for professional employees. Unfortunately we’re dealing with amateur athletes.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Why does everyone point to December as the time to start the playoffs…do people not realize the reason for the December lull? Most universities are taking exams during this time period, so unless you want to end the mockery that is the “student-athlete” you either start the playoffs in November and have a break, or they start in January and compete against the NFL playoffs.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:01 PM
FCS playoffs work just fine, in fact they’re actually expanding them next year. And FCS starts the same time FBS does.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:02 PM
Pffft, let me guess, they want to “study” for those exams that will help them get jobs someday, stupid students. Oh, and they want to see their mommies, dumb 19 year olds, grow up. I want to sit on my couch and be told what games are important.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:06 PM
Because people are so scared that a game might get cut back so it works as a good example of how timing could work without cutting any games.
Really? Womens Volleyball tourney played in December. FCS also in December. it is a stretch to think a few teams playing a few games changes anything.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:07 PM
I went to one, must have been 5 or 6 cars backed up waiting to get in the parking garage, talk about a nightmare. Planning that must have been a bitch. Having 100K people show up in State College on 5 days notice would be easy as pie compared to that.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:10 PM
That’s just because State College is full of Asians that fuck up the traffic.
November 30th, 2009 at 5:03 PM
I would prefer traditional bowl tie-ins with a plus one.