System flawed, but solid
By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
There will be no doubt when a national champion is determined later this week.
Despite the late posturing by BCS buster Boise State, come Friday morning the national championship will belong to either Alabama or Texas.
And that’s the way it should be.
Both teams have gone through their seasons with perfect marks despite playing in two of the nation’s toughest conferences.
And while Boise State was impressive defensively in its win over Texas Christian Monday night, the Broncos won’t have a say in the national championship fight.
Blame Boise State’s schedule and its less-than-stellar conference.
Of course, having a pair of undefeated teams at the end of the season is sure to bring a ripple of frustration with the currrent BCS system, a controversy that will again spread through the halls of elected officials all the way to the White House.
Bring on a playoff, they’ll say. The system is flawed, you’ll hear.
The truth of the matter is that the BCS system might just be the best possible answer to determining a national champion.
Under the bowl system that was revamped with the BCS system, Alabama might be paired with a top 20 opponent in the Sugar Bowl, while Texas would be facing a similar foe in the Cotton Bowl.
The BCS certainly has helped put more attractive matchups on the field. It’s pretty hard to beat a No. 1 versus No. 2 battle in the final week of the season.
A playoff wouldn’t solve the quesion of the best team. A 16-team tournament format would simply answer what team was peaking at the right time.
The biggest problem with a playoff would be the format. If the NCAA adopted a similar format used for Division II with super regionals, some powerhouse conferences would be hurt in the process.
The Southeastern Conference’s West Division had five bowl teams this season. Regional formats would leave some of those schools on the outside in a regional plan.
Would LSU get a playoff invite? How about Auburn or Ole Miss? Or would those schools be pushed aside for regional equality by a less talented team?
Sports editor Todd Thompson can be reached at 773-6566 or at todd.thompson@hartselleenquirer.com
