We have a problem with American College Football.  The root of that problem is money and power, and the result of that problem is a season that always culminates with a question: is <team x> really the best team in the land?

We don’t have the same issue in College Basketball for 1 reason and 1 reason only: there’s a tournament at the end of the season to determine who the best team is.  While it might be said that the “best” team doesn’t always win that tournament, I counter that good or great teams that can manage to rattle off 6 consecutive wins over a month can certainly be called “best”, especially when the last 2 or 3 wins come against the competition that is just as good, or just as hot, as the eventual tournament winner.

So, how do we make football like basketball?  Simply put: have a tournament!

Who gets in?

Currently, there are 6 “BCS” conferences that divide up all the births in the BCS bowl games.  The ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big 10, Pac-12, and SEC all are guaranteed spots in BCS games.  The only exception to this rule would be if someone from another conference, or an independent ranks in the top 12 of the final BCS standings.  Every year, the polls come out, and every year there is controversy.  Most of the time, said controversy centers around someone feeling they were snubbed by the BCS, while waltzing through a cupcake schedule to gaudy statistics and impressive records.

So, how do we proceed with a playoff?  First, we add the Mountain West Conference and Western Athletic Conference to the list of NCAA Football Playoff automatic bids. This ups the number of automatic bids to 8 (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac-12, Big East, MWC, WAC).  Using last season as an example, the 8 automatic bids would have gone to: Virginia Tech, Auburn, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Oregon, Connecticut, TCU, and Nevada.  After that, a committee selects 8 at-large teams to fill out the bracket.  Some examples of at-large teams: Stanford, LSU, Ohio State, Alabama, Boise State, Northern Illinois, and Arkansas.  The teams and their seeding (1-16) are announced at a “Selection Show” before the start of the first NFL game, or at halftime of the Sunday Night game, for the first week in December.  This year, that would be Sunday, December 4^th.  Games start the following weekend, and run every week for 4 weeks.  This would result in a National Championship game on or about January 1^st, which is the traditional powerhouse bowl game day.

When are the games played?

Obviously, these games would not be played on Sunday, as the NFL is in the late stages of its regular season and gearing up for its own playoffs.  The games could continue to be hosted on Saturday, or, since the first 2 weeks of the football tournament have the most games (12 over 2 weeks), we take a page from basketball, and stagger the games for the first 2 weeks between Thursday night and Saturday afternoon.  NFL games on Saturday could start at 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm Eastern Time.  The college games could start at 7pm Eastern and 7pm Pacific times Thursday and Friday night, and 10 am and 1 pm Eastern time on Saturday.  After the first 2 weeks, games can be moved to Saturday before the start of the NFL games that week.

Where are the games played?

For the first week, the higher seeded team gets a home game.  This may sound like an insurmountable advantage, and indeed, one cannot deny that going into Madison, Wisconsin on a cold day in December and winning would be a daunting task; however, I counter that any team that could do such a thing would gain a great deal of momentum into the next game.  Following the first round, games would be played at neutral sites, specifically the sites where the current BCS bowl games are held with considerations for geography to keep travel costs low.

What’s the upside?

You mean beyond 4 weeks of great teams facing each other?  Beyond a team getting hot at the right time and making a run like the Packers did through the NFL Playoffs last year?  That’s legitimately compelling television for any sports fan.  Las Vegas gets an extra 4 weeks of playoff style sports betting, where the best sports books in town would be the place to be for those December weekends.  The NCAA and associated conferences get to showcase their campuses, players, coaches, facilities, and students for as long as teams can stay alive in the tournament.  This scenario is win-win all the way around.  Absolutely everyone would benefit, the fans not the least of which.

But what do we do with the money?

This is the toughest of all questions.  Each of the teams that qualifies for the tournament should get a flat “tournament incentive” just for being selected.  Then, what I would do is provide a second, smaller incentive to make the “final four”.  The rest of the proceeds should be used to continue the rest of the bowl system (which would be left alone to give more teams a chance for post-season play).  This way, many teams get rewarded for successful seasons that aren’t able to compete on the same level as the eight NCAA Football Tournament conferences.

Why do you care so much?

I’ll be honest; I’m bitter.  Bitter over a missed field goal caused by a 5 week layoff between early December and early January.  Bitter that it wasn’t Stanford playing Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl last year.  Bitter that TCU had a 12-0 record and really didn’t play anyone beyond Utah all season.  Bitter at ESPN’s obvious anti-Wisconsin bias, and less obvious anti-Big Ten bias.  Bitter that even after getting accused of running up the score on inferior opponents, Wisconsin couldn’t get any higher than fifth in the final BCS poll.  Bitter that Wisconsin always plays terribly at Michigan State.  Bitter that I have to take away time every day of the 2 weeks I have with my family over the holidays and do nothing but watch sports.

Having said all that, in reality, an NCAA football playoff is better television for longer than the BCS is currently.  Under the current system, your favorite team is only relevant until they lose.  Under this system, your favorite team could lose early in the season, and still be relevant late into December.  Isn’t that just better?