 Player Profile |
Any Given Saturday Now that the 2006 bowl season has come and gone yet again, analysts and writers across the country will begin their never ending debate on the current BCS system that is in place for the DI bowl championship division (formerly known as DI-A). Everyone always makes mention to the bowl championship division converting to the playoff system used by DI championship subdivision and lower divisions of NCAA football, but I am here to offer up my unique perspective on this topic. The first question one may ask is how would the bowl championship division benefit from a true playoff system versus the bowl series that is in place now. First and foremost there would be no question at the end of the season as to who was the best team that year on the field. Key phrase in the previous statement being "on the field". Yes, a playoff system might bump out those teams that on paper are juggernauts, but the key to this madness is that it would happen through competition, not some mathematical computation that is given by a computer. After all, isn't the spirit of competition one of the founding values of the NCAA? For instance, let's journey back in time to the 2004 football season. This was a season upon which a perennial contender Auburn Tigers football team completed an undefeated season in the grueling South Eastern Conference, and went on to defeat Virginia Tech in the Nokia Sugar Bowl. Much to the dismay of all the Auburn fans across the nation, they were overlooked for an opportunity to play for a National Championship. "Opportunity", now there's another interesting word that a playoff system gives all of its participants. Let's not forget that Oklahoma, the team that got the nod over Auburn was for the lack of better words, completely dominated by an overwhelmingly talented USC Trojan team. Just more salt to throw into the wounds of the disappointed and completely dismayed Auburn nation. While there was a lot turmoil and controversy over the BCS system in 2004, there was another story brewing in college football that year as well. Let us journey back to the beginning of the season to the infamous pre-season rankings of the 2004 football season. Such polls that might have been the demise of that great Auburn team that year, but on the other side of things there was a Division I-AA poll. In this poll you see your traditional powerhouses Montana, Georgia Southern, Southern Illinois, Furman, and so on. No where on that list did you find James Madison University, and many would say for good reason. Who am I to argue with that? I was a part of that team; it was the preseason to my junior season at Madison where we had amassed an impressive 13-22 record since 2001 entering into the 2004 season. To say we weren't even on the map would be the understatement of the year. It would probably be safe to say we could have flown right by an air traffic control tower, and you probably still wouldn't have been able to pick us up on the radar or even see us coming. Lo and behold, by the end of the season little known JMU had completed a 9-2 season only losing one game to an I-AA opponent. Now here's where the beauty of a playoff system comes in. Under BCS standards we would have easily been overlooked for a shot to play for a National Championship. Even with the great season we had that year it seemed as if we were nearly overlooked by the playoff selection committee, but four weeks and four road games later James Madison University was crowned the 2004 I-AA National Champion- an opportunity that would not have been afforded by the BCS system. Since everything was to be settled on the field in a playoff structure, we were given the OPPORTUNITY to play it out on the field. Let us now explore the business side of such a move to a playoff format. With huge corporate sponsorships, the bowl season generates millions upon millions of dollars in revenue for a lot of people, including the institutions themselves. From television time, commercial slots, ads at the game, to the huge payouts to each school's conferences just for making a bowl game appearance. It is easy to see there is a ton of money at stake with the current system; but after numerous controversial years of who is the number one and two team in the country, should such a decision inevitably come down to dollars and cents? For those that truly believe in the spirit of competition, the answer is a simple "no" change to a playoff format, but to those very business-minded individuals for whom the bottom line is revenue; it would definitely be hard to steer away from the current BCS system. Yes, there is a ton of money to be made from the current system, but could these same revenues be generated with the playoff system? If you were to ask me, I would tell you, yes. In my negligible opinion the world of revenues and competition in a playoff structure could definitely coexist. Let's look at one of the most watched sporting events in the world, the NCAA Men's basketball tournament. This event takes 64 teams, and places them on the court to battle through 5 games just to reach the championship game. Oh, did I mention this is one of the most watched sporting events in the world. Viewers all over tune in religiously to either track or actively watch the games themselves. The entire time everyone has in the back of their mind, "Who is this year's Cinderella story?" Who's going to be the next George Mason or Gonzaga-teams that won the hearts of millions with their heroics during the tournament. A playoff system works for all the other levels of NCAA football, and all of its other sponsored team sports. Why won't it work for the bowl championship division? Some may even make the argument that a playoff system for the bowl championship division would make athletes miss too many days of class, or the season would become too long. An excuse which I personally find to be quite entertaining; especially since I've experienced it. Let us thoroughly dismantle such frivolous excuses for a conversion. Football is a game upon which one game is played each week, and if I'm not mistaken usually Friday is the travel day and the games are then played on Saturday. Also, to my knowledge, I really haven't been made aware of too many class sessions being held on Saturday afternoons. Unless things have drastically changed since my eligibility expired at the conclusion of the 2005 season. Even if Friday classes were a problem, there is an entire office dedicated to helping student- athletes with all of their academic needs, not to mention two to three people dedicated to solely football. So there definitely are resources available to help with this issue if it really were a problem. Not to mention, all of the other team sports have done it and obviously managed because I definitely haven't heard the converse of this argument from other sports like basketball, baseball, volleyball, and so on who have to journey through a playoff system to reach the pinnacle of their sport. Yes, a playoff structure is grueling, and places extreme physical demands on the athletes that participate in them; but for those that actually participate in this format they will have very little to gripe about at the end of the day. You either won or you lost. It's that simple. No misunderstandings of computer interpretations. The job of the NCAA is to regulate and provide structure to all the institutions which its umbrella covers. Part of this responsibility is to encourage the spirit of competition for all its participating institutions. Such qualities that make colligate athletics all the more special. The reason for all the many rules that the NCAA taken the time to draft and put into effect over the years is to create a fair and competitive environment for all its embodying institutions to compete under. At the end of the day whatever is to be done should be done in the best interest of the sport. Not what's best for the CEO's of companies, presidents of institutions, or even the business head of what is called the NCAA. A playoff system affords its participants opportunity, something that is definitely lacking in the BCS format. Everyone loves a Cinderella story. There could easily be a George Mason, a Bradley, or a Gonzaga in the world of I-A college football. Who knows, given the opportunity, a team like Rutgers or Boise State could be crowned a champion any given Saturday. -Bruce Johnson |
