ANALYSIS

This year, especially, college football needs a playoff

By Ralph D. Russo
Associated Press

Forget the politics and the college presidents that stand in the way of a major college football playoff.

Pretend there was no bowl system to protect. No unbreakable bond among the Big Ten, Pac-10 and Rose Bowl. No Bowl Championship Series.

Sounds like paradise to many fans.

If big-time college football could have a playoff, and boy could it use one this season, here's a good way to do it.

Eight teams. No more. No less. The last thing anybody wants is to ruin the best regular season in sports. A playoff would take the win-or-else edge off some regular-season games, but not much.

There are 120 teams in the Bowl Subdivision. If only eight get a chance to play for a title after the season, there will still be very little margin for error.

Especially because six of those eight spots will go the champions of the big six conferences: the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast, Southeastern and the Pac-10.

The other two spots are wild cards to be determined by some type of formula comparable to what's used in the BCS standings, a combination of polls and computers. One suggestion: Put extra weight on the nonconference schedule for teams vying for an at-large bid.

That could lead to all types of controversy about who should be in and who should be out and that's not a bad thing.

When former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer came up with the idea that eventually grew into the BCS, he realized some controversy is good for the sport. It keeps people talking about college football.

The problem with the BCS is too often it's impossible to figure out which teams should fill the two slots. When No. 3 has as good a case to play the national championship as Nos. 1 and 2, it takes away from the title game.

If Missouri and West Virginia, the top teams in the latest BCS standings, win next week and play in the national championship game on Jan. 7 in New Orleans, we'll be talking for weeks about why Ohio State -- or Kansas or LSU or Georgia -- isn't in the game instead.

Defenders of the BCS say there will always be complaining about teams getting left out, no matter how many are included. In an eight-team format, Nos. 9 and 10 would gripe.

True, but that will blow over as soon as the first-round games kick off and by the time the championship is decided 9 and 10 will be all but forgotten.

So what to do with the teams from the other five conferences? They'll be eligible for at-large bids and the system can be weighed in a way that makes it easier for them to get in than non-champions from other leagues.

Hawaii will earn an automatic bid to the BCS this season by finishing in the top 12 of the standings, even if a team from one of the major conferences is eligible for an at-large and ranked ahead of the Warriors.

Keep that rule or something similar in place, leaving at least one spot open to an underdog. Also, let the standings decide the seedings.

Making some educated guesses about what lies ahead -- just for the fun of it let's say Oklahoma beats Missouri in the Big 12 title game -- here's what the first-round matchups could look like:

» No. 1 West Virginia (Big East) vs. No. 8 Hawaii (at-large)

» No. 2 Ohio State (Big Ten) vs. No. 7 Oklahoma (Big 12)

» No. 3 LSU (SEC) vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech (ACC)

» No. 4 USC vs. No. 5 Georgia (at-large)

That leaves Missouri and Kansas out, which should provide lots of fodder for debate for the week or two leading up to the first games.

If only it were this simple in the real world.

Heisman race

Darren McFadden, Tim Tebow, Chase Daniel and Pat White are looking like the guys who'll be headed to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation on Dec. 8. It wouldn't be surprising if Colt Brennan got there, too.

It took a while for the Heisman race to develop, but down the stretch it has heated up.

All five were brilliant last weekend in leading their teams to victories.

Tebow and McFadden have the advantage for now, but the other three all have one more game to make a case.


Bowl Championship Series standings

Through Nov. 24 games

HARRIS USA TODAY COMPUTERS BCS AVG PVS

Rank Pts Pct Rank Pts Pct Avg. Rank Pct
1. Missouri 1 2779 0.9751 2 1454 0.9693 1 0.990 0.9781 4
2. West Virginia 2 2753 0.9660 1 1467 0.9780 2 0.970 0.9713 3
3. Ohio State 3 2638 0.9256 3 1383 0.9220 3 0.910 0.9192 5
4. Georgia 4 2368 0.8309 4 1232 0.8213 5 0.830 0.8274 7
5. Kansas 6 2170 0.7614 t5 1161 0.7740 4 0.840 0.7918 2
6. Virginia Tech 7 2164 0.7593 t5 1161 0.7740 6 0.810 0.7811 8
7. LSU 5 2215 0.7772 7 1134 0.7560 7 0.790 0.7744 1
8. USC 9 2059 0.7225 9 1073 0.7153 t10 0.640 0.6926 11
9. Oklahoma 8 2132 0.7481 8 1126 0.7507 12 0.550 0.6829 10
10. Florida 11 1757 0.6165 11 898 0.5987 t10 0.640 0.6184 12
11. Boston College 12 1587 0.5568 12 861 0.5740 8 0.720 0.6169 14
12. Hawaii 10 1829 0.6418 10 958 0.6387 14 0.470 0.5835 15
13. Arizona State 13 1446 0.5074 13 756 0.5040 9 0.660 0.5571 6
14. Tennessee 15 1249 0.4382 15 654 0.4360 13 0.510 0.4614 18
15. Illinois 14 1254 0.4400 14 674 0.4493 17 0.370 0.4198 17
16. Clemson 18 897 0.3147 17 469 0.3127 16 0.380 0.3358 22
17. Oregon 19 716 0.2512 20 316 0.2107 18 0.350 0.2706 9
18. Wisconsin 16 911 0.3196 16 493 0.3287 23 0.140 0.2628 21
19. BYU 20 649 0.2277 19 327 0.2180 19 0.230 0.2252 25
20. Texas 17 903 0.3168 18 417 0.2780 25 0.070 0.2216 13
21. South Florida 25 249 0.0874 27 100 0.0667 15 0.410 0.1880 23
22. Virginia 23 478 0.1677 t21 271 0.1807 20 0.190 0.1795 16
23. Cincinnati 21 512 0.1796 24 146 0.0973 t21 0.170 0.1490 24
24. Auburn 24 402 0.1411 t21 271 0.1807 24 0.120 0.1472 NR
25. Boise State 22 493 0.1730 23 247 0.1647 NR 0.000 0.1125 19



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