As I watched the amazing game last night between the Boise State Broncos and the Virginia Tech Hokies, I couldn't help but laugh a little inside and relish the fact that our president hasn't yet been able to "throw his weight around" and we still have no playoff system in Division I football.
While bashing the BCS has become a popular and easy pastime -- I even attack it in my new book -- one thing is clear. The BCS system as it stands makes for an incredibly exciting regular season, unparalleled in any other sport.
Would last night's game, in doubt until the final 30 seconds, have had nearly the same drama if we all knew that both teams' national championship hopes would be largely unaffected by a loss? Of course not.
As it stood, this was Boise State's most important game of the season -- a near road game against a top 15 competitor. Already ranked number three in the preseason polls, a win would solidify Boise's position in the BCS title conversation. A loss would relegate them out of the top 10 and would surely leave them out of the title conversation for the rest of the season.
A must win game in week one.
Contrast this to the NFL season starting in two days. While the anticipation of survivor pools and fantasy leagues adds drama to week one, the fact that Brett Favre contemplated sitting out the first four games of the season, tells you all you need to know about the value of one game in the NFL regular season.
While BCS bashing has become a national past time, games last night should remind us that there is tremendous value to the status quo. Two years ago, I wrote a blog about the complications with a FBS playoff system. To summarize that blog, the ideal and most fair playoff system is unlikely to get approved by the NCAA powers that be and therefore whatever playoff system we get will be flawed so in this of all rare cases maintaining status quo seems fine to me.
I'm already getting excited for Penn State/Alabama next week!!!
