i still like my system better...

from the 12.04.07 print edition of the herald-gazette....

Well, the BCS has had its way once again and succeeded in doing what it is designed to do. It aggregated various human and computer polls to decide which college football teams will play for the national title in New Orleans January 7, 2008.

Those teams are Ohio State and LSU. Ohio State went 11-1 and won its conference title. But, the Big 10 was down this year and the Buckeyes’ non-conference schedule was loaded with enough cupcakes to yank Phil Fulmer out of a staff meeting.

LSU goes into the title game with two losses - one of them just two weeks ago to unranked Arkansas. It also lost to Kentucky.

These two teams may be the highest ranked but they are certainly not the two hottest teams in America at present.

BCS selection night was a disappointment for the #5 Georgia Bulldogs who were jumped in the final standings by LSU, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma and will face Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.

The Dawgnation is disappointed in its bowl destination and opponent. ESPN ran a segment on its bowl selection show entitled Was Georgia snubbed? after spending the previous 24 hours lobbying against putting the Dawgs in the title game.

I think Georgia will take it out on the Rainbows, beat them badly and bide its time until next year when it should open the season in the top three. Once there, the Dawgs, who will be loaded with talent, just have to win to make it happen

One must remember that, had UGA put up one offensive touchdown against what proved to be a mediocre South Carolina team in early September, it would be in the title game this year.

The other BCS matchups are not all that intriguing either.

The Rose Bowl pits #7 USC against #13 Illinois. USC rolls there.

The Fiesta has #9 West Virginia against #4 Oklahoma. Boomer Sooner - Okies win by two touchdowns.

The Orange Bowl will see #8 Kansas against #3 Virginia Tech. I see Kansas winning that one in a mild upset.

And, in the title game, I think LSU wins what amounts to a home game in the Louisiana Superdome.

I guess I will go to my grave arguing for a 16-team playoff using the existing major bowl framework as its brackets.

This year my tourney would begin with eight midlevel bowls hosting the BCS top 16. Pick whichever bowls you want as hosts (eight highest bidders/payouts?) but here are the round one games.

#1 Ohio State vs. #16 Tennessee, #2 LSU vs. #15 Clemson, #3 Virginia Tech vs. #14 Boston College, #4 Oklahoma vs. #13 Illinois, #5 Georgia vs. #12 Florida (wow!), #6 Missouri vs. #11 Arizona State, #7 USC vs. #10 Hawaii and #8 Kansas vs. #9 West Virginia.

Already my little bracket has much more drama than the five BCS games on the schedule.

So who advances to round two in my scenario?

These four games would be played in the current BCS majors the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange. You may again decide which but here are the combatants as I see it.

#1 Ohio State vs. #7 USC, #5 Georgia vs. #4 Oklahoma, #3 Virginia Tech vs. #8 Kansas and #2 LSU vs. #6 Missouri.

Then, instead of one big game the week after the BCS bowls we have two playoff semifinals pitting USC vs. Georgia and LSU against Kansas.

Then, one week later than is presently the case, we have a BCS title game that features USC defeating Kansas for all the marbles.

In this simple playoff system, we maintain the integrity of the major bowls, the other bowls get the leftovers to which they are accustomed and a true national champion is crowned.