I like it!! [font=verdana, arial, sans serif]BCS Plus One[/font][font=verdana, arial, sans serif][size=+1] The easiest solution[/size][/font][font=verdana, arial, sans serif] [/font] Everyone wants a college football playoff, but it's not going to happen for a long, long time. Why? The college presidents don't want on, and despite what they might say outwardly, neither do the coaches. However, no one is happy with the current BCS system. It's confusing, unsatisfying, and wastes lots and lots of time with all the speculation and worries about the outcome. The easiest solution is the Plus One format taking the top four teams according to the BCS with No. 1 playing No. 4, No. 2 playing No. 3, and then the two winners playing one extra game for the national title. It's only one extra game that would occur over winter break; how could anyone possibly have a problem with it? Yeah, there will always be teams ticked off at being on the outside looking in, but even in the old poll and bowl format, no one ranked lower than fourth going into the bowls has ever finished as the national champion. So how would this have worked out historically? Here's a weekly look at the current BCS and how the Plus One would work out, as well as some of the past seasons. 2005 Current BCS Rankings 1. USC vs. 4. Alabama 2. Texas vs. 3. Virginia Tech What likely would happen: USC over Alabama, Texas over Virginia Tech National championship: USC over Texas No. 5 team that would whine: UCLA Teams that would've had a legitimate beef for being left out: None Considering USC and UCLA still have to play, everything could work itself out. The real debate would kick in if LSU beats Alabama and finishes with one loss. Where would a one-loss Penn State team fit into the mix compared to a one-loss USC/UCLA loser? 2004 Final BCS Rankings (going into the bowls) 1. USC vs. 4. Texas 2. Oklahoma vs. 3. Auburn What likely would've happened: USC over Texas, Auburn over Oklahoma National championship: USC over Auburn No. 5 team that would've whined: California Teams that would've had a legitimate beef for being left out: No. 6 Utah, No. 9 Boise State Auburn won the SEC title, went unbeaten, and never really had a chance to play for the national title thanks to USC and Oklahoma starting off the season on top of the polls and never moving. The Sooners, if they played like they played in the Orange Bowl, would've likely lost to the rock-solid Tigers. Cal got outlobbied by Mack Brown and Texas for the Rose Bowl, but ended up getting blasted by Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl ending all debates. Utah finished unbeaten and was the most statistically dominant team all season long. Boise State was also unbeaten, but didn't play anyone of note. 2003 Final BCS Rankings (going into the bowls) 1. Oklahoma vs. 4. Michigan 2. LSU vs. No. 3 USC What likely would've happened: Oklahoma over Michigan, USC over LSU National championship: USC over Oklahoma No. 5 team that would've whined: Ohio State Teams that would've had a legitimate beef for being left out: No. 11 Miami University The first of the really big BCS meltdowns would've been solved. LSU's great defense would've gone against Matt Leinart and a USC team starting to come of age with only a field goal fiasco against Cal ruining a perfect season. The Trojans, if they played LSU anywhere else but in the Sugar Bowl, would've had too much offense. The Sooners would likely have rebounded from the loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game to beat Michigan, but they wouldn't have been able to stay with USC. 2002 Final BCS Rankings (going into the bowls) 1. Miami vs. 4. USC 2. Ohio State vs. 3. Georgia What likely would've happened: USC over Miami, Ohio State over Georgia National championship: USC over Ohio State No. 5 team that would've whined: Iowa Teams that would've had a legitimate beef for being left out: No one Of all the final four matchups, this would've been the most exciting; it could've gone any way with all four of the teams with an honest shot at winning the national title. Georgia was a juggernaut by the end of the season allowing a mere 23 points over the final three games, including the Sugar Bowl win over Florida State, and likely would've kept the Ohio State offense in check in a fantastic battle. With time to prepare, Pete Carroll and Norm Chow proved over the last three years that they can prepare a team better than anyone. Miami would've still had a healthy Willis McGahee, but USC's offense was destroying defenses over the back half of the season averaging 41.5 points per game over the final eight wins led by Heisman winner Carson Palmer. Iowa would've had a beef that it didn't get in the dance, but as the Orange Bowl blowout loss to USC proved, the BCS got the final four right. 2001 Final BCS Rankings (going into the bowls) 1. Miami vs. 4. Oregon 2. Nebraska vs. 3. Colorado What likely would've happened: Miami over Oregon, Colorado over Nebraska National championship: Miami over Colorado No. 5 team that would've whined: Florida Teams that would've had a legitimate beef for being left out: No. 6 Tennessee No one was going to beat the 2001 Hurricanes. Colorado steamrolled over Nebraska in the last game of the regular season, and then shocked Texas in the Big 12 title game. Even though Chris Brown and the Buffs were hot, they proved no match for Joey Harrington's Oregon Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl. Eric Crouch and Nebraska likely would've lost a second time to CU, and then Miami would won in a walk in the Rose Bowl, just like it did against the Huskers. Florida and Tennessee each had chances to be in the Rose Bowl hunt, but the Vols stunned the Gators, and then LSU pulled off one of the season's biggest shockers with a win over Tennessee in the SEC title game. 2000 Final BCS Rankings (going into the bowls) 1. Oklahoma vs. 4. Washington 2. Florida State vs. 3. Miami What likely would've happened: Oklahoma over Washington, Miami over Florida State National championship: Oklahoma over Miami No. 5 team that would've whined: Virginia Tech Teams that would've had a legitimate beef for being left out: No. 6 Oregon State Florida State found its place in the national title game by bombing away on everyone averaging 42 points per game before getting shut down by Oklahoma. Oh yeah, and the defense was also fantastic allowing only nine points per game if you take away one bad week ... the Miami game. The Canes lost to Washington the in the second game of the year before going on a tear winning the final ten games of the season including a 27-24 thriller over Florida State. Even so, Oklahoma was special. It had gone through some battles, but the defense was a rock finishing up by holding Florida State to two points. Michael Vick's Virginia Tech team would've had a big beef going 10-1, with only a loss to at Miami, before beating Clemson in the Gator Bowl. Oregon State finished the season win one loss, to Washington, and dominated Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. 1999 Final BCS Rankings (going into the bowls) 1. Florida State vs. 4. Alabama 2. Virginia Tech vs. 3. Nebraska What likely would've happened: Florida State over Alabama, Nebraska over Virginia Tech National championship: Florida State over Nebraska No. 5 team that would've whined: Tennessee Teams that would've had a legitimate beef for being left out: No. 8 Michigan Outside of one big day from Major Applewhite and Texas, Nebraska was a shoo-in to play for the national title. Of course, Michael Vick and Virginia Tech were special, but the Huskers had the defense to have kept the Hokie star in check. Florida State had too many weapons and Peter Warrick was too good. Alabama would've made the top four, but Shaun Alexander and the Tide lost to Tennessee 21-7. Bama also ended up losing to Michigan in a classic Orange Bowl. 1998 Final BCS Rankings (going into the bowls) 1. Tennessee vs. 4. Ohio State 2. Florida State vs. 3. Kansas State What likely would've happened: Ohio State over Tennessee, Kansas State over Florida State National championship: Ohio State over Kansas State No. 5 team that would've whined: UCLA Teams that would've had a legitimate beef for being left out: No. 9 Wisconsin Tennessee was a gutty, clutch national champion, but everyone has forgotten just how good the 1998 Ohio State team was. It crushed everyone on its schedule by double-digit points except for one slip up against Nick Saban's Michigan State team in a 28-24 loss. Florida State, at the end of the year, was quarterbacked by Marcus Outzen and was running on fumes, and a great defense, while Kansas State might have been the wild-card if it didn't meltdown like it did against Purdue and Texas A&M. UCLA was in the national title hunt until the last weekend when it lost to Edgerrin James and Miami, but Wisconsin beat the Bruins in the Rose Bowl. The Badgers and Buckeyes didn't play.
I get it, the media now thinks USC should be playing for its 4th straight title. Will the USC media love affair just stop already.
Bush league! And their idea is garbage. Not every season needs a plus-one game. Only some do. In their system, distinguishing between who gets to be #4 and who has to be #5 is just as arbitrary as the current system of distinguishing #2 from #3.
So your saying you wouldn't like a playoff scenario like this? Get past their analysis of USC/LSU and judge the idea on its merits. If you don't like it fine but it seems like a very workable idea.
Plus one is the best workable scenario that is out there. While CFN may think USC would be going for it's 4th straight, the real advantage of a plus one is that they would have had to win it legitimately. We'd know right now who was the champ the last 3 years if we had the plus one. Instead of the media speculating USC would have beaten LSU, we could have SEEN THE GAME and known for sure!
I would take that system over the silly system that we have now. Starting next year, all teams play an extra game. I wonder what that will do to the BCS. Each team gets an extra opportunity to lose a game. Maybe there will be a whole bunch of one loss teams at the top... like in 2003. I like the plus one idea. 1 vs 4 2 vs 3 winner(1v4) vs winner(2v3) TRUE CHAMPION
Like I said, the CFN idea is flawed because whoever their system decides is #5 has the same gripe as whoever the current system decides is #3. Think about it.
No #5 team, after the bowl games, has ever moved up to anywhere close to #1...so if you're #5 before the bowl games, you just should have had a better season. With the current system, there is a real chance 3 teams could be left out of the mix..but with the plus one, only #5 could possibly have a gripe...and even then, it's a weak one. There will NEVER be a playoff with more than 4 teams....the regular season is too long, and the shifting locations would screw up revenue streams that are counted on by bowl towns, etc. Just too many complications, and zero support by the ncaa or the schools.
