About a month and a half ago, I unveiled quite possibly the greatest college football playoff scenario anyone has ever fathomed. However, while I think my idea is fantastic and should be installed immediately, I forgot how stupid some people choose to be. While watching ESPN's "Outside the Lines," they ran a segment talking with Congressman Joe Barton of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who is trying to pass legislation to kill the BCS and force a college playoff.
First, let me rant. Congressman Barton, looking at the tough times this country is facing as the ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, don't you think you should be focused on such things like, I don't know, energy or commerce? Maybe you could try working on fixing the deep recession our economy has slipped into during your time on the Hill? I disliked how Congress got involved with professional baseball, but I really can't stand how you're trying to force the hand of the NCAA into whatever you want. What power did you usurp and who anointed you as the decision maker on how to run this country's most beloved sport? Get off your high horse, Rep. Barton, this isn't your fight and you should be concentrating on fixing the problems you have been assigned to and for the people of your district that elected you.
Ok, rant over, let's get back to the topic. The stupidity that came from the "Outside the Lines" discussion baffled me. It was as if Rep. Barton entered with no forethought or research as to the implementation of his plan. This idiot went on for nearly 10 minutes about how he would change college football to get an undisputed champion.
Congressman Barton's plan called for the shortening of the collge regular season and for every bowl game to serve as a venue for an individual playoff matchup. He wanted to go back to "the good ole days" of when he was in college and there were only nine or 10 games a season. After every team's schedule would be slashed, we would then move on to a playoff system of nearly 70 teams. We would then be subjected to weeks of horrendous matchups before getting to the heart of the matter. Even NCAA basketball's March Madness takes so long, it overflows into April. A larger tournament for football could take nearly two months!
This is truly one of the worst ideas I've ever heard on the subject. The reason the NCAA says there isn't a playoff is because it would take away from the most exciting regular season in sports. Congressman Barton wants to shorten that regular season. He then wants to have a huge playoff just like March Madness. By including close to 70 teams in the playoff, you are allowing some of the worst teams in Division I-A to participate. How many people are intrigued by a Florida-Louisiana Tech first round matchup? Didn't think so. Football doesn't have the possibilities of sustained upsets like basketball does. You will never see a George Mason-like occurrence in college football. There will never be a scenario where Kent State tries to run the table after beating Texas, USC, Oklahoma and needs to get past Alabama to make the Final Four. That would never happen.
Rep. Barton's plan is not well thought out. In fact, it sounds like he made it up on the fly. He has not taken into consideration the committments that have been made by every school. By shortening the regular season, you will kill every team's non-conference schedule, as they are contractually obligated to play their in-conference opponents. Therefore, in order to bring us that fantastic Florida-Louisiana Tech matchup, the Florida-Florida St. game will have to be cancelled. Don't worry Rep. Barton, the fans will love it. Who needs rivalries anyway? Games like South Carolina-Clemson, Georgia-Georgia Tech, maybe even Notre Dame-USC will have to be cut to make room for the Grandaddy playoff finale. I'd love to hear Barton explain that to all the fans.
Finally, Barton has not figured out the name of this entire game, money. You think a political figure would know how that goes, wouldn't you? As the economy stalls, budget cuts for public institutions soon follow. As big of a cash cow as college football is, you would think schools would turn to football for help, but then Barton wants to get in the way. By shortening the regular season, you'd be cutting home games, and large sources of revenue, for every school in the country. As schools face budget cuts, I'd love to see Barton go to Ohio State and say, "Sorry, you know the ticket and concession sales of more than 110,000 people you were counting on from your season opener? That's gone now." If the regular season gets cut, Barton will have the President and Athletic Director from every school in the entire country at his doorstep with hands out, demanding billions of dollars to make up for the lost revenue he cost them by cutting the regular season.
I don't like the bowl system, but goodness, it's a million times better than what Congressman Barton has proposed. I want a college football playoff, but you can always count on some idiot to ruin a great idea. The problem with the playoff is that every person has a different idea of how it needs to happen. I want my way, and my way only. You will ruin college football with a 64+ team playoff for the national championship and I'd rather have a Papajohns.com Bowl that I will never watch than an oversized behemoth of a playoff that will kill the sport I love.
First, let me rant. Congressman Barton, looking at the tough times this country is facing as the ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, don't you think you should be focused on such things like, I don't know, energy or commerce? Maybe you could try working on fixing the deep recession our economy has slipped into during your time on the Hill? I disliked how Congress got involved with professional baseball, but I really can't stand how you're trying to force the hand of the NCAA into whatever you want. What power did you usurp and who anointed you as the decision maker on how to run this country's most beloved sport? Get off your high horse, Rep. Barton, this isn't your fight and you should be concentrating on fixing the problems you have been assigned to and for the people of your district that elected you.
Ok, rant over, let's get back to the topic. The stupidity that came from the "Outside the Lines" discussion baffled me. It was as if Rep. Barton entered with no forethought or research as to the implementation of his plan. This idiot went on for nearly 10 minutes about how he would change college football to get an undisputed champion.
Congressman Barton's plan called for the shortening of the collge regular season and for every bowl game to serve as a venue for an individual playoff matchup. He wanted to go back to "the good ole days" of when he was in college and there were only nine or 10 games a season. After every team's schedule would be slashed, we would then move on to a playoff system of nearly 70 teams. We would then be subjected to weeks of horrendous matchups before getting to the heart of the matter. Even NCAA basketball's March Madness takes so long, it overflows into April. A larger tournament for football could take nearly two months!
This is truly one of the worst ideas I've ever heard on the subject. The reason the NCAA says there isn't a playoff is because it would take away from the most exciting regular season in sports. Congressman Barton wants to shorten that regular season. He then wants to have a huge playoff just like March Madness. By including close to 70 teams in the playoff, you are allowing some of the worst teams in Division I-A to participate. How many people are intrigued by a Florida-Louisiana Tech first round matchup? Didn't think so. Football doesn't have the possibilities of sustained upsets like basketball does. You will never see a George Mason-like occurrence in college football. There will never be a scenario where Kent State tries to run the table after beating Texas, USC, Oklahoma and needs to get past Alabama to make the Final Four. That would never happen.
Rep. Barton's plan is not well thought out. In fact, it sounds like he made it up on the fly. He has not taken into consideration the committments that have been made by every school. By shortening the regular season, you will kill every team's non-conference schedule, as they are contractually obligated to play their in-conference opponents. Therefore, in order to bring us that fantastic Florida-Louisiana Tech matchup, the Florida-Florida St. game will have to be cancelled. Don't worry Rep. Barton, the fans will love it. Who needs rivalries anyway? Games like South Carolina-Clemson, Georgia-Georgia Tech, maybe even Notre Dame-USC will have to be cut to make room for the Grandaddy playoff finale. I'd love to hear Barton explain that to all the fans.
Finally, Barton has not figured out the name of this entire game, money. You think a political figure would know how that goes, wouldn't you? As the economy stalls, budget cuts for public institutions soon follow. As big of a cash cow as college football is, you would think schools would turn to football for help, but then Barton wants to get in the way. By shortening the regular season, you'd be cutting home games, and large sources of revenue, for every school in the country. As schools face budget cuts, I'd love to see Barton go to Ohio State and say, "Sorry, you know the ticket and concession sales of more than 110,000 people you were counting on from your season opener? That's gone now." If the regular season gets cut, Barton will have the President and Athletic Director from every school in the entire country at his doorstep with hands out, demanding billions of dollars to make up for the lost revenue he cost them by cutting the regular season.
I don't like the bowl system, but goodness, it's a million times better than what Congressman Barton has proposed. I want a college football playoff, but you can always count on some idiot to ruin a great idea. The problem with the playoff is that every person has a different idea of how it needs to happen. I want my way, and my way only. You will ruin college football with a 64+ team playoff for the national championship and I'd rather have a Papajohns.com Bowl that I will never watch than an oversized behemoth of a playoff that will kill the sport I love.
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