The Pecan Park Eagle

When the NCAA Division One schools finally decided prior to the 2012 season to replace the current “Top Two BCS-Rated Teams” for the national championship in 2013 with a “Top Four BCS-Rated, Two Round Tourney through the bowl system, I wasn’t totally happy about it, but I felt it was at least an improvement over what has been there now for several years through this season.

The current two team system adds importance to only a single bowl game each year. The four team system will give us three post-season games that matter. An eight team system would take the level of consequential games al the way up to seven – and also quiet a lot of complaints from those schools who miss the cut.

The results of this past weekend simply amplify the case for that eight team post-season tourney. Let’s use the BSC poll results of this past weekend as though they were the last measure of the season and quickly examine how the outsider tears fall accordingly:

Top Eight in BCS Poll though 11/11/12:

Two Team Option: If this had been the final poll of the year, Two undefeated teams, # 1 Kansas State and # 2 Oregon would meet in the national championship game, leaving #3 Notre Dame, a third unbeaten club, and the once felled and very upset and redemption hungry #4 Alabama Tide crying in the rain with no meaningful place to go.

The New Four Team Tourney Option: It would dry the tears of the Irish and the Tide, but possibly leave the door open for some “what about us” howls from the Aggies, should Alabama win the tourney in the wake of the goosing they took from Johnny Football and Friends last Saturday. Plus, Georgia, Florida, and LSU might even grind out a little SEC whining with a few “damn ya’lls” thrown in for good measure.

The Disregarded Eight Team Tourney Option:  It takes away the complaints of any school rated near the top eight list, but, of course, that cuts back on the opportunities for those who want to keep alumni whining alive as an important part of college football.

Oh well. Change in the right direction is better than none at all.

Why doesn’t Division One want the clearer path to a truer championship settled more decidedly on the field? It couldn’t be that they are concerned that their student athletes are going to be distracted from study hall by those extra heavy payday playoff games.

Could it?