BCS Tweak Still Doesn't Get It Right
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 11:59AM By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
NEW YORK -- After driving down the field toward what would hopefully be a much-needed score, NCAA suits fumbled away an opportunity to take a key first step to fixing the postseason mess.
The BCS people have turned the Rose Bowl into the Stepdaddy Of 'Em All by announcing it will take a team from a non-BCS conference under certain scenarios from the 2010 season through the 2013 season.
Since 1947 until the late 1990s, the game was contracted to pair up the Big Ten and PAC 10 champions. And with the emergence of the BCS in 1998, the leagues have still sent their champions to that game unless one earns a spot in the national championship game.
Now, in such a case where the league champ plays for the BCS crown and misses the Rose Bowl, a team from a non-BCS league will fill that vacancy, according to The Associated Press.
I fully appreciate the move to include a team from a non-BCS school. I really do. I just don't get why the Rose Bowl is the guinea pig for the experiment. Non-BCS outfits from Hawaii and Utah earned spots in the Sugar Bowl each of the last two years, and Boise State won an exciting Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma after the 2006 season.
The Rose Bowl is called the Grandaddy Of 'Em All for a reason. Sure the Fiesta Bowl offers the biggest payouts, but there is far more history and tradition in Pasadena than Miami, New Orleans or Glendale. Do we really want to tinker with it just so the TCU Horned Frogs can feel good about themselves one of these years?
Why not use the Sugar, Orange or Fiesta bowls for this project, or at the very least use a rotating system for the four years then re-evaluate after the contract expires?
Or, better yet, just add in the plus-one playoff already.
Reader Comments (4)
Seriously. Everyone knows the Rose Bowl is the highlight to everyone's New Year. I think this has more to do with the media love in with the SEspnC and taking down what they feel are inferior conferences (Big 10, Pac 10)
Trane, that's a good take, though I wouldn't limit the SEC crush to just the media. What few objective fans I know, or those without a particular powerhouse or conference to root for seem to hype the SEC as well. But we know everything is cyclical, so cylical that I think I'll write my next post about it.
Let me get this straight...are you saying that they are going to abandon the current requirement of being ranked in the top 12 (is it the top 12? I can't remember) to even merit consideration...and that they will extend this invite to a non-BCS school regardless? If so...that is preposterous and should provide further ammunition for a playoff!
Actually the top 12 requirement is still there. The Rose Bowl will only be required to take a non-BCS conference team if one is eligible based on the current eligibility rules.
This rule is in place because the Rose Bowl has been able to use other BCS rules to their advantage and could conceivably never have to invite a non-BCS team. The other bowls felt that that was unfair, because the four bowls were not equally sharing the non-BCS load.