I don't mean this to be political: Palm said Obama's proposal on CBS <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/economy-business-finance/cbs-corp.-ORC RP002841.topic> ' 60 Minutes <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/entertainment/television/60-minutes-%2 8tv-program%29-ENTTV000000118.topic> last month for an eight-team playoff probably won't sway BCS officials in the long run. Obama might be able to fix the economy (I hope and pray) but he is not going to change the BCS. IMNSHO
It reminds me of the joke when the genie told the guy that he could not "build a road to Hawaii from the mainland", so the guy's other wish was to "understand women." The genie then said, "do you want a two lane road or a four lane road". You might be able to fix the economy and the world's problems but the BCS is another story. Fran _____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 2:22 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [gatornews] [OrlSentinel] Imperfect but functional, BCS keeps on going Imperfect but functional, BCS keeps on going By JEREMY FOWLER |SENTINEL STAFF WRITER December 9, 2008 This year's award-winning soap opera "Bowl Championship Series Heartbreak" brought pain to Texas, turned a president-elect into a college-football mediator and confused thousands with its controversial finale. And it's coming back for several more seasons. College football wrapped up its 11th BCS pairings Sunday night, and the grumblings from critics once again haven't been subtle. After the Big 12 tiebreaker fiasco with Texas and Oklahoma, there's plenty of room to point out 2008 as the perfect scenario for a playoff. President-elect Barack Obama <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/politics/government/barack-obama-PEPLT 007408.topic> surely has. Others say it simply won't happen - even after 2014. BCS Commissioner John Swofford reminded folks on a Sunday night teleconference that a plus-one playoff system - where the country's top four teams would face off in a playoff - is "not on the table at this point. It was discussed and was not moved forward." ESPN <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/sports/espn-HOC792.topic> paid $500 million to buy the BCS television rights from 2011-14 under the current structure. "The intention moving forward was that we would move forward with the format we currently have," Swofford said. "I think the other thing to remember, too, is that the BCS is not a democracy." The BCS, a system composed of voting polls and computer rankings that started in 1998, has placed Oklahoma and Florida in the Jan.8 national-championship game in Miami. In many ways, the whole point of the BCS pairing the best two teams worked to perfection this season. Oklahoma and Florida are the top two teams in the Harris and coaches' polls that comprise two-thirds of the BCS. Florida was No.3 in the computers behind Texas but still got the nod. At least five other teams, could make a case as a top-two team. It starts with No.3 Texas, which lost the Big 12 South tiebreaker to Oklahoma that was decided by BCS ranking. No.5 USC, No.8 Penn State and No.4 Alabama are one-loss teams that looked dominant most of the year, while undefeated No.6 Utah was one of three Mountain West Conference teams to finish in the top 16, benefiting from a dismal Atlantic Coast Conference. Even No. 11 TCU (10-2) was BCS bowl-eligible as a two-loss team in a non-BCS conference. No. 9 Boise State (12-0) didn't fare so well, settling for the Poinsettia Bowl. Views have changed over the years but the system has not, BCS expert Jerry Palm said. Despite the Texas-Oklahoma scenario and plenty of debate, the BCS has had a "pretty typical year," Palm said - no more complaining than usual. It's still about pitting the best two teams against each other and making the rest work around the BCS-eligible teams and TV ratings. "The BCS was collateral damage to the Big 12 tiebreaker," Palm said. "There is really no more upset to be had with this system. We've maxed out on upset because 99percent of fans want a playoff, and maybe that's higher. If complaining really mattered, we'd already have a playoff." Palm said Obama's proposal on CBS <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/economy-business-finance/cbs-corp.-ORC RP002841.topic> ' 60 Minutes <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/entertainment/television/60-minutes-%2 8tv-program%29-ENTTV000000118.topic> last month for an eight-team playoff probably won't sway BCS officials in the long run. Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson agrees. "It's like fixing the economy," he said. "You're going to have to have Congress, university presidents, much more than one person involved. He can launch studies and inquiries and different things." Power and money can help, but major-conference schools and the moneymaking bowls might have no reason to echo Obama's change. Thompson said he likes the BCS format, and he's with a conference that might have room to gripe. Of the 34 bowl games, more than half pay a million-plus to each recipient, not to mention the eight-figure deals for BCS-bowl-bound schools. "It'd have to be the Capital One Bowl <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/sports/football/capital-one-bowl-EVSPR 000041.topic> , the Gator Bowl, the Cotton Bowl - if those bowls started stalling, there'd be reason for a playoff," Palm said. "That doesn't appear to be happening." It's unlikely the debate will ever fizzle, especially when some teams are penalized worse than others after a loss. Former No.1 USC never recovered from dropping to No.9 in the coaches' poll for losing at Oregon State in September. Florida, meanwhile, lost to unranked Ole Miss in the same month but thrived off the SEC <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/economy-business-finance/market-exchan ge/securities/u.s.-securities-exchange-commission-ORGOV000050.topic> 's reputation. The SEC has put three straight teams in the national-title game, proving that voters get the matchup they want. Perhaps Alabama and Penn State were victims of losing too late in the season, though that logic failed USC. It's easy to realize the BCS' impact on the sport when even Florida Coach Urban Meyer <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/sports/football/urban-meyer-PESPT00853 5.topic> - the beneficiary of two national-title games with the Gators <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/sports/football/florida-gators-ORSPT00 0172.topic> with one-loss teams - can't fully endorse it. "It's an imperfect system, but it's a system that functional now," he said Sunday. "You can control what you can control." Read Jeremy Fowler's blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/swampthings and e-mail him at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Internal Virus Database is out of date. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.9.12/1824 - Release Date: 12/2/2008 9:31 AM --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
