Column: The mess in the Bowl Championship Subdivision

By: Dan Cusack/Assistant Sports Editor

Posted: 12/2/08

I never thought I would say this, but I think it's time for a playoff in the Bowl Championship Subdivision.

My favorite team, Ohio State, never fell victim to the BCS wrath and on principle it sounds reasonable.

Every game from August to December in the regular season mattered.

One loss, even if it was the first week of the season, meant as much as a rivalry game in November.

Also, I always figured no matter how many teams were in a playoff whether it be four, eight, 16 or 32, the odd man out would always complain they deserved to play in the playoff.

However, after what happened this week, I think it is time for a playoff system.

Texas will not play in the Big 12 Championship game against Missouri despite having a matching 11-1, 7-1 record in the Big 12 to Oklahoma and having beat the Sooners 45-35 on a neutral site on Oct. 11.

The Big 12 gives the team with the higher BCS ranking a spot in the title game if the teams have identical records, throwing out head-to-head matchups during the season.

Texas' lone loss of the season came against Texas Tech on Nov. 1 in a last-second touchdown - the same Red Raiders team Oklahoma decimated 65-21 on Nov. 11.

Texas Tech, by the way, also has an 11-1 overall record and a 7-1 mark in the Big 12 and is in the South Division with the Longhorns and the Sooners.

With an Oklahoma win this weekend against Missouri, the Sooners are almost guaranteed a spot in the BCS title game.

The BCS proved my theory wrong that every game matters.

The head-to-head matchup seemed to have no impact on the decision by the computers to rank the Sooners ahead of the Longhorns.

Texas will have to sit at home and pray for an Oklahoma loss to get a chance for a national championship.

The Football Championship Subdivision has a 16-team playoff every season, and it seems to work out pretty well.

In 2010, the field will be expanded to 20 teams to get even more deserving schools involved.

The argument has always been, however, that teams in the FBS already play too many games and that many of the elite schools have players that have a chance to make money on Sundays in the NFL. More games means a higher risk of injuries.

But the bottom line probably comes down to money. ESPN and ABC - read the Disney Corporation - have offered the NCAA $125 million a year to broadcast five BCS games (the BCS Championship Game, the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Orange Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl) beginning in 2010. The four-year deal would be worth $500 million.

Where ESPN and the NCAA profits, college football fans and teams like Texas will suffer.

So whether it is a four-, eight-, 16- or even a 32-team playoff, college football needs to do something to fix the system.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or at dscusack@eiu.edu.