The BCS needs a damn playoff!

There needs to be a BCS Playoff system. I've already blogged about how since there's no playoff, the Big Ten needs to add teams and crown it's own conference champ. Read about "My Plan to fix the Big Ten and save College Football". Keep the bowl games, I don't care how you figure them out. Let the BCS figure that part out on thier own. The playoffs would be a 16 team, 15 game, three week, action packed love fest of college football.

In early December you have figured out your 16 teams, this year they should be as follows:

1 Florida
2 Oklahoma
3 Texas
4 Alabama
5 Texas Tech
6 USC
7 Penn State
8 Ohio State
9 Utah
10 TCU
11 Boise State
12 Oklahoma State
13 Cincinatti
14 Georgia
15 Ball State
16 Virginia Tech

From here on out the playoffs look eerily similiar to the NCAA Basketball Tourney. That's because it makes the most sense and is the most fair, all while being exciting and dare I say, makes a crap load of money. How many office pools a year are there for March Madness? Okay, now how many for BCS, NFL, MLB, NHL, Little League World Series, and the Triple Crown? I'll bet if you add ALL of them up, they won't even come close to the number of office pools for the NCAA Men's Basketball. I'll bet most american teams from the LLWS have pools, every floor of every office building in New York, LA, Toronto, Boston, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Philadelphia has pools and there's 5 foot 2 inch Inuit in Kotzebue, Alaska who's won his pool three years in a row.

So it goes like this:

1 vs 16
2 vs 15
3 vs 14
4 vs 13
5 vs 12
6 vs 11
7 vs 10
8 vs 9

If you don't understand that, unplug your computer, put it in a box, and drop it off at your nearest Goodwill. Now, in my version of the playoffs Florida, Ohio State, Texas, USC, Oklahoma, TCU, Alabama, and Texas Tech make it to the second round. Now we have some pretty sweet match ups here. Number 1 Florida plays nubmer 8 Ohio State in an epic battle. Tebow gets sacked 5 times and the Buckeye defense plays outstanding. Tyrell Pryor throws for two touchdowns and runs for one and they beat Florida by 10. Number 6 USC plays Number 3 Texas in a battle-royale. USC upsets Texaswith 1:23 left on the clock to play in a highly anticipated and money making rematch versus a healthy and fired up Ohio State football team. Number 4 Alabama goes up against Texas Tech and the Crimson Tide rolls by 17 and Texas Tech shows that maybe SEC defenses really ARE better than Big 12 defenses. Number 10 TCU goes up against number 2 Oklahoma Sooners. Again, Big 12 is over-rated and it shows. Oklahoma just can't last against the incredible defensive display by TCU. So our final four looks like this:

No. 8 Ohio State vs No. 6 USC and No. 4 Alabama vs No. 10 TCU.

Ohio State, healthy and a completely different team, beats USC by 13 to win a spot in the BCS title game. Alabama fights a tough TCU team, but since they played and lost to Florida earlier in the SEC Title game, they learned from thier mistakes playing a good defense and run for 160 yards. And now the game everyone has been waiting for, the National Title game. Ohio State vs Alabama, Buckeyes vs the Crimson Tide, The Program vs The Capstone. After a great game and the cheers from the Alabama cheerleaders about how the Tide is a fourth quater team, the Buckeyes come out of nowhere and score 14 unanswered points to win by 11 and are crowned National Champs.

Yes, I am a fan of the Garnet and Grey, but this outcome is completely possible and make a LOT of sense. If the Big Ten got it's head out of it's proverbial ass and the SEC, Big 12, and Pac-10 realized how much MORE money they could make, it would happen. Obama, get it done!

My 2008 BCS bowl game picks

I still say that the BCS needs to have a playoff. This year it should be:

Ohio State versus Alabama for the title. Want to know how I came about that idea? Read my blog about "The BCS needs a damn playoff!" At any rate, the current bowl games should suffice, since we have no other option. Here are my picks for this year:

Florida - 41 / Oklahoma - 31

Decent defenses and great offenses should be a great game but Brandon James and some long field goals could be the difference in this game. Oklahoma just won't be able to perform against Florida's defense as the game wears on while Tebow shows why he should have won his second Heisman in a row.

Ohio State - 21 / Texas - 20

Ohio State is pissed about the last two years and Texas is pissed that they aren't playing for a title. What's the difference? Easy. Big Ten kids are going to be mentally prepared and Texas will be sulking over not being in the title game. Tyrell Pryor shows why Ohio State is the team to watch next season. My upset pick for this bowl season has Ohio State winning with a last minute walk down the field down six to win the game.

Alabama - 31 / Utah - 16

Utah can't match Alabama's physical style of smash-mouth. Alabama's defense holds Utah to under 20 points and the offense racks up two rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown, a defensive touchdown, and a field goal.

USC - 31 / Penn State - 17

USC has probably the best defense playing this bowl season and the offense is just disgustingly good. Penn State's defense is good, but remember what Ohio State's defense did to Penn State's offense. Two turnovers and 80 yards in penalties and Ohio State is playing USC in a rematch. Pete Carrol vs Joe Paterno - Outcome: Pete Carrol is younger, better, walks with out assistance and fires up his USC kids on the sidelines while Joe Pa lets his son and the rest of the REAL coaching staff throw away a chance to be ranked in the top 5 to start next season.

Oklahoma State - 44 / Oregon - 41

This game will be what everyone thinks it will be, a lot of scoring, not a lot of defense, and a come from behind win. Oklahoma State comes back in the fourth quarter with two big touchdowns and forces some turnovers to win the game.

Texas Tech - 41 / Mississippi - 27

Mississippi hangs around in the first half and scores first in the second half until the middle of the third quarter when Texas Tech scores three unanswered touchdowns to win the game.

Virgina Tech - 31 / Cincinatti - 17

Virginia Tech, who trounced Boston College and is clicking on all cylinders, comes out with a fury and shuts down Cinci, even when Cinci tries to make a comeback in the fourth quarter. The key to this game is Virginia Tech's defense under Bud Foster and the always strong special team play.

TCU - 24 / Boise State - 20

Boise State falters early and fights its way back into a tough and physical smash-mouth game, but TCU's amazingly staunch defense wins out with TCU kicking late field goal to put the game out of reach with Boise State not being able to score a needed touchdown when a field goal is not enough.

Northwestern - 30 / Missouri - 23

Northwestern might, might have the best defense in the Big Ten and we'll find out against a Missouri offense that couldn't stay consistent against the Sooners. After a 20 - 20 tie in regulation, Northwestern wins a close game in double overtime when Missouri falters and fails to score a touchdown on fourth and goal.

Pitt - 27 / Oregon State - 21

Pitt dominates the clock and forces turnovers to win over an Oregon State team that should have beat Penn State but played like Iowa should have played against Penn State.

Michigan State - 31 / Georgia - 23

Georgia barely beat Kentucky and Auburn, two teams I think the Spartans could handle easily. Georgia also lost to Georgia Tech while Michigan State beat Notre Dame, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Michigan State shocks everyone by shutting down Georgia's running game making them one dimensional and helps the Big Ten go 3 for 6 in bowl games.


Big Ten Winners

Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Northwestern

Big Ten Losers

Penn State, Wisconsin