Imagine this scenario. It's Monday January 4th 2010, the NFL regular season has just ended and it is now time to determine the teams that will play in the NFL Super Bowl Tournament, otherwise known as the SBT. The league office is compiling the results of the USA Today Poll, the coaches poll, six different computer rankings conducted by other football journalists along with strength of schedule. At 7pm EST the NFL Super Bowl Tournament Selection Show is broadcast nationwide to millions of fans where Roger Goodell announces the teams that will be playing in the SBT at various venues across the country.
In the Fritos Corn Chip Bowl in Phoenix we have Baltimore and Pittsburgh in yet another hard fought game.
In the Enron / Tyco / Worldcom Bowl at beautiful Reliant Field in Houston the Cardinals and Bengals will fight it out.
Over in Tampa at the UPS Landshark Bowl we get a rematch of that great Monday night game in week 12 featuring the Saints and the Patriots.
In sunny San Diego we have Donovan McNabb and the Eagles against Tony Romo and the Cowboys in the Qualcomm Kyocera Copier Bowl
And in the last of the 'Other Bowls', we get our third look at Brett Favre and the Vikings against his old team the Packers.
Finally, with all the other games in place, Roger Goodell walks to the podium to tell us that the San Diego Chargers will be playing the Indianapolis Colts for NFL Championship in the Verizon - Bank of America Super Bowl in Miami. The winner will win the Sears Car Care Center SBT Trophy.
The Jets are stunned and disappointed, ESPN goes to a live shot of Rex Ryan bemoaning his fate saying they could only play those teams that were scheduled. Gary Kubiak and the Texans, despite beating SBT teams such as the Bengals in week 6 and the Patriots in the final week of the season were left out. Even winning their last 4 wasn't enough. It was a shock that they would be excluded from the SBT, but in 5 of the 6 computer rankings, the Steelers squeaked in because they happened to beat 2 SBT teams of their own in the last 3 games. Unfortunately for the Jets and Texans, they are relegated to the Napa Auto Parts Bowl in Detroit in celebration of their hard work.
In Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, Seattle, Oakland, Tampa Bay, Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago and Miami fans of these teams didn't stay up to watch. They were eliminated from the SBT before the opening day kickoff as teams not fit to compete for the title.
Could you imagine such a travesty infecting our beloved game? Neither could I, yet annually this scenario plays out in College Football. Amazingly, fans across the country still try to argue the inarguable, that College Football is superior to Professional Football. The arguments are usually the same, these guys are playing for the love of the game or it's never about money to them, it's a more pure and novel game pitting those who 'want it more' against each other. We have all heard the same tired arguments over and over and I, for one, will not continue to let this argument go unchallenged.
For starters, I like College Football. I love going to a game, seeing my Alma Mater tear the line asunder and tailgating long before the game begins. I enjoy spending my Saturdays watching it on TV, seeing a big matchup of undefeated teams. I appreciate the rivalries, the uniforms, watching Joe Paterno walk (slowly) up and down the sidelines just like he has for the past 44 years. And I will be the first to tell you that the College Overtime system is far superior to that of the NFL. However, with all the excitement leading up to the late fall matchups they completely take the wind out of the fans sails with their ridiculous Bowl system, taking 90% of the teams out of the championship picture before the season begins.
Bring this up to a college fan and they will agree, the system to determine a champion is flawed and wrong. Then you usually hear the argument that it is a more pure and real game, not one played for money or profits. And while true that players are not receiving direct payments (although some are, or at least their families are) to say College Football is not about money couldn't be further from the truth. The NFL Union reports that NFL teams averaged a $24.7 million profit in the last year -- even as the economy took a turn for the worse. (Link) However in College the disparity between the haves and have nots has never been more dramatic. Texas alone had a $65 million profit for 2008 and Alabama showed a $38 million profit. (Link) If you think this BCS Championship game is about a bunch of kids playing for the love of the sport and a championship, then you probably also believe the BCS and the entire bowl system is set up for fairness across the board.
Which leads to the discussion of the entire Bowl system. The structure alone is made for sponsors to get their names plastered across TV sets nationwide and to maximize profits for the Universities and their conferences. Do you think the Commissioners of the BCS Conferences and these University Presidents don't lose sleep thinking what a playoff would do to their bottom lines? There is a reason they haven't gone to the playoff yet, and it isn't for the 'love of the game'. The playoff would bring new teams into the fold, and quite frankly they do not want that. They love the winner take all mentality without a team like Boise State or TCU ruining the party for the major conferences. Can you imagine the upheaval if one of those teams were to capture the title? They can, and that's exactly why a playoff is a long shot in our lifetimes.
Later tonight as either Nick Saban or Mack Brown lift the AFCA National Championship Trophy in the Rose Bowl, think of how much better this sport could be with a true playoff and the admission that money is a major factor. At least you could know that the team who wins the title is a true Champion, and not one chosen by sports writers and computers. College Football has a long way to go in order to catch Professional Football in our country, implementing a playoff would be a positive and productive step in the right direction.
It was just 3 weeks ago we had two teams that were undefeated and the Vikings were 11-2. We as fans were hoping to witness a possible two perfect regular seasons headed on a collision match in Miami for the Super Bowl, but there were a few speed bumps along the way. The Cowboys didn't get the memo that they are supposed to collapse in December and beat the Saints in New Orleans. Then for good measure they played uninspired in a loss to Tampa Bay before finally waving the white flag and playing mostly backups today to finish the season on a 3 game losing streak. The Colts got to 14-0 before deciding to replace their stars in a game against the Jets and then lost their last two. The Vikings having lost their bid at perfection in October went into the tank and lost 2 of their last 3 before righting the ship against the Giants today.
These three teams still achieved their first round byes but one has to wonder as we head to the postseason, will these losing streaks affect these teams? Last year's champion the Steelers won 6 of their last 7 on their way to the title, the previous year the Giants were and uninspiring 3-2 down the stretch and Indianapolis in 2006 was a staggering 3-4 in their last 7 en route to the title. However, the Colts did go 6-1 to close out the 2007 season only to have it end in a one and done scenario against the Chargers who were riding a 7 game winning streak at the time. Incidentally the Chargers have won 11 in a row as of now and are now labeled as 'the team nobody wants to play'.
I have a feeling one of these teams is primed for an upset at home at the hands of a more hungry and more challenged team. Smart money is on the Vikings as Brett Favre has been hit or miss down the stretch, however with the Saints and Colts coming in 0-5 in their last 5 they could also be upset. Either way it will make for compelling drama as the playoffs head into the divisional round.
