it happens every year. the BCS bowl pairings are announced, and everyone loses their minds and starts
demanding a playoff system. the controversy lasts the month or so from the announcement until the
games are finally all over, whereupon it turns out that the BCS was pretty much bang on target.
it turns out that no one had a legitimate gripe about where they were seeded in the BCS. a playoff system
seems perfectly logical, but there is a basic flaw in it; it simply doesn't solve the problem. it moves it, but
it doesn't solve it. if you create an 8 team playoff system, all you will do is piss off the fans of the #9, #10,
and #11 teams. and they will have a an even MORE legitimate gripe, because if they get in, they have a
legitimate shot to win the title.
the basic demon at work here is jealousy and disappointment. some teams get in, and some teams don't. people
get emotional about their schools, and emotion is immune to logic. and might I add that the notion that a system
of rules could be created that is so perfect that it would make everyone in the world happy is a pretty liberal idea
in the first place?
the most frequent argument that I hear in favor of a div-I playoff system is equally ridiculous. "They have
a playoff system in div-II, and there is no controversy". that's because no one gives a shit about division II.
the division II title could be stolen at gunpoint, and it wouldn't cause a ripple in the sports world.
thank you for listening.