NCAA pooh-bahs had better fix the way they crown their men's basketball champion, because, as usual, the tournament has been a horrible bore.
Overtimes, one-point games, stunning upsets, wild finishes, stirring storylines ... yawn ... wake me when it's over, OK?
Obviously, NCAA honchos should have adopted the always-thrilling BCS model, declared Kansas and Kentucky the two best teams in the land, had the Jayhawks and Wildcats wait 4 or 5 weeks until they meet in an overhyped mythical title game, and let all the other teams play in dozens of glorious basket-"bowl" games.
After all, that formula always produces such a satisfying conclusion to the college football season, right?
And while they're at it, they can tell their basketball programs to stop scheduling games against quality opponents before conference play begins. In football, the best teams spend September fattening up on Cupcake U - yummy morsels for the every-game-counts crowd.
It's hard to beat Florida vs. Central Eastern State College for none of the marbles, I always say.
Clearly, following the NCAA basketball tournament model could never work in football.
I mean, who would want to see the best teams from a cross-section of the country go at it round-by-round until a legitimate champion gets crowned?
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tmad here. Honestly, the only time I watch college basketball is during the NCAA tournament. And I watch very few bowl games lately. Can't take them seriously. Haven't really enjoyed one since Boise State won the Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteIf the NCAA football gods took the top 20% of the available teams like the basketball gods do, we're be talking about 4 to 5 rounds of football games. Even if you took 10-12%, it would still be 4 rounds. They'd be playing basically an NFL schedule.
ReplyDeleteLook at the schedule of basketball teams. College players only play half the number of games the pros do. As it is, I think college football is pushing things too far by playing up to 14 games a year anyway, what with the conference championship games and bowl games. Let's not wear these players down with injuries and overuse before they even reach the pro level. Mileage on the body adds up.
I'd like to see at most a four team tournament. Sure, the fifth best team will complain that it's better than the fourth. But the 66th best basketball team still complains that it's better than the 65th. Life's not fair.
Of course, how do you pick the top four teams? When you're judging the 65th vs 66th, nobody really cares because those teams aren't going to win the tournament. But the 4th vs the 5th? The number 1 seeds on the basketball tournament don't always win the title, so there's no reason to believe the fifth best team in college football couldn't win the title either.
I think we're going to be stuck with a computerized rating system for college football. How can it be any other way? When you're talking about choosing the best x teams, if you don't use some sort of systematic ranking, you're going to hear chants of bias and fixes, especially when the number of teams chosen is so small.
good point drew but i think mike's point is however many are picked...what are there 10 bowl games...i don't know i never watch except accidentally....so that would be 20 teams...would play off against each other and the final game would crown the champ...not a computer picking 1 and 2 to play...did i get that right mike?
ReplyDeleteCut the regular season from 12 to what it was just two years ago, 11 games. Then, with a 16-team playoff, only two teams will play 15 games and only four will play 14. Give 2 weeks between the quarterfinals and semifinals and then again between the semis and the title game to reduce wear and tear.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't fool yourself. A lot of coaches work their players to death in the 4 to 5 weeks off preparing for their bowl games. For the athletes, actually getting to play a game or three instead of practicing in full pads and beating on teammates for 5 weeks would be a break.
There. I said it. Make it so. (Fat chance.)
I could go for a 16 team tournament if the schedule were cut down and conference championship games were eliminated. But it all comes down to money (like always). There's more money to be made in your program getting to play a conference championship game and a sponsored bowl game than some un-named second-round playoff game.
ReplyDelete