A Big Mess is Brewing in the Big 12 South

The Big 12 South champion could be determined by a poll of faceless, strangers who are often bias and live far from the area of concern. And only a sport with such a profound lack of leadership, in this case Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, is capable of deciding a champion like this.

"The Big 12 failed to come up with enough of its own criteria for breaking a three-way tie at the top of the standings, as Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech could produce. Instead it was willing to punt to the computers and voters who determine the BCS rankings. Whatever team is ranked highest wins the division." How positively retarded is that?

Problems I see here: Few of the coaches who vote in the coaches’ poll have seen anything but highlights of play from the Big 12 South. They are no better than the 114 politically connected folks of with little qualifications who make up the Harris Poll. Combined, the two polls count for two-thirds of the rankings. Each voter has personal biases, and self-interests.

Since the BCS has no set standards for ranking teams, just about anything can be taken into consideration. Should Texas get the nod because it beat Oklahoma? Should it be Oklahoma because it put together the most impressive performance of the season in blasting Tech 65-21? Should Tech be considered because they beat Texas in dramatic fashion? How about strength of schedule? Or margin of victory? Coolest mascot? Color scheme? Does it matter who’s played the most recent TV game? What if a voter missed one team’s impressive performance because he went out drinking?

Obviously a voter’s alma mater has been known to come into play. And doesn’t he owe the conference that got him a vote in the first place? What about the coach who’s still bitter about losing a recruit to a certain school?It could be any of the above. No one knows.
Seriously, that’s the system: no one knows.

That is how the champion of the Big 12 South is going to be decided. I don't know about you but I find that to be mind-numbingly retarded. Now, Texas did have the lead previously but with a win like we saw Saturday night I'd say that Oklahoma has to be charging quickly, while for the moment Tech is definitely out of the national championship picture.

I could ramble on with endless speculation but it's fruitless. Basically we need to all tune in next week and see if all 3 teams win their games (Texas vs. Texas A&M, Baylor vs. Texas Tech, and Oklahoma @ OK St.) If all 3 teams win their games, which I am assuming they will. Then it will be a mess. It's the Big 12's fault for not coming up with a better tiebreaker but I consider this just one more reason why the BCS has gotta go.

An Answer to Millions of Prayers

The president of the University of Georgia is calling for an eight-team playoff system for college football's top division. This comes on the heels of Georgia being left out of the BCS championship game. The president of the University went on to call the BCS, "a beauty contest that is largely state-managed by the networks." I guess I could have come up with worse analogies and name calling but we'll leave it at that.

In a public statement and a letter to NCAA president Myles Brand, Georgia president Michael F. Adams, who is also chairman of the NCAA executive committee, called for an eight-team playoff to decide the national championship, with the opening rounds to be played in the four major BCS bowl games. He proposed the change be made as soon as the contracts that govern the BCS expire.

This is a lot like an idea that Bloggers alike (myself largely included), along with fans and analysts everywhere have been throwing around for 5 years or more. I could not be happier that steps are being taken in the right direction to make something like this happen.

In his news conference Adams reasoning is quoted as so:
"This year's experience with the BCS forces me to the conclusion that the current system has lost public confidence and simply does not work. It is undercutting the sportsmanship and integrity of the game." - UGA President Michael F. Adams

Under his proposal, the schedule would return to 11 games from its current 12, with playoffs beginning at the major bowl games and extending two more Saturdays. A selection committee would seed eight teams to the four major bowls and if one of those bowls chooses not to participate, another game could be found to fill the void.

The BCS is currently in the second of a four-year, $320 million contract with Fox that runs through the 2009 season and 2010 bowls. The BCS will begin negotiating with Fox on another deal in the fall. Fox has exclusive negotiating rights with the BCS.

I agree with Adams in personally believing that the television networks, along with the BCS, have way too much power and the schools and conferences need to regain control of their teams. I would absolutely love to see something like this happen, especially after such a lackluster bowl season this year. For the first time in my life I guess I can stand up and say, "Go Bulldogs!". Hopefully Georgia can use their personal experience to make postseason play in the FBS right for everyone!

This is a great topic to take to the Forums so I invite all readers to come and discuss! CLICK HERE