The BCS in Pursuit of Its Own Downfall

What do the BCS and NASCAR have in common? One look at the empty seats and lower television ratings will tell you that NASCAR is suffering from the consequences of tinkering with a successful model. In an effort to make the end of the season more interesting and dramatic by increasing the number of teams with a shot at the title, NASCAR's manipulation of their system has done exactly the opposite. The BCS is not far behind.

Every NASCAR fan knows right now that there are only a handful of drivers with a legitimate shot at the Cup. Rick Hendrick Motorsports is the equivalent of college football's South East Conference. It will be a surprise if Hendrick does not have three drivers, Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Mark Martin in the Chase. That's great if you identify with one of those drivers. If you are a fan of, say, Casey Mears, you might as well sit back and relax. Your driver is not going to have a shot.

This is due to NASCAR's manipulation of its "post season." If they had left well enough alone, even with an imperfect system, they would not have the same driver winning the last five titles. They would not have the fans that remain staring at more of the same for the upcoming season.

The BCS has set itself up as the SEC champion vs. the best team from the 5 "at-large" conferences. This is due to the system being stacked. The catch 22 is that Boise, TCU and Utah are written off as having weak schedules even though no SEC team is willing to play them in the regular season. Not to mention the fact that, on the rare occasions in which they have been able to play a BCS conference team, they have won. The voters in the official polls, whether they be sports writers or coaches all have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

Even within the SEC, there is a pecking order. If Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi or Mississippi State were to win the SEC title, conventional wisdom (the poll voters) would declare it a down year for the conference. This is the only scenario in which the SEC representative would appear in a BCS game other than the championship.

So, this year, as a college football fan, I found myself less interested in the championship game than ever before. I longed to see TCU play the winner of the contest between Auburn and Oregon. Even more, I wished for a playoff. But that will not happen until the BCS finds itself in the same predicament NASCAR is in now.

The only other possibility is that the presidents of the five remaining Big-6 conferences will finally look beyond the money and realize that in all of their manipulations and maneuverings, they have actually outsmarted themselves. Is it really good for the ACC and the Big East that they be shut out of the picture?

At least with a playoff, Ball State would have a legitimate shot at the title. It might be as likely as the Pittsburgh Pirates winning the World Series. But Pittsburgh could conceivably win the World Series. Ball State could go undefeated and they would not given a shot at the BCS title. The top tier of college football has no underdogs.

Since my son plays football for a Division 2 college, I know that his team, and every other D2 school, has an equally legitimate opportunity to reach the championship. I also know that the outcome of that will be decided on the field. It would be nice to be able to say the same thing about the BCS.