In Defense Of The Bowl System

MIAMI– By Joseph Heller

A college football playoff seems inevitable. In the extreme times that make up 21^st century America, seemingly the only issue that people can come to an agreement on is that the BCS is evil, and college football needs a playoff. The benefit of a playoff system is obvious. I admit that for a while I was right there with the rest of sports nation, I seethed that schools like TCU could have perfect seasons and still not get a chance to compete for a national championship. How does the NCAA not recognize that the system is so clearly unfair? 

Forget the fact that a playoff means more games, which translates to more injuries. I’d love to see a TCU fan explain to Marcus Cannon (o-lineman from TCU) the virtues of him risking his health for three extra games this season when he has a million dollar paycheck waiting for him this April (although if were playing this game I’d rather see the 350-pound Cannon at an all-you-can-eat buffet, or anywhere other than right in front of me on a bathroom line). I don’t want a playoff because it will take away the best parts of the college football game. As it stands right now college football has a unique regular season. Regular season college football games mean more than regular season games in any other sport. Every time Auburn or Oregon touched the field this season they were playing the equivalent of a playoff game. My main problem though is that switching to a playoff system may mean the loss of my favorite part of the college football season, the bowls. Now I know that many people will be quick to point out that the NCAA can institute a playoff within the current bowl system. However if you read this quote from an interview between Joe Posnanski (a writer from Sports Illustrated) and Bill Hancock (executive director of the BCS) it tells a different story. “Many seem to think that the bowls could coexist with a playoff, but “if there’s a playoff,” Bill says, “that will be the focus. Most bowl executives believe a playoff would eventually kill the bowls, and I think that’s probably right.”

Now I understand that most people would gladly spare the “BEEF ‘O’ BRADY’S BOWL,” or the “uDROVE HUMANITARIAN BOWL.” I mean half of the general public has no idea who these teams are and no need to watch mediocre college football. Aside from the fact that these bowls give schools that aren’t national programs a reason to play hard and their student bodies a reason to show up and root for their team (and by that I mean convince people who are not students to show up and pay for tickets). Every year there are a few bowl games that remind you how great college sports can be.

Sometimes you can be sitting on your couch on a Sunday night just casually flipping through the channels before settling on ESPN for the fourth quarter of the LITTLE CAESARS BOWL. True, a matchup between Toledo and Florida International doesn’t exactly sound riveting on paper, but it’s a Sun. Night and you’ve got nowhere to be and nothing else going on, so you watch. And right before your eyes a somewhat meaningless game turns into a magical night. Down 24-7 at halftime FIU doesn’t roll over and die, they fight hard in the second half taking a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Toledo answers back scoring a touchdown that normally would tie the game up. Except Toledo coach Tim Beckman decides he’s not ok with a tie, he came to the LITTLE CAESARS BOWL to get a win. He gives conventional wisdom the middle finger and goes for two.

Now you’re totally committed to this game. I mean we’ve all seen a football game where a team we have been rooting for is in the same situation and just kicks the extra point and decides they’ll take their chances in overtime. And we’ve all had the thought in the back of our heads that it miiiight just make a litttttle bit more sense to just go for it now and get it over with, even if your brain is saying just take the freebie and let’s get ’em in OT (especially in the NFL when a coin flip usually decides the game). Here’s a coach that has the testicular fortitude to do what we only get to try in video games.

Anyway we’re back on the couch and Toledo decides to go for two, and wouldn’t ya know it they get the conversion and take a one point lead. Only there is still 147 seconds left on the clock. Now FIU has the ball and its fourth and 17 and the game seems all but over. But tonight is not like those other nights. Tonight FIU runs an insane hook and ladder and picks up the first down. A few plays later FIU moves into field goal range. The kicker trots onto the field, and you know that this will be the biggest moment of his entire life. He calmly splits the uprights and bedlam ensues on FIU sideline. Watching those players celebrate like they just won a national championship you forget that the game they just played is essentially meaningless; the arena it was played in not even half filled. Instead you have that silly grin on your face, and you try to process the absurdity of going for two down one and hook and ladders on 4^th and 17.

All of a sudden the announcer reminds you for the 400^th time that this is FIU’s first ever bowl game only this time it means more because you see their head coach running around like a little kid on his birthday trying to play with every new toy at the same time. Our friend the kicker has just become the biggest kid on campus, and there he is on the sidelines chatting it up with one of the cheerleaders. The game ended but you still haven’t touched the remote because you realize that you just found the reason that we put up with all the crap that sports gives us. You realize why we watch a game even when one team’s strategy is to lose so that they can get a good draft pick and the others is to field a team simply to pass the time until that summers free agent class. Sometimes what starts out as a boring night on the couch turns into one of those moments that leave you with a goofy grin and a newfound appreciation for Little Cesar’s pizza. The box score reads Florida International 34, Toledo 32 and that’s how the game will look to the overwhelming majority of people, but you’ll know different.

Maybe you weren’t that guy on the couch Sunday night. Maybe your moment came when Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, or when your team stood up Navy on the goal line for the third time that day. The point is that even though you may not see the need for these meaningless bowl games or the importance of the college football regular season if you understood those little moments you would realize that trading them in for a playoff is a huge mistake.  

If you read all the way to the end of this you probably don’t have too much going on right now, which is good because later tonight I’m coming through with a quick preview for all the major BCS bowls and a couple other intriguing matchups. Thanks for listening.