Why I can't fully commit to NCAA Football

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy NCAA football. I think the action on the field is better than what we see in the NFL. I like the rules. I like the intensity of the players, coaches and fans. I like the pre-game shows more than the NFL. I like the actual game from the opening kick-off to the last tick of the clock. I actually HATE the overtime rules, but thats for another post.

So why can't I fully engage in NCAA football and become as emotionally involved in my home town team as I can with nearly every other sport? Simple. The season is virtually pointless. Ok, I am a Wisconsin Badger fan. I grew up here and am loyal to all of my home state teams. However, with the lack of any real post season and any realistic hope of a real national championship, why would I ever really become engrossed in the season?

Thus, the point of all of this is, the NCAA's version of the post season is a complete joke and a total waste of time. Not only is it a waste of time, it is a waste of the most amazing opportunity for excitement in all of sports.

The Bowl system is tragically flawed. At last count there are roughly 40 bowls. 39 of which are 100% pointless. Winning the game provides no real long lasting glory. Let me explain it in the form of a question. As a fan of a team who finishes the season at 7-6, would you rather play a game against another 7-6 team in the San Diego Community Credit Union Bowl? Or, would you rather be matched up with a powerhouse in round 1 of the NCAA National football tournament, with the hopes on knocking off the big boy and bringing true exposure to your school? I can't imagine any fan in their right mind rather playing a meaningless exhibition game vs another mediocre school.

Lets face it, if it wasn't for gamblers, NO ONE would care about 39 of the 40 bowls. Sure, the national championship game is exciting, but often completely controversial in determining which 2 teams belong in the game. Allowing a computer to determine these types of things is foolishness of epic proportion.

I would much prefer a computer to determine who is the 32nd best team in the nation for inclusion in a tournament, than having it decide between #2 and #3 for inclusion in the national title game. Why do we allow this to happen? I just don't get it.

We have all heard the arguments that the bowl system increases the importance of each of the regular season games, the players couldn't possibly commit their decembers to more games, the colleges make oodles of money with the current system and on and on. I have yet to hear an argument that makes sense. No other sport in the world votes for who they want to play in the championship. No sport in the world doesn't have a post season tournament. Heck, they even currently have real post seasons in the lower divsions in the NCAA!!!!!!! And they manage to have their players commit to these games and manage to determine legitimate season champions.

So, here is my naive proposal. It is a proposal that I feel would create the hugest single sporting event in the world. Bigger than the NFL post season, bigger than the World Series, bigger even than the NCAA March Madness Tournament. Use the current bowls as brackets. Allow all of the teams that currently make post season trips to be included in the tournament. Have the winner of "useless bowl #1" play the winner of "useless bowl #2" in the 2nd round which would be played at a slightly more prestigious location in a slightly less useless bowl.

For half of the teams involved, there season would be one and done and nothing would change. For the other half, it would be a minimum commitment of one more game. In 4 weeks you could narrow the field from say 64 teams, down to 32, then to 16 then to 8. By New years day you would have 8 teams. 4 games over the new years day weekend. By Mid January you would have 2 remaining teams who go to this point in legitimate fashion.

So what are the issues? Well, for starters, perhaps removing a regular season game might be needed so teams did not end up playing 15 or 16 games per year. Another option would be to give the top teams (10 or 20 teams) 1st round byes to speed up the process of the tournament and weed out the pretenders before they get shots at the teams who earned the byes in the regular season.

The regular season would still matter. The post season would be huge. The bowls would actually carry some weight and have actual consequences. Smaller bowls would actually get high quality teams in some cases depending on the final structure of the brackets.

It just seems too obvious and too perfect. I may never live to see the bureaucrats within the NCAA move to something like this, but as a fan of the sport I will repeat my thesis. Despite loving the game, the lack of a true and legitimate post season prevents me from ever honestly committing myself emotionally to my team.