The Evans argument has no bearing on my thought process.
I like college football for what it is. The BCS removed those old sectional rivalries that were played out in the big New Year's Day Bowls. I never really liked that.
Maybe that's because it isn't what I grew up with. I remember waking up with my head hurting on New Year's Day excited because college football started at 10 in the morning and went until midnight. ALL of those games had the potential to matter.
Now they don't.
Maybe I'll like it better after I see it in action, but I don't think anything can replace the awesomeness of the old New Year's Day and the Sugar, Orange, Cotton and Rose Bowls all taking the stage.
(Part of getting older is nostalgia. I like things the way they were.)
100% agreed.
College football is retarded. I'm not using that colloquially. It's retarded because it's failing to iron out the real kinks for the sake of money.
Here's my problem with the playoff - college football is NOT professional. It's not about making money for TV stations, business owners, and advertisement agencies. It's about pageantry, school spirit, rivalries, conferences, and bragging rights. It's about education. It's about preparing young men to enter the workforce and prospective football players to enter the NFL.
I understand that money is involved and that there's no way around it, but look around at the bowl games. Does the Rose Bowl matter? Do the 35 "Richie's Car Wash Sponsored by Hertz McDonalds" bowls mean anything to you besides something to put on in the background of a mundane Christmas party?
Ever since college football turned into a cash cow (queue the BCS and now the playoff), the quality of the season and postseason has diminished. The regular season still matters? Bullshit. Hit .500 after scheduling 4 pissant teams, and you've got a bowl game. Start the season outside of the top 10 preseason poll? You're going to have a bad time if you have any desire to win the mythical championship game conjured up by magical fairy men who cast a flippant vote after perusing the nine channels of ESPN. But hey, at least you might get into the Rave Motion Pictures Holiday Inn Delta Bowl on New Year's Day, which has a spot open for bowls like that because the playoff bowls are spread out into March.
If college football really wants to produce a valid tournament to produce a champion, it needs to get rid of the garbage. Clean out the trash. Get rid of the Boise States, the San Diego States, the Idahos, the Wyomings, the Western Kentuckies, and the UNLVs. Trim the league down to 60 teams, 6 conferences, 10 game regular season, and then take the conference champions plus two wildcards and call it a day. At least that would be tangible.
This new playoff is merely a facade. What's most sad is that college football could be special. It could be unique. Go back to the old system. Only votes determine who the national champion is, and let the entire country not give a real shit about it. College football is great that way. What you have now is a season full of meaningless games save for five or six if you have a shot at your conference title. You have a postseason full of meaningless games especially now that a playoff has been implemented.
And you also now have a better shot at seeing more Alabama-LSU repeat type games.
Just look at the last few years:
2011: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford
2010: Auburn, Oregon, Stanford, TCU
2009: Alabama, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati
2008: Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas
And now, there's a selection committee. More mythology in college football. Who is this committee? What's their criteria for selecting? How removed are they from the university presidents, athletic directors, coaches, and boosters? How well do they know the TV execs, the advertisement agencies, and the bookies?
You really think they're going to select the best game? For the fans? For fairness?
Ha.