However the latest machinations of the BCS prove once
again this fatally flawed system has yet to run out of
distractions designed to appease the noisiest critic
of the day. This time the BCS has sent a letter to all
535 members of Congress to pat itself on the back for
opening up the system to "non-BCS" conferences and
show the unity among all eleven division-one
conference commissioners. It remains to be seen how
easily fooled our elected officials are but it's clear
the commissioners of "mid-major" conferences have been
sucked in.
"Open" Automatic Bids My Eye
The newest edition of the BCS now touts how they have
opened up the automatic bid process in order to give
more conferences a chance to get into the system. What
a load of crap! What they are now going to do is
evaluate every conference top to bottom with
particular emphasis on the number of teams the league
has in the top 25. Anyone with a functioning brain
knows that the mid-major teams which warranted BCS
consideration last year (Utah, Boise State,
Louisville) were the exception not the norm. By taking
the entire conference into consideration the power
conferences will be effectively minimize the impact of
any individual team from a mid-major.
Additionally, the BCS has made the remarkably
unethical decision to consider Louisville's 2004
season as part of the four-year Big East evaluation
process. The problem? Louisville wasn't in the Big
East last year! Including last season in the Big East
"resume'" is simply designed to help the politically
powerful league keep its automatic bid into the upper
tier. And they need help after losing Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College and replacing them with
Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida. Whether or
not that is the right thing to do isn't the point. The
blatant manipulation, hypocrisy and deception are what
bother me.
Replacing the AP is Comical
Meanwhile the BCS still wants to maintain its
three-pronged process for choosing the top two teams
at the end of year. With the Associated Press finally
demonstrating some journalistic integrity by demanding
its rankings NOT be used, the BCS is toying with its
own poll, with voters perhaps being chosen among
former players, coaches and administrators.
That's choice! Let's have Bo Schembechler voting on
whether Ohio State deserves a spot in the game, and
Vince Dooley voting on the Gators' candidacy. Pay Dye
could hold the decisive vote on Alabama while Barry
Switzer decided whether or not Texas gets to go.
See any problem there, sports fans?
The only sensible solution (to a nonsensical problem)
would be to create a selection committee to make the
choice. They can consider both polls since the AP
would no longer object, they can consider every
computer ranking known to man and they can be
accountable for their decisions just like every NCAA
post-season selection committee. I would suggest they
put together a panel of former commissioners, athletic
directors, coaches and media. Then once it is clear
which teams are under consideration, allow those
closely affiliated to one of those programs to step
aside.
For example, Pat Haden would be a good person to have
on the committee, but he should step aside if Southern
Cal is involved. If you have a 12-to-15-man panel, you
could have several conflicts without compromising the
broad-based nature of the group.
Knight Commission Opposing 12th Game
This is an admirable group dedicated to promoting
academic reforms in intercollegiate athletics, and I
know they mean well. But arguing against the 12th game
until "the full impact of current academic reforms is
clear" is ludicrous. A 12th game in the college
football season will not impact academics in any
meaningful way. Football players don't miss class for
competition unless they foolishly enroll in a class
that meets late on Friday. Oh, there are some
exceptions with the schools that play Thursday night
games, but those are the exceptions not the rule.
I strongly support stronger academic standards for
student-athletes on college campuses including more
stringent GPA requirements and satisfactory progress
towards graduation. I would like to see basketball go
to a Saturday-Monday or Friday-Sunday schedule to
dramatically reduce missed class time. I would support
a rule requiring team travel of under 1,000 miles not
begin until all classes are completed the day before
competition. I would place a moratorium on weeknight
games beginning after 8 p.m. And I would be fine if
they decided to eliminate two-semester sports. Not
starting basketball season until after the fall
semester might mean turning March madness into April
gladness but so what?
Any of those proposals would help academic achievement
far more than eliminating a 12th football game would.