Yes you probably guessed that this is going to be about the dire need of a playoff format and how the NCAA just integrated a bit of it.

First off a playoff format does not need you need to sever the ties of the BCS bowl's to conferences. All that really needs to be done is have a 12 team play off structure where the winners of their BCS conference get a first round BYE. Now since there are some BCS bowls with ties to 2 conferences should have it arranged so that the team with the better record (rankings tie breaker) gets the guaranteed spot in the BCS game while the other team plays against another team with a chance to go to that bowl game if they win.

This format would be almost parallel to that of the NFL's except for there would be no divisions such as the AFC or NFC. If you are having trouble grasping this concept just think of it like the NFL but replace two of the wild card spots with conference champions. the 6 wild card spots would be hand picked.

Now despite what you might think the BCS has made steps toward this along with conferences but never finished the job so in the end it makes about as much since as trying to save a man drowning 100 feet out as sea with a 50 foot rope.

Conference Championship games- Only if the BCS had a play off format would the regular season truly be the play offs they claim it is. In conferences like the big 12 and SEC you have pool play (Big 12 north or south and SEC east or west) the winner would advance to the regional championship (conference championship game). Then the winner would go on to the quarter finals (bowl games if it is a BCS conference), Then there would be a semi finals (would need to be added) then the BCS national title game.

What conference championship games do in this situation would make it so that a first round BYE is all thats on the line for the better team. Lisa4Usc made a good blog about this using the example of how a team in the big 12 north that is 7-5 could win a BCS spot over a Big 12 south that is 10-2. With this system in place all that would be on the line would be a first round BYE for the team with the good record since 10-2 in the big 12 should put them in the playoffs. How ever unless this is put into use in every conference it is unfair to those who have to go through it.

National Title Game- I'm still scratching my head over this one why would they make it so much more like a playoff format but then not include a semi final match up? I am sure that a semi final would be more profitable then having 2 more teams in a BCS bowl. In fact they would not even need to adopt a 4 round playoff system that may keep a BCS bowl from losing the champion of a conference it has ties to if they would just make two semifinal games. Are two games that much to ask for?

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog