...of proving that a playoff is needed. Come on, it's not rocket science. It's very simple and only requires to two sports-deprived Saturday's in January. We ditch the BCS but keep the big 4 bowl games. Fiesta, Rose, Orange and Sugar can be played on January 1 (might have to move the Gator, huh). The 6 big conferences send their champions and the 2 at large bids go out as usual. The winners of these games are Fiesta Bowl Champions or Sugar Bowl Champions etc. Then they go on to play the next Saturday-at least a week away. Maybe longer. The goal will be to have the final four play the weekend before the Super Bowl and the NCAA Championship Bowl will be played the Saturday before the Super Bowl.
This takes nothing away from the Bowl game system. Until this year under the BCS, only one Bowl game counts anyway (this year is different because the Rose and Sugar may crown "champions"). The real value of the bowl system is preserved, awarding bowl championships and commanding huge audiences on January 1 during the traditional hair-of-the-dog football fest. The meaningless-except-for-pride bowls, like the Tangerine, can still be played and enjoyed as usual.
The final four would play their 2 games at the same location -- imagine the economic boom of the hosting town. Every city, every stadium would want this event. Maybe even play the final there, too. Surely, a sponsor would pony up some serious jack for this event. Imagine the "UPS Championship Bowl" -- they'd like that with the Fed Ex Orange Bowl two weeks earlier.
Big TV money, too. Turning Super Bowl Sunday into super Bowl Weekend would pay huge dividends. I'd imagine ad revenue for an NCAA Championship Bowl on Super Saturday between two teams that have each won 2 playoff games against the best competition to exceed anything the Sugar Bowl will get this year. Payouts on these bowl games could go directly to the participating conferences or even to all participants in the existing BCS bowls.
Everybody wins. TV Revenue. Sponsorship opportunities. Venues. Fans. And student athletes who add only a couple of weeks of practice -- during the beginning of classes -- not during December exams.
Whoever gets this done will be a genius.
Labels: Football
