The BCS is...Broken.

The BCS is broken. Ok, so I don't completely like the word broken there. Broken, to me, suggests at some point it was working. That phone number with only 6 digits that you got from that pretty girl? It's not broken because it never worked. She knew it, and figured you wouldn't notice until it was too late.


The same goes for the BCS, it was introduced as a better way to determine the best team in FBS football each year. While it has provided match ups between top teams that previously wouldn't have occurred in the old system, it's still only 6 digits when 7 are required to place a call.


The good news is, change might be coming. Variations have been discussed and possible new models are expected to be presented by June. Despite the growing support for a change in the system, some argue that everything is working and change will only make things worse. I decided to check out what the BCS itself claims to be, and came up with a few things that the current system just isn't accomplishing.


The following statements come from the Bowl Championship Series official website.

• "[The BCS] is designed to ensure that the two top-rated teams in the country meet in the national championship game, and to create exciting and competitive matchups among eight other highly regarded teams in four other bowl games...It has been undeniably successful in achieving those goals."
• Undeniably successful? I'm really interested to know what their definition of undeniable is, because I think mine(and Webster's) is much different. Consider the Orange Bowl this year. Competitive? Not at all; and the only reason it was exciting was the chance that West Virginia's football team could score more than the basketball team had earlier that day (Final: WVU basketball-85, WVU football-70). If you want exciting and competitive in college sports you'll have to wait for March Madness. At least in a playoff situation if a blowout occurs, it just brings that much more excitement for the winning teams next game. Sorry WVU's blowout Orange Bowl victory doesn't have me absolutely giddy for it's September 1 match-up with Marshall...
• The other point here is that the two "top-rated teams" play for the national championship. And I guess I can't argue that one, because they get to decide who is top-rated. But what about "most deserving" or "the 2 best teams". I don't want a championship with the two top-rated teams when these ratings are determined by computers and people who don't even watch the games, I prefer to see a championship between two teams that proved they deserve to be there by outperforming all other competitors on the field. Which leads us to their next argument.
• The BCS allows for preserving the significance of the regular season
• Most BCS supporters will say that the every regular season game is a playoff game. As far as I'm concerned, after the events of this season, this argument can never be used again. If it were true, then Alabama obviously lost their playoff game to LSU in the regular season and should have been knocked out of contention(or did I miss the clause where SEC teams get a double elimination regular season playoff). The real problem here, is that for most teams in the country, the regular season loses most of it's meaning(as far as national championships are concerned) very early in the regular season. For 52 teams, their hopes at being crowned the best team in the nation ended before they played their first game this year. Let's face it, under the current system non-AQ teams aren't going to get to the big game. Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, 11 non-AQ teams have finished the regular season undefeated(Tulan '98; Marshall '99; Utah '04 and '08; Boise State '04, '06, '08, and '09; Hawai'i '07; and TCU '09 and '10) without being given an opportunity to play for a national championship. And by mid-season, all but a handful of teams have been eliminated from the discussion. In reality, as the college football season rolls on, it becomes more and more meaningless. And don't try to argue that all the other bowl games are meaningful...oh, they already did.
• All bowl games provide meaningful season-ending opportunities to teams.
• These people really need to check the definition of meaningful. How many times each bowl season do we hear those announcing the game say something along the lines of "these guys don't seem like they want to be here." with their partner responding "you're right, these guys had their sights set on something bigger and to find themselves here is a bit of a disappointment." A program with a long bowl drought will find the game meaningful, and of course we want our team to win each of their games, so we get excited about a bowl victory. But every bowl game, except one, means nothing more than the rest of the regular season(and most would be 4th or 5th on a team's list)don't let anybody convince you otherwise.

The BCS really isn't accomplishing what it was created to do, and America is frustrated. Here's to hoping the that powers that be will take note and help to make our beloved college football more exciting and meaningful from the first kickoff of the season until the best team(not top rated) lifts the crystal football.

All He Does Is Win

Tim Tebow won a playoff game. That's a statement that most of us never thought we'd hear, and after three straight losses even the biggest Tebow supporters must have wondered if they'd ever see their favorite quaterback and his odd throwing motion start another NFL game.

But he won a playoff game! Against the mighty Steelers! Now, before we go any further, let's be clear that Tebow DID win this game. Unlike in other games this season, Tebow wasn't bailed out of an unimpressive statistical performance by a stingy defense or an amazing field goal. He burned the Steelers defense right up to the final(and first) play of overtime. Coming in to the game the Steelers had allowed just 6 completion of 30 yards or more on the year, opposing quarterbacks had a completion percentage of 32.4% and 7.8 yards per attempt. Tebow ended the day with 54.5% of passes completed, 25.1 yards per attempt, and 5 completions of more than 30 yards(one shy of all the other Steelers games combined!). Maybe he loses occasionally, but he sure seems to pull out the W whenever his team really needs it.

As I watched the last few minutes of the game on Sunday I slowly got more and more excited that maybe we'd see another Tebow miracle. Overtime started, then suddenly it was over. One Play. When the ball was caught, I clapped, thinking this'll be a good 30 yard play, now they just need to finish the drive. But Thomas finished it himself, with a well timed stiff arm I was on my feet, and as he crossed into the end zone I was jumping up and down yelling "How'd he do that!?!?!". In mid-jump I thought to myself, "wait, why am I cheering for the Broncos and Tim Tebow, I don't even like either of them."

You see, growing up in Utah where we have no NFL team, people tend to choose either the closest team or the most successful one. In my case the Broncos happened to be both, but I adamantly refused to cheer along with everyone else as they won two Super Bowls in a row and converted every last one of my friends. Maybe it was because my best friend told me I had to like them and I refused to listen, maybe it was because I couldn't stand the smirk on John Elway's face, maybe it was because I was jealous that Denver got the Mile High moniker when my little town of 7,000 sat at a mile above sea level too. Whatever the reason, I strongly disliked the Denver Broncos and secretly rejoiced every time they lost. I'd never had warm feelings toward Tim Tebow either. I disliked Florida simply because of Urban Meyer( I KNOW I couldn't stand the smirk on his face), and that dislike spread to all the players there too. I took solace in the fact that Tebow would have a short NFL career and I wouldn't have to hear about him, except maybe in the occasional "Where are they now" article detailing the former Heisman winners that had disappeared from the sport and were unceremoniously forced in to used car or insurance sales.

So, what is it that turned me, and sports fans throughout the nation, into Broncos supporters and all out Tebow fanatics? Just dust off your worn out copy of "The Little Engine That Could" and replace that determined little train with Tim Tebow. Of course we all love that little train that moved a load the bigger trains   refused to help with. This is the same character that Tebow has become. He's the unimpressive thrower in a world of awe-inspiring field generals (Rodgers, Brady, Brees, Manning, Manning, Roethlisberger, and even soon-to-be pro Andrew Luck). In some sense, we've all been in the former Gator's shoes. We've all been floundering and stumbling, trying to look like we belong, somewhere along the way. At this point we hope that others will forget our shortcomings and recognize the good things we do. Tebow certainly still has his weak points, which analysts and opposing fans will continually point out, but most of us forget when the fourth quarter(or overtime) rolls around and number fifteen can do no wrong, we just want to sit back and enjoy the show.

So whether you're a fan of the team, the man, or just a fan of underdogs who think they can; enjoy the Tebow train as long as it's chugging along. Because, in a way,  we're all little engines on the tracks of life, waiting for our own personal Tebow Time.