THE WORLD OF BAX: The ‘Variable’ BCS System - The Best Compromise

Plus: Bax’s Heisman Ballot (If I had one)

There has been a lot of griping about Texas’ exclusion from the BCS National Title Game in favor of Oklahoma this past week (including from yours truly) and it is with much trepidation that I have decided that the BCS needs revamping.

Now, I’m a well-established defender of the BCS. I love the idea of the #1 v. #2 matchup to establish a National Champion. I love how vital the regular season is every single week. The margin of error to even get to the big game is so slim and it is fantastic. College presidents have it absolutely correct when they say that college football has the best regular season in all of sports. However, college football hasn’t played along in recent years and allowed a consensus top pairing since the 2005 USC-Texas game. Despite the fact that the BCS probably has gotten things correct in most years, there has been a lot of understandable criticism and I’m starting to change my tune. Thus, I present to you the 'Variable' BCS system.

My biggest reason to preserve the BCS is because I can't get the images of the 2005 USC-Texas and 2002 OSU-Miami games out of my head. How would a playoff have helped in a season where the best teams were clearly defined by the regular season? Can anyone honestly look me in the eye and tell me that a playoff would have made either of those years better? Thus, my proposal:

1) In years where there are two and only two unbeaten BCS conference teams that sit 1-2 atop the rankings, the BCS as we know it today is preserved and we have a major championship game like we see it today. A good example would be 2002 or 2005.

2) In years where there is a controversy with a group of 1 loss teams or three major unbeatens (2004), a plus one system will be invoked. The semifinal games will take place in two of the existing BCS bowls, with the final to take place a week later.

During this process, the BCS will expand to include a 5th bowl: The Cotton Bowl in Dallas at the Cowboys' new palace will be the 5th venue. Thus, you will still have a minimum of 3 BCS games which don't affect the National Title chase and reward the conference champions. In years with two clear unbeatens, you would have all 5 BCS games take place like usual which allows the major TV contracts to have a measure of certainty and allows for clear financial planning, a major factor for everyone involved. In this scenario, the National Title Game would take turns rotating among the 5 BCS bowls as an extra game like it is right now and would take place a week after New Year’s Day, just like the current system.

Furthermore, the maximum inclusion of teams from one conference would be upped to 3 teams per conference, one conference per year only, to allow for years where a dominant conference has a number of worthy teams, like this year's Big XII (#2 Texas, #3 Oklahoma, #7 Texas Tech) or the 2006 Big Ten (#1 OSU, #3 Michigan, #6 Wisconsin). This would allow things to be 'played out on the field' and the top 4 teams, regardless of conference affiliation, would be placed into the 4 team field.

For example this year, we would have a variable system invoked and our matchups would be:

1) Florida v. 4) USC
2) Oklahoma v. 3) Texas

That way, the national title race can be resolved in years of controversy while years of clarity would be preserved. Take a look back at the ten years of the BCS and you will find that the BCS would have looked like this under a variable system:

1998 Variable Year- Three 1 Loss Teams
1) Tennessee (unbeaten) v. 4) Kansas State
2) FSU v. 3) Ohio State

1999 NORMAL YEAR - FLORIDA STATE WON CONSENSUS TITLE
1) Florida State v. 2) Virginia Tech

2000 Variable Year - Three 1 Loss Teams
1) Oklahoma (unbeaten) v. 4) Washington
2) Florida State v. 3) Miami

2001 Variable Year - Three 1 Loss Teams
1) Miami (unbeaten) v. 4) Colorado
2) Nebraska v. 3) Oregon

2002 NORMAL YEAR - OHIO STATE WON CONSENSUS TITLE
1) Miami v. 2) Ohio State

2003 Variable Year - Four 1 Loss Teams
1) Oklahoma v. 4) Michigan
2) LSU v. 3) USC

2004 Variable Year - Three Unbeaten Teams
1) USC v. 4) Texas (1 Loss)
2) Oklahoma v. 3) Auburn

2005 NORMAL YEAR - TEXAS WON CONSENSUS TITLE
1) USC v. 2)Texas

2006 Variable Year - Two 1 Loss Teams
1) Ohio State (unbeaten) v. 4) LSU (2 Losses)
2) Florida (1 Loss) v. 3) Michigan (1 Loss)

2007 Variable Year - Three 2 Loss Teams
1) Ohio State (1 loss) v. 4) Georgia
2) LSU v. 3) Oklahoma

In the ten years of the BCS, the ‘Variable’ would come into play 7 times, meaning that the unbeaten scenario occurred frequently enough that the variation is required. If two teams run through the regular season unbeaten and have clearly established themselves as the best by beating the best in BCS conferences, I think it would be a travesty to force a playoff upon them, a situation which prevents me from embracing a yearly plus-one. The ‘Variable’ would likely solve most complaints about the system while still preserving the value and excitement of the regular season. In fact, the uncertainty of whether we would have a variable or normal year would also come into play, creating even more drama in the season’s final weeks.

A variable system is a strong compromise which fulfills all of the fiscal requirements without putting undue stress on a team by playing a large playoff system. It placates the playoff proponents by providing a playoff structure in years where one is needed while simultaneously calming the traditionalists like myself who don’t believe in rewarding two loss teams with a shot at the National Title and devaluing major rivalry games. This falls well within the existing bowl framework and would probably even be deemed acceptable to college presidents. If you are upset with the BCS, I urge you to get behind my ‘Variable’ idea because it is the best of both the worlds and is the system which is most likely to pass muster at the feet of the conference commissioners.

The 2008 Heisman Trophy Ballot

Now that the regular season is concluded, it is time to hand out awards to the country’s best players. The most prestigious award clearly is the Heisman Trophy. If I had a ballot (hint, hint Heisman committee), here is what it would look like:

• Colt McCoy, Quarterback, Texas . McCoy has a lot of stiff competition, but my biggest reason for selecting him is because Texas has not supported him with a strong running game for much of the season. In fact, McCoy was the team’s running game for the entire first half of the year! Yet despite Texas’ troubles running the ball, McCoy flourished and in a season where Texas finds themselves on the outside looking in at the National Title Game, their quarterback is an exceptionally deserving candidate for college football’s highest individual honor.
• Tim Tebow, Quarterback, Florida . Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner is probably the best emotional leader in all of college football. Oh yeah, he also proved that he can pass the ball as well as anyone by throwing three touchdown passes in the SEC Title Game against Alabama. While I’m picking Colt McCoy to win, Tebow certainly has a great argument to become the second two-time Heisman Trophy winner.
• Sam Bradford, Quarterback, Oklahoma . Sam Bradford has so many shocking statistics but the one that really caught my eye is his NCAA record for career touchdown passes by a sophomore. Bradford has thrown 82 passes. Second place? Florida’s Rex Grossman with 55! Bradford has been fantastic this year and might be the most NFL-ready of the Heisman finalists.
• Shonn Greene, Running Back, Iowa . The Heisman Trophy is meant to be awarded to the most outstanding player in college football. Well, Greene rushed for over 100 yards against all 12 teams he faced off against this season and was the backbone of Iowa’s 5-1 stretch run. That is nothing short of outstanding. Greene has been the best tailback in the country this year and deserves a trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony.

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Wrapping Up the 2008 Regular Season

The final regular season weekend was a great week as I went 7-2 on my picks; I finished up at 80-46 for the season. I was particularly excited about picking Florida to win 31-21 and watching the Gators defeat Alabama by a 31-20 margin. That’s about as good as it gets! I hope my skill/luck continues through the bowl season. Be sure to look out for all of the bowl previews here on CollegeSports-fans.com in the next two weeks before the EagleBank Bowl kicks off the Bowl Season on December 20th!

By Matt Baxendell
CollegeSports-fans.com Staff Writer

Matt Baxendell is collegesports-fans.com’s newest staff writer. If you’d like to join his college football therapy group, email him at matt.baxendell @ gmail.com with all your questions, comments, and anything else you would like to share. Also be sure to check out Matt's 2008 conference previews and college football Top 25 rankings here at CollegeSports-fans.com!

More college football articles from Baxendell:

• College Football Top 25 Rankings
• 2008 College Football Week #15 Preview
• College Football Top 25 Rankings after Week #14
• 2008 College Football Week #14 Preview
• College Football Top 25 Rankings after Week #13
• 2008 College Football Week #13 Preview