Someone Please Save College Football! - gameface1324's Blog

gameface1324's Blog

Someone Please Save College Football!

Posted on October 21, 2009 at 10:00 AM.

My my, where to begin. What plagues the world of college football these days?

Many things do, actually, but what is the main culprit? Is it the NFL raiding it of its start players? Somewhat, but I like the NFL's rule of when a player can go pro better than any other sport.

Is it the scandals and violations in recruiting and such? Again, somewhat an issue, but not one of the big ones by a long shot. You have the Florida State football program collapsing before our very eyes due to issues here, and you have the high profile Reggie Bush scandal that has been swept under the (rest of statement erased by NCAA higher powers, shhhh)

So what is it?

MONEY

*gasp*

But, but, what is wrong with making money? Nothing at all, actually. Unless you let it affect the way you play your "game", the way you crown your champion, the way you overlook certain school's infractions, the way you "vote" who is the best, and the way you cover the sport in the media.

ESPN

In 2008, ESPN signed a 15-year, $2 Billion deal with the SEC to cover their games. "The bottom line here is that fans of SEC football will have more access to games and better distribution than they ever have in the past," Mike Slive, the SEC Commissioner said . What he meant to say was, the bottom line here is that SEC Football will now be shoved down the collective throats of anyone who watches ESPN.

The SEC is already the power conference in college football. Now ESPN has a personal interest in pumping them up even more, as all their talking heads on TV spew forth how good they are, until the collective perception of the nation says they are the best. Pay no attention to the fact 30% of their teams wins come against FCS schools and low-mid tier conference teams in FBS. Since they obviously have the best conference in football, just their conf schedule alone is enough of a challenge to make the teams who come out champion an almost automatic qualifier for the national champ game. Hell, why do we even have the title game, we should just put the SEC champ game into a BCS bowl of its own, and crown them the champ, right?

Im not saying the SEC isn't the best. Far from it. They simply are. But the media would have you believe that they are omnipotent. And now that ESPN has a stake in that claim, they will scream it from the highest mountains. Herbstriet might name his next child "SEC" if the powers that be tell him to do so.

Why do you think ESPN detached their name from the Coaches Poll or whatever it was a couple years ago? Because it would be seen as a conflict of interest to have their name attached to something that decides the BCS standings, when they have a vested interest in a certain conference. It was no coincidence, my friends.

Perception Swayed by Media

The current BCS formula is 1/3 decided by the Coaches Poll. The Coaches Poll that is mostly voted upon by who? Coaches? WRONG.

They should name it the SID poll, because that is who really votes. Do you think these people at these universities, who have so much going on as it is to get THEIR team winning, worries about what Boise did to Idaho last weekend? It is a freaking travesty that this is 33% of the formula that crowns our champion. I would much rather settle for having the AP poll count as opposed to the SID poll. There is a reason that Coaches Poll votes don't get publicized. Because they would be a laughing stock. Coaches don't want their personal interests advertised. Why wouldn't Pete Carroll's staff put Pac-10 teams in the top 25, as opposed to Big East teams? It is in their best interest to do so!

Travesty.

But that is only part of the problem. These SIDs, who don't watch many games, can only base their votes on who they hear is the best. Where do they hear that? The media, or speficically, ESPN and company. So we get back around to the vested interest there. The groupthink mentality comes into play here. If all the talking heads on ESPN say USC should be a top 5 team, then I'd be crazy not to vote them in the top 5, no matter who they lost to, right?

These big media outlets have the power to control who is where they want them to be. All it takes is for a couple different "analysts" to proclaim that "Oregon hasn't shown me much this year, they beat a depleted Cal team... They lost to a mediocre Boise team..." etc, and suddenly the 1 loss Oregon Ducks, who's loss was at the hands of a top 5 team currently, isn't worthy of a top 10 ranking, and deserves to be ranked BELOW a USC team who lost to an unranked Washington team.

It is all about perception.

"Cinncinnati or Iowa wont play for a national title, even though they are from BCS conferences. A 1 loss SEC team would be a better play".

Really? Why is that ESPN, because having the SEC in the title picture every year will only increase your ratings for those SEC games? Hmm.

Even though an undefeated Iowa team would have beaten a Penn State team that many said had a good shot at going undefeated and in the national title picture, a Ohio State team that were top 5 at one point, and do what they were supposed to do and win their games, they don't deserve the title shot because ESPN says so? "They Big 10 is down this year" they keep saying, drilling it in our heads that the teams there suck. This is the Big 10, not the WAC. Iowa, if they go undefeated and no one else does, deserves that title shot.

Even tho an undefeated Cinncinnati team would have beaten ranked USF on the road, ranked Pitt, ranked WVU, ranked Oregon State on the road.... they don't deserve it either? Because a 1 loss LSU team who were 1 play away from losing 3 more games, 2 of those to unranked teams, is a better team? Because a 1 loss Florida team, who were a couple crappy calls away from losing to unranked Arkansas, deserves it more? Because a 1 loss USC team, who's only real quality wins were at Ohio State (who lost to Purdue), Notre Dame (who no matter how ESPN tries to shove down our throats, is the same ND team as the past few seasons and will lose more games), and Oregon? Who lost to Washington?!

"But the Big 10 and Big East are terrible." Really ESPN? Because you say that every year, and every year the Big East sends teams out and beats the SEC, Oklahoma in BCS games, etc? This week, there are three teams from the conference in both major top 25 polls. That's more than the Pac-10, and the same number as the ACC and Big Ten. The league has a legitimate national championship contender in Cincinnati, which is No. 5 in the BCS standings. The Big East has gone 26-7 in nonconference games, and its .788 winning percentage is better than every conference except the SEC. And most of those SEC Out of conference wins were against FCS schools. Big East offenses have been potent, with six teams averaging at least 29 points and players like Pike, Lewis, Noel Devine, and Mardy Gilyard among the national statistical leaders.

But they suck right? What if WVU hadn't committed 7 turnovers and still barely lost on the road at Auburn, at night, in a rain storm? They would be undefeated and have yet another SEC win under their belts. (They were 6-0 until that game in the past few years against the SEC) There would be another top 15 Big East team.

It is all about perception. The only thing people need to do is start watching games and forming their own opinions, their own perceptions. Don't just watch Sportscenter and College Football Live, and regurgitate what you hear there. Watch the games!

Bowls

Bowls are great right? I usually win at least one pool every year on a pickall for money. What in the world is better than Bowl Season?

As awesome as Fresno State vs Idaho in the Poinsettia Bowl sounds.....

The nation would be much better served with a playoff system.

I mean it takes some seriously good teams to make a bowl game right? A .500 record. Wow. You went 6-6, congrats. Here is your prize, a bowl game on Dec 21st. Enjoy.

Give me a break.

How about a system where there are a 16 team playoff? Keep your bowl games if you must. But the teams playing in that bowl game could be decided by who won the previous weeks games.

That dont work for you moneywise? Fine, how about a 8 team playoff. No? ok ok, I will settle for a 4 team playoff. That would eliminate most situations year in and out, when there is 1 team that is left out. What about the 5th best team? They are left out right?

I will settle for that, sorry. At least the top 4 have to win 2 games to be crowned champion. If you are that 2 loss team in 5th, too bad. I will take eliminating the 08 Texas's and the Undefeated Auburns having a true gripe, over you, any day of the week.

Hell even keep your BCS format. Have the 2 final four games rotate among the BCS bowls, then your title game stays the same with the winners. How much of a difference in revenue is that really gonna absorb? The nation demands it! Do your sport a favor, and fix it!

In conclusion, Money rules all. Bottom line, enter your own cliche here, nothing will change unless someone forces change. As it stands right now, the rich wanna get richer, and the richer make the decisions. Those top money making schools, Texas, USC, Oklahoma, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, etc will always have the title game, and always have the Heisman winners.

But dont even get me started on that last caveat, that is a diff blog for a whole diff day