I think I have a solution

[derekshank]

I just don't see a true playoff coming into college football. There is too much history and tradition for them to blow up the bowl games. So here's a better way to deal with the bickering without destroying the BCS... AND we bring back the glory of the 4 major bowl games.

You go back to the way it was done before:

The Rose bowl will be the champs of the Big 10 going against the Pac 10. Ohio State vs USC. There is a lot of tradition in the Rose Bowl to bring back. The same with all the other bowls. (I'm not completely sure if I'm remembering all of these right... but here's how they went to the best of my memory).

The Big East champ plays the Big 12 champ. We'd no longer have to worry about a possible undefeated Rutgers... because if they lost to Texas they'd be out... but if they beat Texas, they would truly prove themselves. The ACC champ plays the SEC champ... say Florida vs Maryland. Then the Fiesta Bowl for the non-conference games say Notre Dame vs. Michigan.

When all those games were finished (and in most years there would be reason for everyone to watch them all, because of National championship implications... instead of the way we do it now), the teams that come out #1 and #2 play for a National Championship game. It isn't in place of one of the bowls. It is simply one extra game.

There shouldn't be much of an argument from anyone... because it isn't 3 or 4 or 5 extra games like ina playoff system... it brings back the heritage of old conference rivalries, and in almost every case will keep there from being more than 2 undefeated teams.

Sure... there will be years where there are problems, like possibly the year that there were 3 one-loss teams and no undefeated teams, but it wouldn't be any more of a problem than when the AP claimed USC was the legitimate national champion, and the BCS claimed it was LSU. Sometimes the #3 team will feel they deserve a shot... but those should be few and far between. I think this is the best way to make everyone happy.

[bengalboomer7]

A playoff wouldn't be that big of deal because most schools are on some kind of break anywhere from Thanksgiving to the middle of january. A playoff system could be done

This has everything to do with money. Bowl games generate revenue for the entire conference. Conference commisioners won't give up that money. Take OSu, for exapmle. They don't recieve all the money they generate if they win the title. It goes to the conference and is split evenly

here's a coupleof things I'd like to see

Do 1 preseason poll, then don't do the rankings again until about mid october. Give teams a chance to prove it on the field against real cometition.

I'd also like to see conference challenges like they do in college basketball. A Big Ten vs SEC challenge would be awesome. Give Tressel and OSU credit. They currently have future contracts to play VT, UM, USC, and just finished a home and home with Texas. We need tougher non conference schedule across the board

Eight teams, playoff system, winner take all

[derekshank]

A playoff wouldn't be that big of deal because most schools are on some kind of break anywhere from Thanksgiving to the middle of january. A playoff system could be done

This has everything to do with money. Bowl games generate revenue for the entire conference. Conference commisioners won't give up that money. Take OSu, for exapmle. They don't recieve all the money they generate if they win the title. It goes to the conference and is split evenly

here's a coupleof things I'd like to see

Do 1 preseason poll, then don't do the rankings again until about mid october. Give teams a chance to prove it on the field against real cometition.

I'd also like to see conference challenges like they do in college basketball. A Big Ten vs SEC challenge would be awesome. Give Tressel and OSU credit. They currently have future contracts to play VT, UM, USC, and just finished a home and home with Texas. We need tougher non conference schedule across the board

Eight teams, playoff system, winner take all

Sure... 8 team playoff would be nice. But you said yourself why this won't happen. The Bowl games aren't going anywhere. We might as well use them and take advantage of this history and tradition that go along with them.

The current situation uses the bowl games, but robs them of their tradition. This keeps the tradition, and allows the BCS to make its decision in a less arbitrary manner. Maybe it still isn't the perfect way to determine a National Champion... but it's better than the way it used to be, and it is better than what we have now. Not to mention that it allows more pride to be involved in winning one's conference.

For instance... last year Penn State won the Big 10... but no one cared. All they cared about was Texas/USC. If Penn State had an opportunity to prove itself against USC in the Rose Bowl prior to the National Championship, it would not only receive the nations undivided attention... but would have given Penn State something more to play for than a glorified scrimmage against Florida State at the end of the year. Only Penn State and FSU fans cared to watch.

Penn State could have been playing USC for a chance at the National Championship game if they won... and if they lost - well USC proves that much more that they deserved to be there. One more game at the end of the year means four Bowl games that the entire nation wants to watch. It's a better system... everyone gets their money, and fans get more high-stakes football.

[San Antonio Bengal]

The Bowl games aren't going away, so the only way I can see to figure out a definitive winner is to incorporate the first levels of the playoffs into the end of the regular season. However, teams won't jump for it as it will involve cutting cupcake games out of the schedule. Currently, most teams will play 12 games and larger conferences will have an additional 13th game for the conference championships.

For an example, I'm going to use a 12 team conference such as the SEC or Big 12 in order to make the math work out nicely. In one of these conferences, you play the other 5 teams in your division once and 3 of the 6 teams in the other division. This takes up eight games on the schedule. Let's say that we allow 2 ouf of conference games at the school's choosing. Now we're up to 10 games. After these ten games are played, week 11 then becomes the conference championship week. No. 1 teams from each division play each other, No 2 teams play each other, etc. Then for the 12th week of the schedule, you have interconference match-ups like Big 10 vs SEC and Pac 10 vs Big 12, etc.

With this system, at the end of the regular season, you'd at least have conference champions and the first round of playoffs. Then the four winners meet each other in two of the bowl games and the last bowl game is the championship. All of the other bowl games stay as they are.

Of course, the two big problems are that teams couldn't schedule as many cupcakes and the end of the regular season would get somewhat chaotic with the scheduling.

Anyway, just an idea I thought I'd throw out.