Launching my Campaign for a Playoff

As part of my Writing and Rhetoric class I need to construct an argument regarding anything I choose. I had to choose a medium and a cause. I chose to create a website/blog using Twitter, Facebook and email to spread the word about this project. Please take some time to look around and give me your input. You can email me at vincent.moreschini@colorado.edu or tweet me at @timbe2.

Today begins my argument for the Bowl Championship Subdivision (BCS) to change to a playoff system. I think I have the right solution. The recent situation of TCU and Boise State being chosen to participate in the Fiesta Bowl is a real disappointment. Two non-BCS teams bust into the BCS Bowls, and they force the two teams to play each other. This is a lose-lose for the BCS and every college football fan. We all wanted to see a BCS team, play a non-BCS team, and now we have been robbed of this opportunity. Keep checking out the blog and please leave comments.

1998-2008 Highs and Lows of the non-BCS Busters

Below (in the two graphs I have displayed) there are 15 different examples of how the BCS has not treated undefeated teams from the non-BCS fairly. In 1998, Tulane finished the season with a record of 11-0, was ranked #7 in the country for BCS and yet was left out of all 5 BIG GAMES: The FedEx Orange Bowl, The All-State Sugar Bowl, The Tostitas Fiesta Bowl, The Citi Rose Bowl, and the National Championship game presented by Citi.

This also happened to Marshall in 1999 when they went 12-0, TCU in 2000 when they went 10-1, and in 2003 Miami Ohio when they went 11-1.

Not until 2004 did this change when Utah made it to the big show. Utah went 11-0 ranked #6 in the BCS and squashed Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, 35-7. The next two years 2004 and 2005 Boise State and TCU were left out respectfully. Boise State going 11-0 while TCU went 11-1.

2006 was a big turn of events for non-BCS teams in the BCS. An undefeated Boise State team went 12-0 and ended up being matched up with Oklahoma(a big BCS powerhouse)in the Fiesta Bowl. I don't want to spoil the excitement of what happened(video to come in next post), but nevertheless, Boise State ended up winning and really stating a case for non-BCS teams to be allowed to play in BCS games.

In 2007 non-BCS teams Hawaii made it to the big games. Hawaii ended up losing 41-10 to the Georgia Bulldogs. This really left the media skeptical of the WAC(Western Athletic Conference) (non-BCS) teams.

In 2008 there were three eligible teams, yet only one made it to the game. Utah 12-0, Boise State 12-0, and TCU 10-2 all had strong campaigns for a BCS bowl, but Utah was the only one to make one where they beat Alabama 31-17.

2009 non-BCS Busters

This year 3 non-BCS teams are fighting for a shot at a BCS Bowl. And this is where it gets interesting. Boise State 13-0, BYU 10-2, and TCU 12-0 all are eligible for a shot. Boise State and TCU were both chosen by the Fiesta Bowl, which is completely counter-productive! Both TCU and Boise State had great seasons, went undefeated and now two non-BCS teams will meet in a BCS Bowl! You would think that they would get a match-up with a BCS team to prove they are worthy to duke it out among the best. As a fan, this makes me embarrassed. Robbing two worthy programs of getting a chance to play "Real Time" BCS teams.

http://www.fiestabowl.org/index.php/about/about_fiesta_bowl/

2006 Tostitas Fiesta Bowl Boise State Broncos v. Oklahoma Sooners

This is one of the top 5 games I have ever watched in my life! Boise State v. Oklahoma. 2006. Fiesta Bowl. Glendale, Arizona. Remarkable! Incredible! Every time I watch it, I get chills. Enough of me, here is how it all broke down. Boise State went 12-0 while Oklahoma went 11-2. The whole game was back and forth. The last two(the ladies..or people who love seeing two people in love could say 3)plays was absolutely remarkable. The first play being a hook and ladder to tie the score and send the game to OT. And to win the game for the Broncos Jared Zabransky faked it to the right with an empty hand then handed the ball off(behind his back) to RB, Ian Johnson for the touchdown! The next play, Johnson proposes to his longtime girlfriend and Boise State cheerleader, Chrissy Popadics. Check it all out below! It was such a great day for Broncos fans and made a great case for non-BCS teams to get into the BCS games for next year.

No one Wants to Play Boise..For Good Reason

Here is the reasoning. It is pretty well known that teams from the WAC, CUSA, MAC, and MWC do not have as strong of schedules as say, teams from the Big 12, Big 10, SEC, or PAC 10. This is a contribution to why non-BCS teams are kept out of the National Championship game in Pasadena, CA. But just this football season, it was announced that Boise State was looking for some more BCS teams to fill their 2011 schedule, and no one wanted to play them(See quotation/article below). Boise State is a beast of a football program! Quite the dynasty.

"So what is on the table for the BCS opponent? The BCS team gets to stay at home (if they choose), they will be compensated, and they get to show their prowess over the lowly WAC one more time."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/284222-boise-state-attacked-for-soft-schedule-but-no-bcs-teams-will-play-them

Boise State Broncos Team History

  

Junior College Record: 199-61-9 (.757) 

University Record: 353-143-2 (.709) 

WAC Record: 68-4 (.944) 

Division I FBS Bowl Record: 5-4 (.555) 

BCS Record: 1-0 (1.000)

National Championships (2)

1958 (JC), 1980 (I-AA) 

Big Sky Conference Championships (6)

1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1994 

Big West Conference Championships (2)

1999, 2000 

Western Athletic Conference Championships (7)  

 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009

Fiesta Bowl 2010: TCU Vs. Boise State

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Welcome to the BCS Buster Bowl.

No. 3 TCU and No. 6 Boise State will meet in the Fiesta Bowl, marking the first time a BCS game other than the championship game has a matchup of unbeaten teams.

It's also the first time two teams from conferences without automatic bids to the BCS have played in the five big-money bowls in the same season.

Mountain West champion TCU (12-0) earned an automatic bid to break into the BCS for the first time in school history.

Western Athletic Conference champ Boise State (13-0) became the first team from a non-automatic qualifying conference to receive an at-large bid.

"We think it's a matchup that's credible," Fiesta Bowl CEO John Junker said. "If there was a glass ceiling, we think we've taken a chunk out of it."

The Horned Frogs and Broncos played in the Poinsettia Bowl last season. TCU won 17-16 to hand Boise State its only loss of the season.

This time, the so-called little guys will move their tussle to the big stage – and Junker said the Fiesta didn't mind staging a rematch, which he said got a thumbs-up from TV partner Fox.

"We're not the NFL," he said. "There's new players, new stories, new energy. These are two teams that have been atop the rankings all year long, and we're very excited for a chance to match them."
They might want to roll back the roof at Glendale's University of Phoenix Stadium on Jan. 4, because the game should provide plenty of offensive fireworks.
Boise State has the nation's highest-scoring attack, averaging 44.1 points per game. TCU ranks fourth at 40.7 points per game.

For a few hours on Saturday night, it looked as if the Horned Frogs might slip into the BCS title game. No. 3 Texas found itself in a protracted defensive struggle with No. 21 Nebraska in the Big 12 playoff, and a Longhorns loss may have cleared the way for TCU to become the first school from a non-automatic qualifying conference to play for the national title.

But Texas pulled out a 13-12 victory, stunning the Cornhuskers and TCU coach Gary Patterson.
"I had to walk outside. ... I didn't even say anything," Patterson said. "I got up. ... I walked out in my bare feet, walked down the street, it was cold and I didn't even feel it. What else was I going to do. I had the same feeling when Utah scored at the end of the game a year ago (a 13-10 Frogs loss while Utah went on to be BCS buster). You get so close, but yet you're so far away."

It might not have mattered because unbeaten Cincinnati finished ahead of TCU in the final standings anyway.

The Horned Frogs, 12-0 for the first time, will settle for a trip to the desert for their BCS debut.
Patterson told his team it can still play for The Associated Press national championship. It's a long shot, because the Horned Frogs are third in the latest AP Top 25, behind Texas and Alabama, which are meeting in the BCS title game.

"That's what I told them, I said our whole deal is we're going to have to show the nation in this next bowl game that we belong, that we're one of the top two teams in the nation," Patterson said. "You can still win the AP, so that's what our whole goal is within the next month, to try to get ourself against a very good opponent, which is going to be hard to do anyway because they're a very good opponent."
TCU chews up 265.5 yards rushing, fifth nationally. Quarterback Andy Dalton ranks fourth nationally in passing efficiency, with 22 TDs and only five interceptions in 279 pass attempts.
Boise State players, parents and fans gathered in the new press box at Bronco Stadium to watch the bowl selection show.

The crowd erupted when the pairing was announced. But moments later, the crowd reacted with much less enthusiasm when TCU was announced as the Broncos' foe. Bronco fans had been hoping for a matchup with a Big Ten team like Iowa or Penn State.

Boise State coach Chris Petersen said he wasn't disappointed to face the Frogs.
"We got what we wanted," Petersen said. "We're playing a great opponent. With tough opponents there is great opportunity.

"I just think there is so much respect out there for TCU," Petersen said. "People say they should be playing in the national championship game. Maybe they should. I think that just adds to the excitement for us."

The Broncos will make their second Fiesta Bowl appearance in four years. Most fans distinctly recall their first trip.

In January 2007, the eighth-ranked Broncos used a passel of trick plays to stun 10th-ranked Oklahoma in a game still regarded as one of the great bowls in college football history. Afterward, tailback Ian Johnson proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend, giving the Fiesta Bowl an indelible image of the underdog-as-conqueror.
The Broncos are led by quarterback Kellen Moore, the nation's top-rated passer.
____
Associated Press Writer Todd Dvorak in Boise, Idaho, and AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins in Fort Worth contributed to this report.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/06/fiesta-bowl-2009-tcu-vs-b_n_382030.html

http://www.broncosports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=48553&SPID=4061&DB_OEM_ID=9900&ATCLID=204845132

BCS Remains Broken with Three Unbeatens Left

By David Mayo | The Grand Rapids Press

December 07, 2009, 8:00AM

 
AP PhotoHunter Lawrence hit the game-winning field goal to send Texas into the BCS national championship game.

On the occasion of another system-induced quandary, we address three topics on college football's front burner -- the Bowl Championship Series results, Michigan State's bowl berth, and the Heisman Trophy:

The last-second field goal that sent Texas to the national championship game against Alabama sent conspiracy theorists to work, too, not all of them from outside the system.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini went ballistic after his defense's courageous work was unraveled by the kick that made Texas a 13-12 winner in the Big 12 championship Saturday night, and which Pelini insisted should not have happened.

Pelini went into a tirade immediately after the result became final, motioning angrily at reporters and saying the reason the Longhorns got their last-ditch opportunity at victory was "the BCS -- the (bleep) BCS."

As you probably know, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy languidly threw an incomplete pass out of bounds -- with a timeout still at the Longhorns' disposal -- on the play before the field goal.

The clock hit :00.

It was clear, both during the live play and upon review, that the timekeeper had a ponderous finger and at least one second should have been preserved.

That's exactly what officials ruled, waving jubilant Nebraska players back to the sideline and allowing Hunter Lawrence to kick a 46-yard field goal and put the Longhorns in the Jan. 7 championship game.

However, Pelini's point is well-taken, regardless whether the clock ruling was accurate or not.


The BCS remains a caste system, as evidenced by the two historic monoliths being selected for the championship game over three other unbeatens -- Cincinnati, Texas Christian and Boise State.

Now, for the first time, an on-the-field ruling has created at least some suspicion that unseen powers could bear responsibility for gerrymandering results for maximum visibility.

If Lawrence had missed that field goal -- or not been allowed to attempt it -- Cincinnati would have played Alabama for the national championship.

Pelini's unspoken suggestion was that college football's Big Brother wanted nothing to do with that, so in a circumstance under which the game could have been declared over, his team lost a conference championship in favor of a more desirable national championship pairing.

The BCS is the most broken, sadistic, insulting championship system in major American sports.

Never was that clearer than now.

And never were the negative ramifications of the faulty system clearer than in Pelini's unspoken suggestion of unfairness -- and the wincing thought that he might be on to something.

So Texas plays for the national title, with its own state title undecided. TCU is awfully good, after all.

2006 Rose Bowl Victory Texas Longhorns over the USC Trojans 41-38

http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/12/bcs_remains_broken_with_three.html