Gee open to plus-one system
This is a far cry from a Dec. 13th quote from Dr. Gee stating “They’ll have to wrench a playoff system from my cold, dead hands.”
A plus-one system is not in the interests of College Football (would it have been LSU versus Georgia or USC versus LSU). Is it fair to ask student-athletes to play another game? The bowl experience is far more than just a playoff game. It allows more fans to visit the hosting city and feel like they are a part of the experience.
We here at OHD say bah to a plus-one format. In fact, I would make the argument for a return to the old bowl system (The BCS is the farthest University Presidents should be willing to go)
All the silly plus-one idea does for me is openly admit that the current system has major issues and it was wrong to think we can definitively boil down college football to an easy #1 and an easy #2. That said, the +1 thing is probably inevitable, and its inherent silliness is not being made apparent even when you have the likes of Herbie saying it’s a “fair compromise”. Of course, what is the anatomy of a “compromise” then but a tacit admission that there’s a major problem in the current system?
But even terms of face validity here, how often would a +1 system really be appropriate? There were cries for it this year with OSU, LSU, Georgia and USC in the running and in 2004 with USC, Auburn and Oklahoma. But let’s take a closer look at the end-of-the-regular-season records to say, at face validity, who belonged playing in a national title game:
2006: Ohio State 12-0, Florida 12-1, Michigan 11-1 (lost to Ohio State), Louisville 11-1
2005: USC 12-0, Texas 12-0, Penn St 11-1, WVU 11-1.
2004: USC 12-0, Oklahoma 12-0, Auburn 12-0, Utah 12-0
2003: USC 11-1, LSU 12-1, Oklahoma 12-1, FSU 10-2, Michigan 10-2
2002: Ohio State 13-0, Miami FL 12-0, Georgia 12-1, Iowa 11-1, Oklahoma 11-2
2001: Miami FL 11-0, Oregon 10-1, Nebraska 11-1, Florida 9-2, Tennessee 10-2
2000: Oklahoma 12-0, Miami 10-1, Florida State 11-1, Va Tech 10-1
1999: Florida State 11-0, Nebraska 11-1, Va Tech 11-0, Michigan 9-2, Michigan State 9-2, Alabama 10-2, Wisconsin 9-2
1998: Tennessee 12-0, Florida State 11-1, Ohio State 10-1, Florida 9-2, Wisconsin 10-1, Arizona 11-1
All things considered, how often could we faithfully say a +1 semifinal-type tournament would be legitimate in sorting out a national champion? I identify 2007, 2006 and 2004 — a face validity of 30 percent, which is not very rigorous. So what about the other years? We argue for Auburn in the case of 2004 and Miami FL in the case of 2000 because they were the third wheel in the BCS Title Game biped, but, again, that misses the point of the problem of +1 every bit as much as the playoff idea misses the point on a larger scale. Making the system fair for the third team is not the only thing at stake here: it has to be fair for all who would qualify as #4. And then, at what point, do we reward backdoors for your 1998 Ohio States and your 2003 Michigans and 2003 Florida States? If we say they’re no. 4, why should we give them the opportunity to become no. 1?
The current BCS systems is actually a +1 format. What everyone wants next is +1 more, or a +2 system. Let’s just call it the +N formula (number of teams is 2^Nth power). A +3 system would be an 8 team play-off. Regardless, I don’t like the idea of playing more games. In fact, I’d support the proposition of a shorter, for humanitarian reasons (naturally, I’m not getting any of the millions$).
I will side with Vico in: a) Opposing a playoff system, and b) acknowledging flaws in the BCS system. I will also side with Max in proposing a return to the “traditional” bowl system.
Honestly, a +(another)1 system as a “compromise” is a guaranteed failure. Compromises aren’t solutions to problems, they are problems unto themselves. To actually solve a problem, you must: a) unambiguously state/quantify the problem. b) Create a set of requirements that must be achieved to solve the problems. and c) Design a verifiable system that quantitatively meets the requirements. Honestly, who’s gonna do that? and how they gonna do it?
If anyone is truly serious about always crowning a National Champion on the playing field, then the entirety of college football must be redesigned to support that goal. Of course, I oppose that. With this in mind, it’s easy for me to accept a “throwback” to the old bowl system, and let the media/pundits select a national champion away from the field, after the season is over. The BCS, as a compromise to a play-off, is flawed. Even a +4, +8, +16, +32 team play-off, after an entire season of conference play, is a compromise. I am willing to live with the BCS “compromise” solution, as long as it doesn’t grow (this is my compromise).
I would propose that any +N additions to the season would REQUIRE that all Div 1A teams DROP a corresponding game from their schedule, to lessen the risk to the players. I also think that all teams should incorporate at least 2 BYE weeks in their regular season.
Unfortunately, though, it really is all about the money, and there’s no shortage of young men.
I can comment too!
Anyways, surely you people jest when you think statistics, science and measurement are actively being considered as integral to the problem solving situation in college football? I’d be just as impressed to see your national media college football pundits spell “measurement problem” without a Q, let alone actually comprehend what it means to the playoff idea.
Anywho, I know Vico is working on some magnum opus on this, so I won’t steal too much of his thunder, but here’s what I see as going on with the playoff idea:
A) the system has to be fair, because obviously by not being the BCS, a playoff is automatically fair.
B) the system has to be objective, because the current system is not, so automatically putting together a haphazard single elimination tournament and saying the teams “will be settling on the field” is objective, regardless of how subjectively we put those teams in there in the first place.
C) the system has to be dicked with on each and every whim, because, well… sports writers are kinda used to doing that.
And the world keeps on spinnin’…