Scott Pusich says enough with the bowl games, here is your 2009 college football playoff projections if the NCAA decides to get it right.
He says that the August preseason FBS polls bias the eventual results of the BCS, but that the current BCS system is a sorry attempt to cover up the deep and permanent flaws how this sport is ran. So instead he provides the scenario for this year’s eight-team playoff.
Those who haven’t read his articles before can refer to the templates he gave for an FBS playoff (both eight-team and 16-team formats) from last season.
Here is last season’s information to update that article:
2008: Actual pairings (what actually happened)
BCS Championship: (1) Oklahoma (Big 12) vs. (2) Florida (SEC)
Rose Bowl: (5) USC (Pac-10) vs. (8) Penn State (Big “11”)
Fiesta Bowl: (3) Texas (at-large) vs. (10) Ohio State (at-large)
Sugar Bowl: (4) Alabama (at-large) vs. (6) Utah (at-large)
Orange Bowl*: (12) Cincinnati (Big East) vs. (19) Virginia Tech (ACC)
* = At same site as BCS Championship
2008: Quarterfinals (what could have been)
Rose Bowl: (5) USC (Pac-10) vs. (8) Penn State (Big “11”)
Fiesta Bowl: (1) Oklahoma (Big 12) vs. (12) Cincinnati (Big East)
Sugar Bowl: (2) Florida (SEC) vs. (6) Utah* (at-large)
Orange Bowl: (19) Virginia Tech (ACC) vs. (3) Texas (at-large)
“Losers”: (4) Alabama* , (7) Texas Tech, (9) Boise State, (10) Ohio State
* = As loser of conference championship, Alabama is not eligible for eight-team playoff.
And here is this season’s information, fresh off the press:
2009: Actual pairings (what actually happened)
BCS Championship: (1) Alabama (SEC) vs. (2) Texas (Big 12)
Fiesta Bowl: (4) TCU (at-large) vs. (6) Boise State (at-large)
Sugar Bowl: (3) Cincinnati (Big East) vs. (5) Florida (at-large)
Orange Bowl: (9) Georgia Tech (ACC) vs. (10) Iowa (at-large)
Rose Bowl*: (7) Oregon (Pac-10) vs. (8) Ohio State (Big “11”)
* = At same site as BCS Championship
2009: Quarterfinals (what could have been)
Rose Bowl: (7) Oregon (Pac-10) vs. (8) Ohio State (Big “11”)
Fiesta Bowl: (2) Texas (Big 12) vs. (4) TCU (at-large)
Sugar Bowl: (1) Alabama (SEC) vs. (6) Boise State (at-large)
Orange Bowl: (3) Cincinnati (Big East) vs. (9) Georgia Tech (ACC)
“Losers”: (5) Florida*, (10) Iowa
* = As loser of conference championship, Florida is not eligible for eight-team playoff.
As noted in his preview of the 2009 season, the semifinals and final (“Football Final Four”) should take place at a fifth site, preferably a dome, due to the likelihood of poor weather.
Of course, for the right amount of money, the new Cowboys Stadium (in Arlington, TX) could be made the permanent site of a “Football Final Four” in addition to the traditional Cotton Bowl game on Jan. 1 being considered as a “Best of the Rest” matchup for teams that just missed out on the playoff.
This year, for example, Florida and Iowa are the two obvious choices to meet in the Cotton Bowl, since they were the only teams in the Top 10 left out of the playoff. Contrast this with last year, 2008, when there would have been four possible teams considered for the “Best of the Rest.”
Note that under this system, the four bowls named would all take place on the traditional day of Jan. 1 (or Jan. 2 if the 1st falls on a Sunday), and that only the Cotton Bowl, as a “Best of the Rest” matchup, would be allowed to share that day.
The other TWENTY-EIGHT bowl games would have to make do with the other FIFTY-SIX teams, pretty much the same as they do now.