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The Dagger

Thu Jan 01, 2009 1:06 pm EST

What if college basketball was stuck with the BCS?

By Chris Chase

Merry New Year! At 4:30 p.m. ET, The Rose Bowl kicks off the annual NCAA money-grab Bowl Championship Series, a set of five games designed to maximize profits determine a national championship like Illinois awards Senate seats in an orderly, fair manner.

Thankfully, college basketball deals not with such nonsense. But what if it did? What if university presidents made up phony excuses about missed class and travel difficulties (excuses that only are deemed relevant when discussing college football playoffs) and forced the NCAA to get rid of its symmetrically beautiful brackets in favor of five games spread out over six days.

At this early juncture of the season, here's how a college basketball BCS might look. We followed the arbitrary rules of the system -- conference tie-ins, no more than two teams per conference, two at-large bids, try to get Notre Dame into a game at all costs, etc. So, as you settle in on your couch for an afternoon of football, searching for Advil and trying to remember where you left your cell phone last night, take comfort in the fact that college basketball fans don't have to worry about stuff like this.

Orange Bowl (ACC vs. Big East): Duke vs. Connecticut

With some of the dog matchups the Orange Bowl has had in recent years (Wake Forest-Louisville, Virginia Tech-Kansas, Virginia Tech-Cincinnati), the guys in the orange blazers would be begging for such an intriguing game between two of the nation's best programs. And for fans who were expecting a football game, they could enjoy watching "Greg Paulus run Coach K's offense like a quarterback." (Copyright, Dick Vitale, 2006.) And in case you were wondering what the logic was behind selecting Connecticut over the Georgetown team that just beat them, shame on you. Logic has no place in the BCS!

Sugar Bowl (SEC vs. at-large): Tennessee vs. Oklahoma

The SEC has no problems filling BCS berths in football, but that might prove challenging in basketball. The conference has just one ranked team (Tennessee at No. 14) and, even more remarkably, just one more team receiving votes (Florida). Oklahoma would fill the first at-large spot, even after its loss to Arkansas.

Rose Bowl (Big Ten vs. Pac 10): Michigan State vs. UCLA

The two premiere programs from the Big Ten and Pac 10 would make for a perfect Rose Bowl match-up.

Fiesta Bowl (Big 12 vs. at-large): Texas vs. Butler

Texas gets the upper-hand on Oklahoma this time, earning the Big 12 berth in our faux BCS. For the final at-large berth, teams like Wake Forest, Georgetown, Syracuse and Notre Dame weren't eligible because our the rule restricting two bids per conference. That left Purdue, Gonzaga, Arizona State and Butler. The Bulldogs ended up getting the nod because of their gaudy RPI rating (No. 2).

BCS Championship: North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh

What would the BCS be without a little controversy? UNC would doubtlessly be the No. 1 seed in any rankings, but who would they play in the title game? Pitt, Oklahoma, Texas, Duke, Wake Forest and Georgetown could all lay claim to the berth. Instead of settling the matter on the court, the BCS would solve the problem by deciding it with a vast array of computers and mathematical formulas, just as James Naismith intended. Despite the fact that they haven't really played anybody, Pittsburgh would probably be paired up with Carolina due to the team's No. 3 ranking in both polls and its curious No. 1 placement in the RPI.

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26 Comments

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  1. Tom O.
    1. Posted by Tom O. Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:14 pm EDT

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    Great article. I'm glad college basketball does not have Bowls, but thanks for putting Butler as an at-large and recognizing that the currently hold the #2 spot in RPI.
    Go Dawgs!
  2. Alex S
    2. Posted by Alex S Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:05 pm EDT

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    I agree, football needs a playoff.
  3. Mk
    3. Posted by Mk Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:23 pm EDT

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    Butler is a solid team, but the RPI should be completely disregarded. I'll agree that things "settle" as the season rolls along, but it's silly that Oklahoma is ahead of UNC at this point. That makes ZERO sense.
  4. Chris M
    4. Posted by Chris M Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:00 pm EDT

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    What a wonderful article to help highlight the absurdities of the current BS...or should I say BCS system in college football.
  5. abu_asmar
    5. Posted by abu_asmar Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:44 pm EDT

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    college football need playoffs, bowl games sucks
  6. ShagOnSports
    6. Posted by ShagOnSports Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:15 pm EDT

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    Bowl games are great... I love watching these games... Today has been a great day for football.. What people fail to understand about the bowl games is the economic impact these games have on these cities... That is why you will not see a playoff any time soon...
  7. tim
    7. Posted by tim Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:11 pm EDT

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    ShagOnSports: Are you really arguing that the universities will not do a playoff because a bowl game brings a CITY economic benefits? That is nonsense. The university has to be thinking profit first. That doesn't mean bring a city economic benefits, it means bringing the university profits and exposure.
    Personally, if I'm the dean of Notre Dame, I could care less if San Francisco is holding a bowl. But implement a playoff system where the team with the best record gets home field? That would bring the university huge profits from ticket sales and television rights.
  8. Sam P
    8. Posted by Sam P Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:02 pm EDT

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    LOL the intro.
  9. PlanetMars
    9. Posted by PlanetMars Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:25 pm EDT

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    also NCAA tourney games and the Final Four have a huge economic impact on hosting cities, shagonsports. The Final Four are 2nd only to the Super Bowl when it comes to economic impact on the hosting cities.
  10. tmoon
    10. Posted by tmoon Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:12 pm EDT

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    The NCAA Should drop the "C" and just call it "BS"!
  11. lolredwings
    11. Posted by lolredwings Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:56 pm EDT

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    Taking away bowl games will reduce money made for a particular city/entity eh? Ok, then name each match up (whether it be quarter-final, semi-final, etc.) after that bowl game. No one gives a flying carpet about the Meineke Bowl or the Brah-Pack-a Bowl but in this way you could keep traditions flowing. This may interfere with the long season but I've never been a fan of Michigan State playing craptastic schools the first 2-3 weeks (yes, even you ND) so get rid of them, get right into conference play and do this thing. It's also hilarious that football players get a week to prepare for the game and such at any given level - high school, college and professional all do this. Why? It's because most of those players will sit out due to a "broken pinky toe" or some other boo boo and god forbid they play through any pain. Not to mention you get a break between almost EVERY play.
    In fact, just get rid of football. More time for hockey that way.
  12. Matt R
    12. Posted by Matt R Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:48 pm EDT

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    a) i've seen economic studies done on the bowl championships. while the cities do end up benefiting to a certain degree, it is the venues and the bowl organizers that see the biggest economic benefit from the games (which opens the door for why each bowl can give up to $500 in "gifts" to each player of both teams).
    b) universities can't claim to try to do something for profit as a legitimate argument, as the ncaa and universities (at least public ones) are non-profit institutions.
    an 8 game playoff would be easy to accomplish - during the break when there is no school. starting the week after exams for the players (typically mid-december) and going for the subsequent two weeks would put many teams back to focusing on school by the beginning of the spring semester, while not hurting them drastically for exams.
  13. hockeystar61
    13. Posted by hockeystar61 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

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    What we need is an at large week. The 2nd saturday of Dec championship week call it. Take the top 16 teams and play them head to head 1 vs 3 2 vs 4 5 vs 6 7 vs 8 9 vs 10 and so on then u will be down to a sure fire standing for bowl games. I also think get rid of the conf. Affliations with these bowls. Play games that matter matchups that will be watched.
  14. College student
    14. Posted by College student Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:26 pm EDT

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    Sounds good then the next year we could progress to not having a tournment at all.
    Or better still have a semi-pro team represent each college ,wait that is how it is now.
  15. 413
    15. Posted by 413 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:33 pm EDT

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    I agree of a playoff system but for 8 teams at most. But that would bring in The 6 BCS conferences and 2 at large.
    Take away one game away from the season like the FCS schools or the easy game. No need for a warm up game when you have all summer to prepare. This will also show which team has taken the best method of preparing for the season during the first game. That way school cant complain about to many games. Because its not like highschool and the NFL have more the 12 games for a championship ring. If you are going to do 16 teams it should be Lowest vs Highest example 1 vs 16 2 vs 15 and so on. Because 1 vs 3 and 2 vs 4 at the beginning will cause for a horrible championship game. Less ratings. Use the playoffs as the bowl games that way schools can still make money. It does bother me how they talked up the Rose Bowl like its the best bowl this year, well the problem with that is that the only conferences that go is the Pac10 and Big Ten unless one makes it to the Championship. Just give it time and there will be a playoff system. Because when Texas crushes Ohio St there will be more controversy and if OU beats Florida then it will be even worse. And for someone to complain about football taking a week to prepare well your an idiot. It takes a lot of preparation for a game and also playing in a game, a body takes a lot of pounding and the body needs time to heal. Yes I know Hockey takes poundings and they play a couple days later but in my opinion its not as consistant nore as hard as it is in football.
  16. Bobby V '67
    16. Posted by Bobby V '67 Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:31 pm EDT

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    ok Chris baby, how has Pitt not played anyone with an RPI SOS of #11 versus the Heels' SOS of #71??? Seems ol' Chris has this one backwards .......unless he's from the Chapel Hill School of Journalism!
  17. tommy h
    17. Posted by tommy h Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:19 pm EDT

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    how exactly does the rpi work and what is the point of it?
  18. IDGAD
    18. Posted by IDGAD Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:27 pm EDT

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    I think USC should just invite the next best team of any particular year and duke it out in the Coliseum, not Rose Bowl. Call it the Trojan Invitational and be done with it.
  19. Dave
    19. Posted by Dave Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:42 pm EDT

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    N.C. would beat Pitt so bad, or not. All Blair has to do is knock that big white boy on his ass a couple times.
  20. MichealR
    20. Posted by MichealR Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:48 pm EDT

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    What a nightmare that would be. The BCS has already messed up(I would use stronger words but I would like this posted) college football, they would surely do that to basketball as well. Lets hope that the BCS never gets there hands on the NCAA basketball tournament.
  21. Sawyer
    21. Posted by Sawyer Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:06 pm EDT

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    funny how people always knock Big East teams that are high rated saying that they dont play anyone....I'm sorry but Evansville, UNC-Asheville, and Chaminade arent exactly the toughest nails in the box
    Besides...UNC lost (at HOME!) to unranked (yet still good) Boston College; while Pitt, on the other hand, absolutely MANHANDLED Georgetown in the 2nd half....AT GEORGETOWN!!!
    So dont give me this crap about strength of schedule and UNC being undoubtedly #1
    P.s....i will give you the fact that this article was written prior to this past weekend
  22. claudius_maximus_0001
    22. Posted by claudius_maximus_0001 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:26 pm EDT

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    BUTLER?!? Dude, seriously ... they are the Utes of College Baskeball right now ... in the BCS Mid-Major = NO LOVE!
    Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
  23. Douglas M
    23. Posted by Douglas M Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:47 pm EDT

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    An even better example would be what would have been missed over the years if this were the case. All the great runs by teams like George Mason, Valpo, Davidson, Xavier, Gonzaga, Kent St., etc... would have never happend because they would have been closed out of the process. Thank goodness for the NCAA Tourney!
  24. DANIEL W
    24. Posted by DANIEL W Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:50 pm EDT

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    The BCS is crap. Take take the top 16 teams and give them a playoff. More games equal more money. If you use a playoff with no byes, you get 15 games altogether (as opposed to the current 5 BCS bowls) and you play the Championship just as you would the current game. All the other teams not involved in the final sixteen could play the normal schedule of bowl games. I'm sure the home team in the playoff each round wouldn't have much problem convincing their fans to come to one more game. And on top of that, you could still have corporate sponsors for each game. Just a thought.

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