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In my search for links to basic facts that Ming is apparently unaware of, I came across an interesting interview with former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer that makes a lot of the same points I've been making. It's worth a read.
Note that even Kramer's preferred playoff solution, while slightly better than just taking the top four teams or the top four conference champions, wouldn't have necessarily prevented last season's LSU/Alabama rematch. A playoff is no solution to postseason controversy.
Now 10 years removed from his post at the SEC, Kramer has two words for his former colleagues: "Be careful."
"I always believed there would be changes down the road after we started the BCS," said Kramer, who retired in 2002 and was replaced by Mike Slive. "Change is inevitable. But the truth is, your options are more limited than most people think.
"If you say you want to move into another phase, another round [of the BCS], then how do you get there and maintain the regular season? This much everyone can agree on: at the end of the day, protecting the regular season is paramount."
Kramer understands the desire by fans and media to have a more definitive and less controversial ending to the college football season.
"But you have to be very careful in your desire to improve the postseason that you don't hurt what the game is all about," he said. "You can complain about the BCS all you want, but at the end of the day it did what it was intended to do. It increased interest in the game. In the BCS era, college football has gone from a regional sport to a national sport."
Kramer sad his caution is based on what has happened to college basketball.
"My criticism of college basketball is that it has become a one-month sport," he said. "You just can't do that to college football. If you do, you break the foundation of college athletics because football finances everything. The donor programs and all the stuff that people don't want to talk about is built around [regular-season] football. That's just the way it is."
"I always believed there would be changes down the road after we started the BCS," said Kramer, who retired in 2002 and was replaced by Mike Slive. "Change is inevitable. But the truth is, your options are more limited than most people think.
"If you say you want to move into another phase, another round [of the BCS], then how do you get there and maintain the regular season? This much everyone can agree on: at the end of the day, protecting the regular season is paramount."
Kramer understands the desire by fans and media to have a more definitive and less controversial ending to the college football season.
"But you have to be very careful in your desire to improve the postseason that you don't hurt what the game is all about," he said. "You can complain about the BCS all you want, but at the end of the day it did what it was intended to do. It increased interest in the game. In the BCS era, college football has gone from a regional sport to a national sport."
Kramer sad his caution is based on what has happened to college basketball.
"My criticism of college basketball is that it has become a one-month sport," he said. "You just can't do that to college football. If you do, you break the foundation of college athletics because football finances everything. The donor programs and all the stuff that people don't want to talk about is built around [regular-season] football. That's just the way it is."
Note that even Kramer's preferred playoff solution, while slightly better than just taking the top four teams or the top four conference champions, wouldn't have necessarily prevented last season's LSU/Alabama rematch. A playoff is no solution to postseason controversy.
ACK!
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