Why can't NCAA football have a playoff similar to the one used for basketball's 'March Madness'?
346769
JMich hit the nail on the head, the BCS conferences and the schools in them are making a boat load of money in the current system and don't want to give it up.
735688
Without a doubt! This year screams for a playoff system. You have no less than six teams who could win it all. Keep the bowl system and make the BCS bowls a playoff. Two many teams are gonna get shafted this year with only two teams having the chance to win it all. I for one would love to see OSU, Mich, USC, Notre Dame, Florida, and maybe Ark, ACC winner, or Big 12 winner actually have to win a couple of games in the "postseason" to EARN  a championship in NCAA football. To tell the fans that only two teams are worthy of the championship when there are over 100 div 1 football teams is crazy. March Madness needs to to be brought to DEC/JAN in the form of a six or eight team playoff system.
25100
Because the Rose Bowl is in a rotation to get the national championship game every four years. This is their year and no team from the big 10 qualified to be in the national championship game.
218226
Simple. A new conference was formed no more than 10 years ago. This made the automatic bid number jump from 33 to 34. They decided to keep this and number have a play-in. In a way, this game doesn't even matter, since they are playing for a number 16 seed. The number 16 has never beat a #1 in the history of the tournament. They let the play-in game happen just to give more schools a chance, drawling larger national attention. And keeping more dreams alive.
68035
I think it would allow smaller teams to have a much better shot a winning bigger games than the bcs. and it would have the national championship game with he only two undefeted teams (if there are any)
778912
Wow...its funny how were completely diff (and have rivalries) in basically every sport.  \n\nUK - college bball\nSEC teams - college football\nDallas Cowboys - NFL\nHouston Astros - MLB\n76ers - NBA\n\nNow im not much into college football b/c the BCS is the most atrocious thing in sports, I just route for the SEC in general b/c they get f***ed over every year while the Pac-10/Big12 get praised for being in a bad conference.  If it went to a playoff id love it much more and then teams in tougher conferences (SEC/Big10) would enjoy alot more success.  I dont watch much NBA b/c they play absolutely no defense, but I love Iverson so I route for the Sixers.  \n\nWe have a few rivalries going....especially Duke/UK and Cowboys/Redskins.....long live rivalries!!!
657878
Yes, absolutely. It would end the controversy over who is the champion each year. College football is the only NCAA sport that doesn't have such a championship. There might be some conflict with the Bowls but I am sure that could be worked out. Certainly, sportscasters are keen to see it happen so I think it will eventually.
225693
All good answers!! Why would you want the two best teams playing each other right away?? \n\nDo you ever watch Football playoffs? Basketball Playoffs?\nAny playoffs? Its always been like that!!!\n\nWhy would they give the worst team an easier chance to get to the final four. They don't deserve it.*
834067
Under the current BCS system, it certainly appears USC is on their way for the title. Since the season started with the BCS system, I wouldn't change it now. #1 and #2 should play to determine who the champion is.\n\nThat said, some conferences are weaker than others. The SEC is such a tough and competitive conference, nearly anyone is able to compete with a ranked team. Just look at UGA, Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee, etc that were all ranked in the top 10 to fall to another SEC team. I personally favor a playoff system where any undefeated team and each of the conference champions enter into a win/lose bracket. That way it is "put up or shut up" time and no more controversy about which conferences tend to be more favored.
119868
NBA are more exciting games because it is played at a higher level with greater athletes. \n\n     But March Madness is more exciting than the NBA Playoffs. In NBA its best of 7. \n\n     But in March Madness every game counts. You have one shot. You cant fall and get back up and make up for it. There is more upsets. Its all how you try in that one game. \n\n      In NBA PLayoffs if the Knicks beat the Pistons the Pistons would blow them out the next 4 games. \n  \n       It would be so cool if it was single elimination in the NBA.
363468
NO WAY.\n\nWhat people fail to understand is that the NFL is the standard for football, not the college game.  Sudden Death overtime is a great innovation that continues to nod towards the ramped up difficulty of the pro game.\n\nThe thing that could change is the WAY the team is chosen who gets to get the ball first.  Some feel a coin flip is too arbitrary.  How about this: take one thing from the otherwise terrible XFL...take the way they did the coin toss, called a "scramble."  Basically, they had two roughnecks to line up side-by-side 15 yards away from a ball placed at midfield.  They raced each other to the ball and whomever gained possession of it first, won possession for his team.\n\nPerhaps change the 15 to 10 and do it this way, or 5 and do it head-to-head.  Like an NFL version of a jump ball.  But other than that, KEEP SUDDEN DEATH!!!
806631
First of all, I am a Maize and Blue fan through and through. Secondly I am not in favor of rematches in college football. Especially when it is Michigan-OhioState. This is the greatest rivalry in college sports and playing once a year is part of the charm . That being said however, the BCS is designed to match the two best teams in college football against each other in the National Championship game. And right now, til one of the schools with one loss who are still playing steps up and wins out and impresses the pollsters enough to vault ahead of Michigan, my beloved Wolverines are #2. It may be a flawed system that calls for a rematch but right now, it is the only one we have. and if that happens, so be it. Bring on the Buckeyes....Go Blue!
188075
This *is* the best time of year: "March Madness" speaks for itself, the new baseball season is on the horizon, and it's almost spring!\n\nThe NCAA tournament is better than the professional sports playoffs because you truly never have a clue who's going to win, and the first weekend of the tournament produces some very cool upsets and almost always a buzzer-beater. MLB Playoffs and NFL Playoffs are comparable in excitement level. The NBA Playoffs take too bloody long. \n\nCollege football's bowl season should be a playoff instead, with 32 teams (conference champions and remaining Top 25 teams) playing a 5-week tournament. The BCS is and always has been a joke, and only the national championship game really matters now. Why not have a playoff so that every "bowl" team really has a reason to be there?
794546
Because the system is not set up for that game.\nMoney, money, money.\nNo one cares about Boise St.\nOhio St would destroy Boise, they would lose a lot of ad revenue from the middle of the first quarter on.\nBoise St plays in a very weak conference, and lacked the big name out-of-conference opponents (and they always will).\nIf there were a playoff system, Boise St would have the opportunity to play for the National Title, but that won't happen any time this century.\nEtc, etc, etc.
721999
more interactive programs between fans and players. Change the style of play a bit, by forcing the players to actually play some more defense and make the game more exciting to watch (college ball is kicking nba's ass right now).
744083
In response to the one comment already made, it wouldn't be impossible to have a 16 team playoff.  Division I-AA and the other ones all use a 16 team playoff to decide a champion.  The only changes that would need to be made would probably be a cut in the number of games (no more 12 game seasons) and the elimination of conference championship games.  The main reason is that bowl revenue is a huge chunk of cash that would be gone if they went to a playoff system.\n\nAlso, in response to the poster of the question: I-AAA doesn't have a playoff system in place because I-AAA is the classification for non-football playing Division I teams.
696477
Almost, if not all, of the bowls are created with conference tie-ins, meaning that two conferences are, unless circumstances arise, going to send a representative to that bowl.  The circumstances can range from a conference not having enough teams bowl-eligible to put one in there to one of their teams playing in the national championship game and losing one of their other bids.  But the matchups are determined by how each conference's standings are at the end of the year.  For example, before the BCS madness was created, the Rose Bowl always had the Pac-10 champion vs the Big 10 champion.  If you go to espn.com, they have a bowl schedule there that, if I remember correctly, has the tie-ins on the page.  It might help you out.