Evaluation

I will be evaluating the BCS, or Bowl Championship Series, system of selection for NCAA football. The system merits evaluation because it has been the center of center of controversy, especially in recent years, with non-BCS teams, such as Boise State, gaining national prominence. The system has had numerous problems since in began in the early 1900’s.

I will evaluate the BCS based on its fairness, ability to insight competition, popularity with the coaches and players, fan popularity, and ability earn profits for the NCAA and teams.

The fairness of the system is probably the most talked about issue when it comes to the BCS. The system is supposed to be a way of including all of the teams in the NCAA in the fight for a national champion while giving teams who have been eliminated from championship contention something to play for. In theory the system would be fair because it includes all of the teams in the NCAA, but in practice, it is not quite so fair. Teams’ positions in the standings are greatly impacted by their strength of schedule, or the quality of the teams they play. Because of this fact, teams who come from weaker leagues, such as Boise State, are hurt because they do not have the opportunity to play tough teams every week. They can finish the season without a loss and not get an opportunity to play in the national championship because their strength of schedule is not good enough.

The BCS system does a good job of breeding competition throughout the season, but does not bring about the end season excitement of the NCAA basketball tournament. In the current system every game matters because a single loss can oust a team from title contention. However, the system fails to bring about the competition at the end of the season because teams’ fates are determined by their past performance and people’s opinions instead of the performance at the end of the season.

Although some people in the NCAA oppose the BCS system, the majority of players and coaches actually like the system. The argument that these groups often cite is that in the current system numerous teams end this season with a bowl win, while a playoff system would end with just one winner. The most common opposition to the system within the NCAA is from teams that end up not getting a birth in a bowl game that they feel the deserve. In Boise State’s case, they finished the season without a loss numerous times, but they missed a spot in the national championship game to a team with one loss.

The BCS system is largely unpopular with fans. Most fans want to see a playoff system because it would create a lot more excitement at the end of season and allow for more upsets. One of the most popular sporting events is the NCAA basketball tournament, which many people believe shows the merit of a tournament system.

The BCS system is very effective in earning profits, but not for all of the teams. The vast majority of the profits go to the major conferences. Other smaller, non-BCS conferences lose a lot of profit to the major conferences. This occurrence makes the disparity between the conferences even greater because it allows teams in the major conferences to spend much more money on facilities and recruiting.