They said it.

[c_ponder]

"The regular season is the main course, not some overpriced appetizer. There still might be a tidier way to settle the championship issue on the field, but don't let it come at the expense of the 12-game meat of the schedule. Want a playoff? It's taking place right now." — Jeff Shain, Miami Herald, October 3, 2008

"The part of the sport to savor is not the finale but the regular season. In college football, every game has the fierce urgency of now. The uncertainty of what lies at the end makes the 12-game gantlet all the more nerve-wracking." — Ben Curtis, New York Times, November 22, 2008

The BCS provides a "common-sense solution for a seemingly intractable problem that plagued the country for decades." — Curtis, ibid

"The decision makers for postseason college football have to consider much more than the entertainment aspect of the sport, and in weighing all the factors carefully and repeatedly, we have concluded that the format we currently enjoy is best." — Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, to Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times, November 20, 2008

"I think college football has the most exciting regular season of any sport because there is not a playoff system. The whole season is a playoff system." — Georgia Coach Mark Richt.

"The overriding point playoff supporters miss is that a playoff changes everything. There's nothing neat and tidy about an eight-team playoff. If you take the six big conference winners and use some sort of formula or committee similar to the NCAA basketball tournaments to select the two at-large spots, how does that work? Does the team perceived to be the best of the (non-automatic qualifying) schools automatically get a selection? If so, that leaves only one at-large berth to a runner-up. If Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma all finished the season with one defeat, how would that choice be made? And how do you compare those teams to a one-loss Alabama? To avoid these kinds of questions, you have to go to a 16-team tournament and at that point, the regular season has lost its unique quality. If that many teams are postseason bound, then you completely alter the emotions that spilled out of Texas and Texas Tech fans in the final dramatic plays late Saturday night. College football is different from every other sport in that it doesn't always provide a bow on a neatly tied package at the end of the year. I will gladly sacrifice that in order to maintain the integrity of autumn Saturday afternoons and nights. Those are nothing less than the best days in sport." — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, November 7, 2008

"Those who long for a college football playoff system need to understand, thanks to the BCS, there already is one. It's called the regular season." Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, November 6, 2008

"You want college football to adopt March Madness? It already has three delightful months of it — every game counts, every play counts, the most important regular season in sports." — Plaschke, ibid

"Even those longtime BCS critics like myself have to finally admit that the imperfect system has perfectly transformed the sport from a Saturday afternoon cookout to a national obsession." — Plaschke, ibid

"But here's the thing: since college football adopted the BCS as a convoluted, inexplicable method of staging a national championship game, the sport has never been more successful." — Ivan Maisel, ESPN.com, May 2008

"This amazing season does not prove, once and for all, the crying need for a playoff system, as some have argued. It's exactly the opposite. This season is proof that a playoff would only muck up something that works, albeit works chaotically. In college football, the known is the unknown. That's what makes it unique." — Rick Morrissey, Chicago Tribune, Dec. 5, 2007

"There is no regular season that delivers like college football. In movie parlance, it's an unpredictable two-hour thrill ride. Amid all the fun, we have people yelling that the sport has to change. It needs a playoff system. Why? So the casual fans who are confused by the BCS and the angry columnists who write about college football three times a year can get finality. So the next time someone complains about a 'BCS mess' or you hear the inane 'the BCS shouldn't have a 'C' in it' comment, roll your eyes, shake your head and smile. You know better." — Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune, Dec. 1, 2007

[stumpjumper]

Idiots.

[SacFalcFan]

they are pure idiots.. it's idiots like roy kramer who claimed the pathetic bcs system we have is good because it gets fans to get upset and talk about college football.. stupid.

[cjc626]

Do they realize how far they've distanced themselves from the voice of the common fan?

[stumpjumper]

They want people to email them exposing their idiotcy I think.

[Xnex]

Do they realize how far they've distanced themselves from the voice of the common fan?

The more salient ($2 word) question is........... do they even care?

[Falconsfan567]

Idiots. Just complete idiots.

[nab2420]

I just don't get it. Why does it have to be 8 teams. I always hear it has to be 8 teams makes no sense to me. Take the top 4 teams that have won their conference make 2 BCS bowls into play in games for the NCG. Then you would have a logical National champion and still have the playoff style atmosphere of the regular season.

Take last year for example. The top 10 teams were.

Ohio State

LSU

Virginia Tech

Oklahoma

Georgia

Missouri

USC

Kansas

West Virginia

Hawaii

So the top 4 teams all won their conference. Put Ohio state vs. Oklahoma in the fiesta bowl, and LSU vs. Virginia Tech in the sugar bowl. The winners each play in the NCG.

[Gritzblitz 2.0]

I hate this argument. Does having a playoff in the NFL make it's regular season less important? Do less people watch NFL regular season games because there is a playoff?

If you have an 8 team playoff consisting of all of the conference champions, it would not take anything from the regular season.

[c_ponder]

Well there was a poll done by the new york times a few months ago and only 16% of fans oppose a college playoff. So maybe in the future probably after 2010 there will be something done to please the majority of fans that want a playoff.. Although we may see a plus one scenario before 2010. I just think that the fans are not being thought about really, its all about the presidents of the colleges and conference commish's just not wanting to give up the dollars or spread it around.

[c_ponder]

I hate this argument. Does having a playoff in the NFL make it's regular season less important? Do less people watch NFL regular season games because there is a playoff?

If you have an 8 team playoff consisting of all of the conference champions, it would not take anything from the regular season.

Six bcs conference champs and two at large right? Even then there will be howling and screaming and gale force winds from all the crying and whining about the teams that did not get in. Either way there will always be teams that feel cheated..

[Gritzblitz 2.0]

Six bcs conference champs and two at large right? Even then there will be howling and screaming and gale force winds from all the crying and whining about the teams that did not get in. Either way there will always be teams that feel cheated..

The line has to be drawn somewhere. A 16 team playoff would never happen. Even if it did, those on the bubble who didn't get in would still be crying. But I would rather have that than a team who is playing the best football of any team not getting a chance at a championship.

And it wouldn't de-value the regular season. Conference championships would be even more important.

[c_ponder]

The line has to be drawn somewhere. A 16 team playoff would never happen. Even if it did, those on the bubble who didn't get in would still be crying. But I would rather have that than a team who is playing the best football of any team not getting a chance at a championship.

And it wouldn't de-value the regular season. Conference championships would be even more important.

Thats true the line should be drawn. I dont ever see a 16 team playoff either, but the more i think about the 8 team scenario i am starting to like it more. I have been for the plus 1 which i think would be the first step toward a 8 team playoff. We will still have to wait according to the bcs commish's untill 2014.

[SacFalcFan]

Well there was a poll done by the new york times a few months ago and only 16% of fans oppose a college playoff. So maybe in the future probably after 2010 there will be something done to please the majority of fans that want a playoff.. Although we may see a plus one scenario before 2010. I just think that the fans are not being thought about really, its all about the presidents of the colleges and conference commish's just not wanting to give up the dollars or spread it around.

remember the fans wanted something like the bcs for years and the presidents didn't give a care about it, until they found a way to make some bigtime money and then the decided to do it.. the same with the playoff.. once they figure out how to maximize profits they will do it.. it's never about the fans nor the players.. remember when they said no to a playoff because they used the "these athletes have a hard enough time and you can't add more games for them to play." and then they add a 12th game showing the true idoicy of their comments.. bottom line is about $$$.