Click here to subscribe today or Login.
After six months of preparation, big-time college football has never been more exciting.
In my opinion, nothing comes close to the excitement of autumn Saturdays watching two teams play their hearts out, leaving everything on the field — especially in November when undefeated teams seem to be closing in on a title only to find themselves defeated by an underdog rival.
The college bowl system of the 70s and 80s is long gone. The special atmosphere of playing at night in Miami’s Orange Bowl or the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena seemed like a religion on New Year’s Day.
Then came controversy when the final Associated Press poll came out to determine the “mythical” national champion. You see, because of conference tie-ins and the early commit date for some bowls, it was a rare occasion for the top two teams to play each other on the field.
The cure-all was supposed to be the BCS. But as we all know, the Bowl Championship Series was not a championship series at all. It was a combination of rankings and computer models to somehow take into account strength-of-schedule, won-loss records and “style points.”
That history brings us to today’s college football playoff. Traditional bowl games no longer matter. The top four teams play it out on the field and then determined the national champion. Everybody is now happy. Except the teams that are ranked fifth, sixth or seventh during the final CFP rankings.
I would propose the pre-BCS and pre-CFP system and use the final Associated Press rankings and original conference tie-ins to the prospective major bowls. After the New Year’s Day bowl games are played, do a final Associated Press rankings and then have one more game between Nos. 1 and 2.
Conclusion. The traditional bowls still matter. College players, parents, alumni and fans will not be making two or three costly trips all over the country to support their team. And in the final analysis after 12 or 13 games, including a conference championship, major bowl game and Associated Press final ranking, there is a 95 percent chance that the two best teams will be playing each other on the field.
Oops, I may have left out the key ingredient why my system will never happen — money.
John Minetola
Luzerne