The "New" NCAA Tourney

While watching North Carolina destroy Michigan State in the Championship Game on Monday night, I started thinking about how awesome the NCAA basketball tournament is.  65 teams get a shot at a National Title… 65 teams that is crazy?  That is a few too many in my opinion, especially when you figure in that almost half of them are from a Podunk Conference and will get killed by the upper tier teams (no matter if they are in a BCS conference or a "mid-major").  But boy is it fun to watch.  Once the sweet 16 is set, the games are all down to the wire.  I love it… too bad I cannot join my two favorite things… college football and the NCAA Tournament.

What is so damn hard about doing the same tournament for football?  I have heard the complaints about fans traveling, and how to schedule it, and many other issues.  It is all bunk to me.  The NCAA does it with Division II.  They play their National Championship game in Florence AL, of all places.  I am not saying that the NCAA Division I Championship should be played in Brawly Stadium, but if Div II can get it done.  The powers that be should MAKE Div I get it done.  This is a travesty.

No matter how it is laid out, some team is going to be the odd team out, and that is understandable.  But at least it gives 16 teams a shot to play for it.  Did you catch that… play for it!  It is not some old sports writer, retired coach, or even a current coach, that gets to say who is playing in the National Championship Game… it is the teams themselves.  All other NCAA sports decide their champions this way, why can’t the big boys?

If you say it is about overall money, I am going to laugh at you.  I will look directly at you and laugh in your face.  If you think that the NCAA Basketball Tournament makes money, you have seen nothing like the cash that a NCAA Football Tournament would bring in.  The television rights alone would be staggering.  Think how dominate CBS Sports would be with the March Madness, The Masters, and a NCAA Football Championship.  Wow, that would be huge.  Ticket sales would be ridiculous, and any city that the game was held in would be like that city hitting the lottery.  I would even be okay if the National Championship Game was moved around like it is for the Basketball Tourney. 

While not being about overall money, it is about some powerhouse school like USC or Michigan not getting into the tourney and a smaller school like Utah or Boise State getting in and it taking their money… I mean… spot.  I can see it now USC not making the NCAA Tournament and Utah getting in, Coach Carroll on the steps of the Capital proclaiming "This is a travesty!!  Let’s go back to the 32 Bowl Games so everyone can make money.  Damn a true national champion! USC is losing out on a million dollar payday."  

I have also heard it is too hard on the players.  What?  Too hard?  This is football… these kids are supposed to be in the best shape of their lives.  They are the best of the best.  If the players from the University of North Alabama can do it, I am sure that the players from LSU can as well.  What about their school work?  We all know the answer to that, but to humor you I will say, it would not be any harder than what a basketball player has to deal with during a regular season.  Away football games are played on weekends.  In basketball, there are just as many games during the week as weekends.  Suck it up boys, study and get it done. 

Listen folks, change is a pain in the rear, most people fear the unknown.  I know that I would fear it as well, if it could possibly take millions of dollars out of my schools pocket.  The presidents of the schools have to realize that it needs to happen.  It is the right thing to do for college football.  I think that eventually it will happen, and when it does… I bet we will hear, "We should have done this years ago, why did we wait so long."

I am off of the soap box; I will relinquish it back to WEA now.

War Damn Playoff!!