Why do nonBCS schools do nothing

[CJHawkeyes]

to help themselves? Personally, I believe greater access to a BCS bowl is the worst thing that could have happened to these schools from a competitive standpoint. As a result, they, not unlike their BCS counterparts where the title game is concerned, are simply inclined to schedule and play for the unbeaten season and the big payday. It would appear that officials at these schools are no better than those at BCS schools where the almighty dollar trumps all. Playoff or not, how is it that no one at these schools is smart enough to recognize the impact that tranparent objective rules would have on their ability to compete that they would simply settle for relaxed standards for a making a BCS bowl? If these schools ever actually want to contend for a national title, examples like Boise State and Hawaii will do nothing to attract the talent needed to win even in the unlikely event that one these teams plays the required schedule for national consideration.

What are they waiting for? The "inevitable" playoff? Do they expect BCS officials to discover a conscience and implement a format that is in the best interest of competition? Have they simply accepted their second class status in exchange for an increased shot at a large payday? If these schools are not going to challenge the BCS in the courts, why not challenge it on the field? Undermine the system by withdrawing from it. Why continue to take part in a system that you believe is unfair? Create your own series with your own title game and even recognize your own I-A national champion. I wonder, would a BCS school refuse to recognize a national title awarded by a rival series? I assume USC's 2003 AP trophy is on display. How is that different?

Even if withdrawing from the BCS is too much to expect from these schools, they could still do the things I suggested. Have a bowl game serve as a defacto nonBCS title game. Should a nonBCS team make a BCS bowl preventing a 1-2 matchup, award the the nonBCS title to the highest seeded bowl winner. They could even just keep their existing bowl tie-ins and award the title in the same manner. Adopt transparent objective rules to serve as their "formula" making certain that the rules they choose are rules they would like to see apply to everyone. Also recognize a I-A national champion based on those very same rules.

Of course, I have made similar suggestions in the past and most rejected these ideas as doing nothing more that shining a spotlight on nonBCS schools' second class status. Yet, I do not understand how doing nothing makes the obvious less obvious. At a minimum, I'm simply suggesting that nonBCS schools promote themselves by promoting a competing idea. They could give their teams and fans something to compete for beyond a glorified consolation game. Give their "league" a name and make winning it a goal in addition to qualifying for a BCS bowl. Sure, many BCS fans will snicker and continue to regard nonBCS schools as second class, but that doesn't mean nonBCS schools must feel that way about themselves. The AFL didn't start out as the NFL's equal. The best case scenario for nonBCS schools would be for their idea to win in the court of public opinion. How long could BCS schools refuse to implement an idea favored by their own fans? If one idea always produces an arbitrary and controversial result and the competing idea always produces an undisputed result, how can the latter not win out in the end?

The bottom line is that I do not understand why nonBCS schools seem content to do nothing to help themselves out or promote their own in more innovative ways beyond playing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

[FLORIDA HERD FAN]

Non-BCS school presidents are their own worst enemies.

[ZOOMBAG]

They need another Scott Cowen, forcing the BCS before Congressional oversight, and intensifying the media glare ever more and more. And we need another serious offer from a third party to host a playoff that will put another formal backing on a playoff to show these idiot Presidents just UNSUCCESSFUL their BCS system really is.

Again, anyone leaving as much a 5X the current amount of money simply sitting on the table are complete egomaniacal fools. But then college Presidents are usually clueless fools by definition.

[GatorGrad]

Presidents are usually clueless fools by definition.

Really?

[GatorGrad]

And we need another serious offer from a third party to host a playoff that will put another formal backing on a playoff to show these idiot Presidents just UNSUCCESSFUL their BCS system really is.

That won't show "idiot presidents" as you call them how unsuccessful the BCS is. Ratings are up, sponsors keep sponsoring, TV Networks keep buying, and fans keep buying the tickets. From a business perspective, the BCS has been a huge success for BCS Conference and schools. These conferences make a lot of money sending over half of their schools to bowl games and keeping most of the revenue to themselves without having to share it with nonBCS schools. Such a setup wouldn't happen in a true 16-team NCAA Championship...BCS Conferences would be lucky to get two teams into such a setup, and the revenue would be split among all 11 conferences.

[ZOOMBAG]

That won't show "idiot presidents" as you call them how unsuccessful the BCS is. Ratings are up, sponsors keep sponsoring, TV Networks keep buying, and fans keep buying the tickets. From a business perspective, the BCS has been a huge success for BCS Conference and schools. These conferences make a lot of money sending over half of their schools to bowl games and keeping most of the revenue to themselves without having to share it with nonBCS schools. Such a setup wouldn't happen in a true 16-team NCAA Championship...BCS Conferences would be lucky to get two teams into such a setup, and the revenue would be split among all 11 conferences.

No matter what the ratings, what the attendance, anyone that leaves half a billion a year simply laying on the table is an ego maniacal fool. That is NOT a business success, it is blind foolishness. It's like having a great product that sells IN SPITE of it's maker's idiocy at running a business.

[ZOOMBAG]

The NCAA Bball tournament is a prime example of the kind of revenue a playoff can make. A much LESS popular sport actually has a BIGGER network contract than the BCS. The revenue is spilt evenly between all 33 conferences, one revenue point per school per game played, and they STILL get as much money as they get from football.

And the TV money is actually UNDER valued by at least 30% for football. The college pinheads, simply can't negotiate themselves out of a bowl of soup. They don't have 10% the business savvy of the NFL owners.

[GatorGrad]

Zoom - Who right now is offering money for a playoff that would guarantee that each BCS school would make more money when split evenly among all 11 conferences than they currently do under the BCS structure where most of the revenue is split among just 6 of the conferences?

[GatorGrad]

So let's review...according to Zoomie, college presidents:

1) are fools
2) are pinheads
3) can't negotiate themselves out of a bowl of soup
4) don't have business savy
5) are complete egomaniacal fools
6) are idiots
7) are clueless fools

Am I missing anything?

[CJHawkeyes]

So let's review...according to Zoomie, college presidents:

1) are fools
2) are pinheads
3) can't negotiate themselves out of a bowl of soup
4) don't have business savy
5) are complete egomaniacal fools
6) are idiots
7) are clueless fools

Am I missing anything?

I'll add that they do not give a crap about college football.:D

[Lincoln Tower]

So let's review...according to Zoomie, college presidents:

1) are fools
2) are pinheads
3) can't negotiate themselves out of a bowl of soup
4) don't have business savy
5) are complete egomaniacal fools
6) are idiots
7) are clueless fools

Am I missing anything?

To be fair, he thinks the same thing about everybody....

[Blue Hen]

Short of seceeding from the NCAA the md-majors ( non BCS ) can't do any of those things you suggest, CJH. They are a 'voting' minority in NCAA matters. That's why the BCS Auto Bid conferences will always have a collective membership of at least 61 schools ( 51 % ).....to control the association's post season. In all other sports except FB, those D1 mids are allowed to compete and seem satisfied.

Zoom, like GG, I'm also skeptical of your money numbers and offers to replace the exhibition system with a championship.

[CJHawkeyes]

Short of seceeding from the NCAA the md-majors ( non BCS ) can't do any of those things you suggest, CJH. They are a 'voting' minority in NCAA matters. That's why the BCS Auto Bid conferences will always have a collective membership of at least 61 schools ( 51 % ).....to control the association's post season. In all other sports except FB, those D1 mids are allowed to compete and seem satisfied.

Zoom, like GG, I'm also skeptical of your money numbers and offers to replace the exhibition system with a championship.

I don't see why the NCAA matters in this situation. For example, suppose nonBCS schools adopted my idea for ranking teams and used it to determine the winner of a competition amongst themselves. They could also use it to recognize a I-A champion too. The point being to promote their ideal model for a fair BCS in a roundabout way. What could the NCAA or BCS do about it?

[GatorGrad]

To be fair, he thinks the same thing about everybody....

LOL...true. Zoom knows all, the rest of us are clueless idiots including university presidents.

[Blue Hen]

Oh....well, they (mids) could have their own mythical ranking system I guess, but they certainly couldn't put on any 'on field ' post season competition while members of the Association.

[CJHawkeyes]

Oh....well, they (mids) could have their own mythical ranking system I guess, but they certainly couldn't put on any 'on field ' post season competition while members of the Association.

My point is that a playoff isn't coming anytime. Yet, nonBCS schools seem content to remain irrelevant so long as they have better odds for a large payday. Again, why not do something to challenge the status quo? For example, the five nonBCS conferences could create a unified competition. Perhaps they can attract a corporate sponsor. Nascar has the Nextel Cup. NonBCS schools could have the Coca-Cola Cup or something. The purpose of such a competition is to promote their own kind and create a championship for their schools to compete for. The purpose of this competition is also to draw attention to the worthless BCS formula by promoting an alternative idea that is completely objective and transparent in the hopes that the BCS might be forced to adopt the competing idea. Unless nonBCS officials are the biggest idiots around, they cannot possibly think the BCS formula serves their best interests. So, why not promote what they believe is a better idea? They could even go so far as to recognize a champion for all of I-A to challenge the results produced by the BCS and AP. Since this sport seems to thrive on controversy, why not create some of their own? Unless the BCS can retaliate by enforcing stricter standards for a nonBCS schools, what is the worst that can happen? They remain irrelevant but their teams still have a championship to play for or their idea wins in the court of public opinion and the BCS is forced to adopt them and nonBCS schools have improved their situtation.

[ZOOMBAG]

They are not bidding because the Presidents have made it clear the game is not open to third party promoters. They turned down ISL seven years ago because it was not the NCAA, conferences or networks behind the money. More proof, these clowns couldn't manage their way out of paper bag.

[ZOOMBAG]

Been countless articles in all them main outlets concerning the real value of college football. I will keep my eye open for the next one. $500,000,000 per year is the SMALLEST number I've seen recently. The most likely distribution would be similar to the NCAA bball tournament, where the BCS leagues still take the lion's share because it is base on one revenue point per game played. And since the big six get four-six teams in every year, those leagues get the most revenue points. But they have to EARN the money by playing more games.

[ZOOMBAG]

The NCAA matters because they are the governing body and would run any playoff.