Playoffs versus Polls - Week 1
The horrid monster has been slain. The valiant knights (read: college football bigwigs) took down the evil beast (read: BCS) before it could wreak any permanent damage, although it created its share of mayhem. Only time will tell if this fairy tale is straight up Disney in nature, in that the knights saved the day, or something a little seedier. It is too early to know if the evil beast deserved to die or if the knights end up doing more harm than good. Sure the Bowl Championship Series was ugly and heinous, but didn’t it also have a heart…or at least a computerized brain? If Belle learned to love the Beast, why couldn’t we?
Nevertheless, a four-team playoff is upon us. In September 2014, everyone will be clambering to make their final four picks to determine who has a shot at the National Title. Twenty-eight months from now, the fifth best team in the country will be freaking out, demanding an eight-team playoff, but let’s cross that road when we get to it.
For now, we are left with two more years to celebrate/detest what the BCS has to offer. Each and every week in this space, we will take a look at what the BCS is showing and what the playoff system would give in its stead, all the way to the bowls and title game in January. There will also be an “As of This Moment (AOTM) Predicted BCS Top Two” and “Predicted Playoff Top Four” at the culmination of each article to see where we stand.
-Who do the computers like that human voters might not favor?
-Who is making their claim as the dreaded, third best team?
-What type of out-of-conference scheduling is taking place to boost a team’s resume that might be detrimental two years from now?
-Which non-BCS school will be left out of the top two but could sneak into a top four playoff?
-Which awesome, early season matchups will lose some luster as every game somewhat loses that do-or-die necessity?
Those are just some of the questions I will be looking at each week in my Playoffs versus Polls article. It will also be important to focus on the strengths of the BCS and what we might miss in these coming years. After all, computers and formulas are not usually biased. When’s the last time your iPad held a grudge?
AOTM Predicted BCS Top Two:
(1) LSU vs. (2) USC
AOTM Predicted Playoff Top Four:
(1) LSU vs. (4) Oklahoma; (2) USC vs. (3) Alabama
