SEC media days: Hey, who let the BCS in here?
This is Bill Hancock of the BCS. He told us a few jokes.
HOOVER, Ala. — Let me start by saying that I really like Bill Hancock. He has worked for the USOC for several past Olympics (summer and winter) that I’ve covered and he’s one of the few individuals a media person can always count on to get information and help cut through international red tape on issues.
But Hancock now is a likable guy with a thankless job: He is the executive director of the BCS.
Nothing stirs the masses like a power point. (Yawn.)
I believe his second choice for employment was environmental spokesperson for BP.
Hancock opened SEC media days with a 15-minute power point presentation. He started with an unintended joke: “I’m going to tell you how [the BCS] works and why it works.”
He went on to talk about how college football “never has been more popular.” And, “Since the BCS was created, attendance and TV ratings have soared.” And (this might be my favorite): “We have the best sport, hands down. Why monkey with that?”
See, here’s the problem: Logic screams that college football has grown in spite of the BCS, not because of it.
The growth of college football can be traced to an increased presence on television, more dollars flowing into the sport than ever before and more higher profile coaches elevating programs to the stature of small nations or major corporations.
The fact college football has a flawed postseason system has nothing to do with its boom.
So I asked Hancock: What tells him that the BCS is directly responsible for college football’s growth?
His answer: “That’s a good question. That’s one of the things I thought about during my run this morning. I don’t think there’s a lot of intuitive evidence, hard evidence [that the two are related]. But attendance did begin to rise when the BCS was formed. Could it have been a coincidence? It could have. But we know the game has become much more of a national game because of the BCS. It’s not fair for us to take all of the credit for everything or get all of the blame for everything. But I don’t think it was just a coincidence.”
I’ll give him credit for a creative, albeit vague, answer.
But for what it’s worth, after his power point and a brief Q-and-A, I’m not sure that he convinced anybody in the room.
♦
Previous SEC/Georgia posts
♦ We’re LIVE at SEC media days (with no shortage of storylines)
♦ NCAA reportedly investigating Florida (but temper excitement)
♦ Can Dogs end Alabama-Florida monopoly in SEC title game?
♦ Listen up, Ole Miss: I’ve got Colonel Reb’s replacement
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110 comments Add your comment
Billo
July 21st, 2010
12:50 pm
first
Billo
July 21st, 2010
12:51 pm
i am a dork…second
It's a shame what he did to that dog
July 21st, 2010
12:52 pm
I’m just losing so much sleep over USC giving Reggie Bush’s Heisman back. LOL
Billo
July 21st, 2010
12:52 pm
Jeff…do you know what players Richt is bringing?
It's a shame what he did to that dog
July 21st, 2010
12:53 pm
“after his power point”
Who the he!! uses PP? Geez, no wonder people outside the south make fun of us so much. What next, MC Hammer being played on cd?
Jeff
July 21st, 2010
12:53 pm
It is STILL better than a playoff!
haha
July 21st, 2010
12:55 pm
truth is the BCS needs college football…college football does NOT need the BCS
Jeff Schultz
July 21st, 2010
12:55 pm
Bill: 3 Georgia players are Drew Butler. Shaun Chapas and A.J. Green.
Billo
July 21st, 2010
12:58 pm
Thanks Jeff. Kicker to media days, thats funny.
savannahdawg
July 21st, 2010
1:00 pm
Of course he loves his BCS system………hello……………he getting paid as long as the BCS is around. Is he going to say it sucks, let’s have a playoff? This article was a waste of time. You must have needed to fill some copy.
BMDPD
July 21st, 2010
1:01 pm
Billo, that kicker is all Georgia and bleeds red and black. Not to mention award-winning. Good pick in my opinion!
Dan
July 21st, 2010
1:02 pm
It’s too easy to criticize the BCS. But we have a word for offering criticism without including a defined alternative. It’s called whining.
Billo
July 21st, 2010
1:03 pm
BMDPD….don’t get me wrong UGA may have the best tandum of kickers in the country, and Drew is a heck of a kid. It is just silly to me to have a kicker there. I am imagining him sitting next to a big o-linemen in the lobby. hehehe
DawginLex
July 21st, 2010
1:04 pm
Jeff,
If you ask Petrino a question and he realizes you are from Atlanta, will it cause him any concern at all or is he as heartless as we all believe him to be?
BMDPD
July 21st, 2010
1:04 pm
Billo, I bet that is a site to see.
Chris
July 21st, 2010
1:06 pm
Jeff,
That was a good question and it was a dancing answer. Haha has it right. If the BCS is never formed and we were still subject to seven games on New Year’s Day, college football would still be soaring in popularity due to the reasons you cited.
Billo
July 21st, 2010
1:07 pm
Its the little thing in life you know.
But honstly, with Rambo and/or Boykin returning kicks, UGA may have the best special teams in the country. That is if Walsh can kick the dang ball threw the endzone.
derek
July 21st, 2010
1:10 pm
While there may not be hard evidence to support the idea that the BCS has helped college football’s popularity, I think there is “intuitive evidence”. As media transforms from a simple fact gathering and reporting entity to one that increasingly creates “news” by perpetuating gossip, rumor, and occassional fact we should remember our cliches. There is no such thing as bad press. And controversy certainly creates interest. If the legacy of the BCS is nothing more than adding to the controversy of which teams are the best each year, then that alone is likely a good thing for college football.
Other sports may also benefit from controversy over substance. Baseball continues to discover a resurgence in popularity despite dwindling power numbers, which have historically been considered good for ratings. However, controversial umpiring and the focus on instant replay may be getting the game more press. The World Cup, while always popular worldwide, seemed more interesting this year, and was full of controvesial calls.
Too much typing for sure. Not that I support the BCS (as a Georgia fan, I would have loved a playoff system instead of a anticlimactic Hawaii game several years ago), but we shouldn’t immediately dismiss it as bad for ratings.
Augusta
July 21st, 2010
1:19 pm
As I learned in psychology, correlation does not prove causation.
HugoStiglitz
July 21st, 2010
1:26 pm
Well im still holding out hope that D1 college football will have a real postseason one day. It gets a little frustrating watching great seasons and conference championship games, and then ending it on such a sour note, with such a joke of a system and with a random pairing playing for the MNC. Thanks for asking tough questions though Jeff and not letting him just spread BS without saying something to back it up.
Kane337
July 21st, 2010
1:28 pm
Anybody that supports the flawed BCS system is an idiot in my book.
There is absolutely no logic that says the BCS is a better system than a true playoff.
Jeff Schultz
July 21st, 2010
1:29 pm
Billo — Yeah, I know. But at least they brought Green.
ugadawg2005
July 21st, 2010
1:30 pm
He is correct. College football and tv ratings have soared as a result of the BCS. It is better than the pre-BCS Bowl alliance/coalition, and certainly better than what we had before then. The BCS increased interest because it promised to pit the top 2 teams against one another at the end of the year and created a race for this game. In 1997, everyone was excited because then Nebraska and Michigan played in different bowl games. If the BCS were in place, they could have played.
This does not mean that a playoff is not a better solution. This does not mean that a playoff won’t be better for college football than the BCS. However, the BCS is defnitely responsible for increasing interest in college football over the predecessor systems.
As a playoff supporter, we do not need too many teams. We don’t want the regular season to become like college basketball, or even as unimportant as the NBA or NHL.
wxwax
July 21st, 2010
1:31 pm
To the poster who thinks the BCS is better than a playoff, one simple question: why?
Pretty much every other sport has a playoff. People love playoffs. They generate excitement and interest as teams are knocked out and the field narrows. Heck, people who “hate” soccer watched the World Cup in record numbers because it was an exciting playoff, an event.
If you’re a business guy, the money a playoff would generate makes the current bowl set-up look like a joke. Concerned about losing the bowl tradition? It’s a myth. Every single bowl, even the venerated Rose Bowl, has prostituted itself and changed its format in the last ten years. There is no bowl tradition anymore. College football players don’t have the time for a playoff? Tell that to Appalachian State.
There’s only one reason to oppose a playoff: It would loosen the firm grip the major football schools have on the process and the result.
I’m struggling to see why that’s a bad idea.
Jeff Schultz
July 21st, 2010
1:31 pm
DawginLex — Petrino’s guard is always up, no matter if I’m from New York or Atlanta or Biloxi.
Russ, the Temporary Mascot
July 21st, 2010
1:32 pm
That’s the kind of talking done by a$$ painters. Beware anybody that talks like that and offers you a dog biscuit to come into the electrical closet for just a minute. If I had it to do over again I’d bite the guy with the spray paint. Where does the BCS stand on a$$ painting a little dog?
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Jeff
July 21st, 2010
1:38 pm
If they simply went to a four team playoff, then maybe. But you know it would stop there (as the NCAA hoops tourney demonstrates). One of the reasons that college football is SO great, is that a game the first three weeks of the season is just as important as the last three. In no other sport does that exist. That is what I hope to retain.
Jeff Schultz
July 21st, 2010
1:42 pm
Mike Slive just cracked a joke, saying “the Tennessee coach” (Lane Kiffin) “left to return to his Western roots” and of Derek Dooley he said “When I say welcome, I mean welcome.” Nicely done, Mr. Slive.
Jeff
July 21st, 2010
1:43 pm
Nice!
Jeff Schultz
July 21st, 2010
1:47 pm
Ding, ding, ding! First Tim Tebow reference at 12:46 central time. (Mike Slive on exemplary student-athletes).
Hawk n the Ham
July 21st, 2010
1:48 pm
Schultz! Welcome to Hoover.
Clay
July 21st, 2010
1:52 pm
College football has grown because of increased exposure. When I first became interested (1967), good southern teams (and Dooley’s teams generally were) got on TV maybe twice during the regular season. ESPN, TBS, TNT, FOX changed all that.
RxDawg
July 21st, 2010
1:58 pm
Another reason college football has grown so popular is -> Alumni.
There are simply just more and more people going to college these days. More grads = more alumni = more fans = more ratings.
bob
July 21st, 2010
1:58 pm
The BCS is the better than the previous system, just vote after the predetermined bowl games. What more can it do until whomever allows a plus one game or a playoff?
Gatorzone
July 21st, 2010
1:59 pm
Give that POS Hell Jeff!!!! Petrino has a yellow streak 2foot wide down his back!!!
Asheville Dawg
July 21st, 2010
2:03 pm
That commissioner is a funny/truthful guy.
Flappin' Falcon
July 21st, 2010
2:03 pm
I’ll give you 4 letters…E-S-P-N.
ESPN is the biggest reason college football has grown to megapopularity. They have taken this phenomenally marketable product and perfected the art of selling college football (and all other sports too) and delivering college football content better than anyone else. They have the best and the brightest working behind the scenes. I’m not talking about the on screen talent. I’m talking about names we never hear. The dudes in the suits who know how to package it, wrap it and sell it better than anyone else.
The BCS execs are nothing but a bunch of well connected old slugs. Power Point presentation? It’s 2010, dudes. The BCS is just floating in a raft in ESPNs wake and scrabbling for scraps like everybody else.
Within 10 years the BCS will finally submit and there will be a playoff in college football. AND it will be broadcast by ESPN. ESPN will create the idea in its entirety from the playoff scenarios to the billions of $$ in advertising to the delivery of what 99% of America has been asking for for 20 years…a playoff system and the end of the BCS as we know it.
Dawgone
July 21st, 2010
2:05 pm
If the BCS is so wonderful and responsible for so much growth, I’m sure there are other sports and entities flocking to duplicate its success in their respective venues. Right? Right?
Stan Gnomor
July 21st, 2010
2:07 pm
Great question Jeff. You know the BCS is wrong. I know the BCS is wrong. Every living organism on this planet not being highly paid by the BCS knows the BCS is wrong. But as long as the BCS is in charge of deciding the fate of the BCS… the answer will always be that muddled jumble of BS you got from Bill Hancock.
Hawk n the Ham
July 21st, 2010
2:08 pm
If it’s so great, then lets get rid of the March Madness tourney for basketball. Have a couple of iMacs figure up who is the best 2 teams, and let them play. Just forget about all the fun and excitement of that old non computer based tourney.
Logan
July 21st, 2010
2:08 pm
I was once a pro playoff person myself, but now I’m not so sure about that anymore. My biggest hold back is to take a look at the basketball tourney. They are always wanting to add more and more teams to it and what was there reason for it, so they could make some more money. They try to claim that will do away with the “bubble teams”, but no matter how many teams you have in the tourney, somebody is gonna get left out and will therefore always have the bubble teams. The same will happen with a playoff system here too. The reason it works in the other divisions of football is cause they aren’t cash cows like D-1A football. If they were, the NCAA would make the playoffs bigger to make more money from it.
Chris
July 21st, 2010
2:12 pm
To all the posters saying the ‘BCS is so much better than what we had’, I disagree. The BCS has reduced the other four major bowls to meaningless exhibitions. Did anyone really care about FL waxing Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl, GA/Hawaii, WVU/OK in the Fiesta Bowl?
At least prior to the BCS, you had one wonderful day of flipping channels and actually CARING what happened in each game.
I have to admit though that it probably is a step in the right direction although at this pace, I’ll never see a true playoff in my lifetime…I’ll probably die in two years anyhow.
Chris
July 21st, 2010
2:16 pm
That’s a very valid point Logan. You’ve got the greatest regular season in all of sportdom as it is. A four team/plus one is the only realistic proposal in the next four or five years as I understand the current contract. From there, you’ll get schools screaming at number five that they were hosed. Then you’ve got the travel from the fan bases to three weeks/three different venues. Most people don’t have that kind of time and money although the venues would still be sold out and the ratings and TV money would dwarf what we have now.
Jeff Schultz
July 21st, 2010
2:24 pm
Saban still talking and railing on agents…. Not sure if I’m supposed to address him as “coach” or “Sensei.”
Dawgone
July 21st, 2010
2:26 pm
Is Saban standing on a box or did some taller person come over and lower the mic for him?
Bulldog59
July 21st, 2010
2:26 pm
Gotta agree with Clay on this one. The TV coverage and availability of college games has grown enormously. That more than anything would explain the increased popularity. You can now see a college game on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,
George Stein
July 21st, 2010
2:38 pm
Bulldawg59 – I tend to agree that TV coverage has increased and that has in turn driven up the demand. But, I also think the scholarship limits has something to do with it.
Because teams no longer accumulate massive amounts of talent, it gets spread around which gives schools that used to rarely have an opportunity to play any meaningful games a chance and, as a result, their fans and alumni get behind the team more because they have a feeling that they could actually win.
Hawk n the Ham
July 21st, 2010
2:39 pm
I had heard on Saban’s contract, if he won the national championship, Bama would give him leg extensions. Is there any truth to that Schultz?
WDE!!!
July 21st, 2010
2:42 pm
Ask Saban, “Since you are here, who’s running hell?”
George Stein
July 21st, 2010
2:43 pm
Funny comment, Hawk.
GTAnchorage
July 21st, 2010
2:52 pm
Actually, most business presentations are given in PowerPoint…
TampaGator
July 21st, 2010
2:54 pm
Jeff…
I am glad Saban is “railing” about the agents. Someone needs to lead the way on the issue. By the way….Saban is a class act and I see why so many outstanding players want to play for the man…and why so many parents want their children to play for him. It will be interesting to see how Meyer addresses the agent issue….now that Pouncey has clearly stated he never accepted any money from an agent.
….and is there anyone more reviled that Lane Kiffin in the SEC….the polar opposite of class act.
T3
July 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
The BCS is simply nothing but a “Cartel.”
As for how it compares to a Playoff system, here’s an
article that Bill Hancock doesnt want ANYBODY to read.
Link:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-expansion060610
GeoffDawg
July 21st, 2010
2:56 pm
Not true Hawk. His contract just requires that all Bama administrators kneel before him when he enters the room.
GeoffDawg
July 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
Steve Spurrier used to be more reviled TampaGator. When you stop winning, “evil genius” becomes “eccentric old guy”.
Driver 8
July 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
Jeff,
If you address Saban as your Sensei, he will doubtless want you to sweep Meyer’s leg.
RxDawg
July 21st, 2010
2:59 pm
Logan, your right and I think that has to do with the way the other BCS bowls do their selection process. It’s like a draft, where they get to pick one really good pick, then have to wait while the other bowls pick, then they all get a weaker second team. I think it would be MUCH better if the bowls got to pick their 2 teams at once. It would make for much better matchups. Then you wont see Florida vs. Cinncy, or UGA vs. Hawaii.
joe
July 21st, 2010
3:01 pm
I will grant him that the BCS at least has delivered some sort of championship game during its existence that was better than the polls deciding the champion(s), but until it is decided on the field like division II and III football, his arguments won’t mean squat…
Monster
July 21st, 2010
3:03 pm
i hope a tornado sweeps you up and throws you out of b’ham jeff along with that bcs liar.
Saban's panties
July 21st, 2010
3:06 pm
Why does he care about sleazy agents? His guys get paid without the help of agents.
gcs
July 21st, 2010
3:19 pm
Hasn’t college football attendance risen every year since 1888?
Attendance has risen since man stepped on the moon. Maybe that did it. It also rose since the Berlin Wall fell.
It’s like saying I have a magic rock that keeps tigers away. How do I know it works? You don’t see any tigers around do you?
I’d be willing to bet college basketball, baseball, softball, etc. have risen since the BCS began as well.
.
G Man
July 21st, 2010
3:21 pm
Jeff,
Jeff,
You know who bought everything Bill Hancock said about the BCS system? Your esteemed colleague Tony Barnhardt.
Now, I like Tony-seems like a real solid cat, but let’s face it-he never strays far from the NCAA talking points. Seems to repackage a lot of conventional wisdom as well. That said, I’d love to have his job!
Ted Striker
July 21st, 2010
3:22 pm
LOL at the “sweeping Saban’s leg” comment.
juvenal
July 21st, 2010
3:27 pm
name another sport that does this format–now name another sport that would be better if it did….b(c)s at least makes March Madness that much more legitimate, & fun…
Tech Sucks
July 21st, 2010
3:30 pm
BCS is a joke. There is nothing he can say to convince anyone that it isn’t. Playoffs have to be implemented eventually. Period.
PJ for Governor
July 21st, 2010
3:30 pm
Jeff, he’s right and you’re wrong. While the BCS is not perfect, it is a consolation prize to all the playoff noise. The game is the best in the world because it has no playoff (that and its played by people who enjoy it not get paid for it). THE SEASON IS THE PLAYOFFS. BTW – true perfection would be a return to the old system. If you want playoff, go to the NFL, IMO that is the boring. Perfect would also be to get full time referees but do away with instant replay (its not exciting, even if commentators like to say it is, it kills the pace of the game, but does allow for more commercial, hmmmm).
GT Alum
July 21st, 2010
3:35 pm
PJ for Gov, sorry, but 90% of fans disagree. Most fans are more worried about the outcomes of games (replay) and the crowning of a national champion (BCS) having as much legitimacy as possible, rather than just catering to your ADHD.
GT BABY
July 21st, 2010
3:38 pm
WHATEVER….UGAY SUCKS!
GT BABY
July 21st, 2010
3:39 pm
JEFF, YOURE BOTHERING ME….
GeoffDawg
July 21st, 2010
3:42 pm
The BCS while having served an important role in the evolution of college football has lived past its usefulness. Without the mandatory bowl/conference tie-ins, we at least now have a better opportunity to see 1 v. 2 in the title game than we did previously. For example, if the BCS had been around one year earlier, Florida would’ve never won the national title in ‘96 because the game would’ve featured FSU and Arizona State. Because the Pac 10 was still locked into the Rose Bowl at that time, we had to deal with a bunch of incredibly obnoxious gator fans and it’s only gotten worse since.
That being said, while it had its purpose, in the long run, it’s only a stop-gap measure that should eventually lead into a playoff.
AlwaysAVol
July 21st, 2010
3:42 pm
Did he at least have those cool transitions between power point slides?
JB
July 21st, 2010
3:47 pm
How they can justify, with a straight face, being the only sport on the planet that doesn’t have a playoff, of some type, is WAAAAY beyond me.
HBTD!!!
REDPANTIES
July 21st, 2010
3:47 pm
DAMON? DAMON? I NEED MY PANTIES BACK!!! DADDY’S MAD!!!
REDPANTIES
July 21st, 2010
3:49 pm
I wonder if Courtney is kin to Mark Furhman???
PJ for Governor
July 21st, 2010
3:50 pm
GT Alum. The grass always seems greener, but seldom is it. Playoffs will kill the uniquenes and tradition that makes college football great. That is more than it already has with the BCS. If you want more proof to decide a champion make teams play real out of conference skeds (ie- include Boise St.) instead of D-2 teams. No playoffs, as with pre-instant replay, it the debates and arguments that make the game live on long after the final gun. If you want football with a playoff, watch the NFL, which fails to capture the same imagination and excitement.
Dawg1970
July 21st, 2010
3:53 pm
BCS is working just fine. It’s not perfect but even a playoff system wouldn’t be either and would be darn near impossible. I’ll be glad when the schoolkids go back and the red panties jokes can slow down. Grow up junior. BTW on a serious note, how did the mention of the red panties show up in an official police report? Does this sound odd to anybody else?
74Dawg
July 21st, 2010
3:53 pm
Jeff, i think the real reason you like Bill Hancock is the same reason I think you are a good guy- you’ve got less hair than I do. On the BCS apoligist power point presentation: how the hell did he come up with 15 minutes of good stuff to say about the BCS ? Were half(or more) of the pages blank? Did it take 5 minutes to load each page/ If not, BP should whip out the check book and sign this guy as a free agent immediately .
GeoffDawg
July 21st, 2010
3:56 pm
Dawg1970 – regarding the panties, I was thinking the other day that that was odd for the officer to include in his official report. The only possible explanation I could come up with was that pulling them off the girl, in the officer’s opinion, may have conributed to the erratic driving.
How2fish
July 21st, 2010
3:57 pm
JB well said how indeed?
Tao
July 21st, 2010
3:59 pm
What did I miss? When did it become unacceptable to use Power Point in a presentation? Are you supposed to come out in a cloud of smoke and flashing lights like LaBron and Wade?
HugoStiglitz
July 21st, 2010
4:01 pm
PJ for Governor, I appreciate your enthusiasm for college football but pretending it is at the same level as pro football is crazy. The NFL gets much better TV ratings, money, and more fans then college football has ever gotten. At the same time, they crown a real champion. A playoff system for college football would increase the interest, TV ratings, and legitimacy of the sport.
Ted Striker
July 21st, 2010
4:05 pm
UF leaving Mike Pouncey on the schedule might be a disservice to the guy. Then again, I think anyone who asks Mike about his brother is taking a cheapie. I wouldn’t do it and I take cheap shots all the time. But not at family members. Just at the person directly.
Striker DOES have a code.
dagnabit
July 21st, 2010
4:05 pm
If I remember right, the dawg nation were all thrilled when the news of Urban’s chest pains came out. There were some rather nasty comments made about mrs. Urban also. Ask Urban if Jacksonville is circled on the gator calendar.
Dawg1970
July 21st, 2010
4:07 pm
At least the BCS avoids the confusion of prior yrs.Remember 1990? Gt and Colorado both still claim they were NC that year.
74Dawg
July 21st, 2010
4:12 pm
Hey Jeff, what happened to my post?
Tao
July 21st, 2010
4:12 pm
dagnabit – if CUM is so stupid to not give up what was causing his medical condition at doctors’ orders I hope he dies on the sideline
HugoStiglitz
July 21st, 2010
4:14 pm
Not really Dawg1970. In 2003 USC and LSU were both champions. The BCS does not prevent a split National Championship.
Tech Fan Since 1950
July 21st, 2010
4:15 pm
The rise in college football attendance and all those other superlatives mentioned have nothing to do with the hated (much hated) BCS. College football has always been popular and both we baby boomers and our kids were destined to grow up for larger numbers in stadiums. The BCS is still a fraud and a joke. Anyone that has ever attended a Furman/Georgia Southern or a Valdosta State/Carson Newman playoff football game, or some other playoff game, knows that a playoff system transferred to Division I football would be an even greater success than the BCS can imagine.
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4:17 pm
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Dawg1970
July 21st, 2010
4:23 pm
Hugo, I believe LSU was NC for 2003 season as a result of Jan 04 BCS game. So Cal won it the next year but that can now be called into question since they evidently broke NCAA rules to win it.
HugoStiglitz
July 21st, 2010
4:28 pm
No Dawg1970, in 2003 LSU won the BCS game and were crowned BCS champions. USC won their bowl game and were voted champions by the AP. Resulting in a split championship just like 1990.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_NCAA_Division_I-A_football_season
No One Knows You're a Dawg
July 21st, 2010
4:28 pm
“See, here’s the problem: Logic screams that college football has grown in spite of the BCS, not because of it.
The growth of college football can be traced to an increased presence on television, more dollars flowing into the sport than ever before and more higher profile coaches elevating programs to the stature of small nations or major corporations.”
Contra: The NCAA (not BCS) basketball tournament, which has rendered much of the regular season meaningless.
DawginLex
July 21st, 2010
4:35 pm
Add 1 more game after the BCS bowls and most years the arguments would go away.
Last year, Bama would have been forced to play boise state and Bama would have absolutely destroyed them. Most years though, a plus one would work like a charm.
2002 UGA vs Ohio State
2003 LSU vs USC
2004 USC vs Auburn
2005 Texas vs West VA
2006 Florida vs USC
2007 LSU vs USC
2008 Florida vs ??
2009 Bama vs BSU
dawgcrzy
July 21st, 2010
4:43 pm
Hugo, I’ll agree with everything except the fans and maybe the TV ratings. You look around at what people are wearing and the tags on cars and no way there is more fans.
dawgcrzy
July 21st, 2010
4:44 pm
are not is..duh
DZ
July 21st, 2010
4:59 pm
You can’t spell BCS without BS.
HugoStiglitz
July 21st, 2010
5:09 pm
dawgcrzy, for an example of TV ratings, the BCS championship last year drew a little over 30 million viewers. The NFC championship game drew about 57 million and the AFC championship game drew about 47 million. Both NFL conference championship games completely dwarfed the BCS championship. You can imagine how far beyond that the Super Bowl went. As for the fans, you are going to have to leave Georgia to see serious NFL fans, but nation wide the NFL is much bigger then college football.
PJ for Governor
July 21st, 2010
5:28 pm
Hugo, I guess that’s where we are differing. In our state and in the south, the ratio of college fans to NFL fans is significantly levered to the former. In fact outside of maybe Northeast and California, college is probably more popular. Whole states love college football, pro is usually limited to just cities and even some cities (Atlanta) prefers college. I have to think there are more college fans in Florida, more in Texas, Tennessee, etc than NFL. I’m not even mentioning Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kentucky, cities with no local NFL. Of course in NY, Boston, and DC, its the opposite. (No offense, but then again I honestly don’t really care much about what they follow (baseball? hockey? thanks but no thanks).)
superDawg
July 21st, 2010
5:35 pm
The BCS wants to get an early look at the next NC.
HOUDAWG
July 21st, 2010
5:47 pm
Incredible that Hancock tried to take credit (on BCS behalf) for the popularity explosion of college football. As so many others have stated here ……. IT’S TV ……. ratings and $$$$ ! No rocket science here ……..
And the commish comment regarding Kiffin ……. just priceless ! Don’t ya know he’s glad to get that punk out of the SEC ……
Chris
July 21st, 2010
5:49 pm
Jeff…that is why I wanted the Big 12 to implode and the Super Conferences to be formed. I think it would have forced College Football to bring in a playoff.
BravesFan79
July 21st, 2010
5:52 pm
Whats the point of having the “best regular season in sports”, when it only leads to the Worst postseason in sports!? The stupidity of the BCS is equal to baseball canceling the World Series so that teams like the Nationals and Cubs could play a “exhibition” game after the season.
It's no coincidence Saban is suddenly concerned about agents | Jeff Schultz
July 21st, 2010
6:09 pm
[...] ♦ SEC media days: Hey, who let the BCS in here? [...]
Mike Smith
July 21st, 2010
6:11 pm
Excellent article, Jeff. I’m glad you asked that question about the BCS. The BCS had a goal that college football has outgrown. That goal is put the top 2 teams together. Too many years under the old poll system, there would be a clearly perceived top 2 that couldn’t play each other.
Well, that clearly is not the case anymore. Maybe it never was. Conferences are not equal in strength nor are schedules even among teams in the same conference. Oddly enough, I think the BCS exposed this more by getting the top 2 together. We can now see overrated teams playing in weaker conferences on weaker schedules get exposed.
The reason a playoff is needed is well, who do you replace the overrated media hype teams with? You have too many to choose from. The BCS exposed the flaw in everyone’s thinking and ironically showed how it is inadequate at the same time.
NCAA inquiry is the last thing Georgia and Mark Richt need | Jeff Schultz
July 21st, 2010
7:04 pm
[...] ♦ SEC media days: Hey, who let the BCS in here? [...]
SEC media days: Catching a breath and waiting on Richt | Jeff Schultz
July 22nd, 2010
8:32 am
[...] ♦ Bill Hancock, executive director of the BCS, did a power point presentation, attempting to sell the world on why the BCS is such a great thing. Half the people in the room didn’t believe him. The other half were asleep. Here’s the link to the story. [...]
Tech Fan Since 1950
July 22nd, 2010
10:29 am
It comes down to this comparison: March Madness (playoff) vs January Foolishness!
Dooley calmly moving from one fire to next at Tennessee | Jeff Schultz
July 23rd, 2010
3:18 pm
[...] ♦ SEC media days: Hey, who let the BCS in here? [...]
Ranking the SEC, from Bama to Vandy (and Georgia No. 4) | Jeff Schultz
July 25th, 2010
2:25 pm
[...] ♦ SEC media days: Hey, who let the BCS in here? [...]