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During halftime of USC v. ND, Craig James took the opportunity, not once, but twice, to comment on Mid-Major teams having a shot at the BCS. His comments:

1) "At-Large teams? How about At-Minimum teams..."

2) "Boise St.? That game [vs. Nevada] looks like a couple of Division 1-AA teams playing..."

He then goes on to jibber-jabber about how stupid it would be if Boise State got to go to a BCS game if Texas had lost and how the other commentator who gave Boise State some credit was "as bad as Notre Dame is playing right now..."

Thanks, Craig...so that's what you think of non-BCS teams [SMU]...I guess we never even deserve the CHANCE to be taken seriously again? Why bother coming to the C-USA announcement? I wonder how much SMU paid him?

He wasn't paid to be there. In fact, I was told they didn't even know whether he'd show (and they therefore were unsure what he'd say when he got there). Once again attaching himself to Dickerson.

being objective about this, it's hard to argue against Texas being deserving of a BCS spot. I doubt that Boise would be unbeaten playing the same schedule Texas did. There aren't may teams that would have gone 10-1 against that schedule. The real problem is the BCS automatic bid to the Big east. There are teams out there more deserving than the Big East champion this year

We should have known that it would take UT or some other major football power to break up the BCS cartel. The problem of having more than one undefeated team puts pressure on the championship bowl game, and the issue of a top 5 team being left out of a BCS payoff twice in a row just might force the BCS to open up more into a limited playoff system. The coalition schools (mid-majors) just don't have enough leverage or respect to break into the club by themselves. And Craig James apparently has forgotten how well Louisville played against Miami, that Utah beat A&M, or how weak is the BE. If only the NCAA had some balls, there would be a Div. 1-A playoff - which is what the public really wants. The big money people at the bowl games are still calling the shots. You would think that the TV people could change the system with their influence since they are providing a lot of the meoney that is controlling things. End of rant.

Yes, James has succumbed to the sweet seduction of monopoly. The BCS (which has nothing to do with deserving teams receiving a reward and everything to do with more money for the cartel members) has an inherent bias. The assumption (which James and most others accept) is that the BCS teams are on whole superior to non-BCS teams. This is a fantasy bond (as proposed by Firestone), which allows one to accept as true an assumption that doesn’t have facts to support the assumption. Think about the belief in Santa Claus. As children, despite the facts contrary to the existence of Santa Claus, we all accepted certain assumptions that had little to no facts supporting those assumptions. Without accepting these unproven assumptions, the belief in Santa Claus would be impossible. Without accepting the assumption that BCS schools are vastly superior to non-BCS schools, then the whole BCS monopoly loses its dominant market power. This places non-BCS teams at a huge disadvantage (i.e. barrier to entry into the BCS market). By designing a system based on this bias, the BCS and it supporters can make market decisions (read, more money for BCS teams) and justify it by saying that a non-BCS team is inferior and could never have the same wonderful records or success if the non-BCS team played a BCS schedule. This is an unproven theory and there isn't a shredded of solid evidence to support the theory. There is a huge fantasy bond that wails that only BCS teams are superior; play harder schedules have the best talent. Allow Utah, Louisville, and BSU a shot at the BCS. Test the theory that the BCS schools are inherently superior.

the rest of college football enjoys a 16 team playoff and I would guess the majority of college football fans would like to see a playoff at I-A as well. I'd like to see all conference champs automatically qualify, but to be fair, there would have to be a rule implemented that to get an automatic bid, a conference must have 12 members. That would take the 10 conferences that exist today down to 9 and leave 7 wilcard teams, which would satisfy the big boys because in a season like this one, both Texas and Cal would be in.

I'm not sure a lot of coaches would like it, though, because right now half the teams in I-A get to continue their seasons as they prepare for bowl games. Absent the bowls, we'd likely watch the same 20-25 programs compete in the post season year after year and the gap between the haves and the have-nots might actually widen.

Charleston Pony wrote:being objective about this, it's hard to argue against Texas being deserving of a BCS spot. I doubt that Boise would be unbeaten playing the same schedule Texas did. There aren't may teams that would have gone 10-1 against that schedule. The real problem is the BCS automatic bid to the Big east. There are teams out there more deserving than the Big East champion this year

I thought about this, too. I assume that Oklahoma would beat Boise State, but who else on UT's schedule would beat Boise? Surely several teams COULD beat them -- A&M, OSU, but I don't know if either of those is a gimme. I think it's possible that Boise State could go 10-1 on UT's schedule, too.

As an aside. . . for a guy whose pride of being associated with SMU is somewhat questionable, he certainly doesn't correct his colleagues when they call him "Pony."

Given that Fox is going to have the BCS contract, I'd think ESPN and ABC would be trashing it. Maybe Craig didn't get the memo that he no longer had to be a tool for the BCS.

I hope CU beats OU and that Tenn beats Auburn. Then what fun we could have.

I personally like the approach that the DII schools have adopted. It is a 24 team playoff with the Top 8 teams getting a bye. If this type of format would be adopted by the D1 boys here is what it might look like.

Every conference champion gets a bid(11 Automatic Bids)
PAC-10
BIG 12
ATLANTIC COAST
SOUTHEASTERN
BIG TEN
MOUNTAIN WEST
BIG EAST
CONFERENCE USA
WESTERN ATHLETIC
SUN BELT
MID-AMERICAN

Those conferences that want to play a championship game plays it on the 1st Saturday in December(or Thursday or Friday).

The Top 8 teams that are determined by a BCS like ranking get a bye.

The remaining teams are then selected based on their BCS like ranking or conference champions that are not top 8 and given seeds based on this ranking.

Week 1
On the 2nd Saturday in December.
9 plays 24, 10 plays 23,etc...
Locations are determined by bids by the current bowls or other cities that want to host these games.
There will be 8 games this week.

Week 2
Reseeding occurs.
1 plays lowest seeded remaining team, etc...
On the 3rd Saturday in December.
Locations are determined by bids by the current bowls or other cities that want to host these games.
There will be 8 games this week and 2 in each region.

Week 3
Regional Champions are crowned.
1 game December 31st, 3 January 1st
Locations are determined by bids by the current bowls or other cities that want to host these games.
There will be 4 games this week and 1 in each region.

Week 4
2 games on the 2nd Saturday in January.
Locations are determined by bids by the current bowls or other cities that want to host these games.
There will be 2 games this week.

Week 5
Championship
Played on the 3rd Saturday in January.
Locations are determined by bids by the current bowls or other cities that want to host these games.

Payouts would consist of the following:
Week 1 Losers - 2 Million or 16 Million Total
Week 2 Losers - 4 Million or 32 Million Total
Week 3 Losers - 6 Million or 24 Million Total
Week 4 Losers - 8 Million or 16 Million Total
Championship Loser - 16 Million Total
Championship Winner - 24 Million Total
Total Payout of 118 Million

This money can easily be achieved by attendance guarantees for the different sites based on the round the game is played in.
Week 1 Guarantee - 1.5 Million or 12 Million Total ($40 a ticket requires attendance of 37,500)
Week 2 Guarantee - 2.5 Million or 20 Million Total ($50 a ticket requires attendance of 50,000)
Week 3 Guarantee - 4.5 Million or 18 Million Total ($75 a ticket requires attendance of 60,000)
Week 4 Guarantee- 6 Million or 12 Million Total ($100 a ticket requires attendance of 60,000)
Championship Guarantee- 10 Million Total ($150 a ticket requires attendance of 66,000)

Site Fees amount to $62 Million.
The remaining 58 Million will come from TV, merchandising and sponsorship deals. This a feasible number considering the existing deals that some of the bowls already have and what the BCS TV deal is currently worth.

So you can't make the argument that the current bowl system is more profitable. I took conservative estimates on most of my projections so there is plenty of extra money that is out there. The problem will be that the big schools will not want to share the money. Of course as long as they get into the playoff and keep winning then they will benefit.

Just a few random thoughts.

Brian send that to the BCS committe. I think you solved that BCS crap with this one posting

Thought I might forward it on to Mack Brown and see if he might be willing to take up the cause

Mac Brown has been one of the premier mouthpieces for the BCS. I hope UT has to go to the Holiday Bowl again. That way, old Mac will suddenly have to explain why he favors a system that consistently relegates his superior Texas team to a minor bowl. Heck if the SWC were still together, UT would have been in the Cotton Bowl playing either BE champion or a top 10 team like California, Louisville, or Utah. And the SWC would have been a BCS conference. If there was a playoff they'd be seeded 5th and have a good chance at the National Championship. Instead they will be in the Preparation H Bowl.

Mac Brown has been one of the premier mouthpieces for the BCS. I hope UT has to go to the Holiday Bowl again. That way, old Mac will suddenly have to explain why he favors a system that consistently relegates his superior Texas team to a minor bowl. Heck if the SWC were still together, UT would have been in the Cotton Bowl playing either BE champion or a top 10 team like California, Louisville, or Utah. And the SWC would have been a BCS conference. If there was a playoff they'd be seeded 5th and have a good chance at the National Championship. Instead they will be in the Preparation H Bowl.