In the aftermath of the BCS championship game, many sports fans may be left wondering what could have been. They may be questioning why TCU doesn’t get a chance at a championship despite never losing a game. They may be dreaming about the college football splendor that could have come from a different championship system. They may be asking what possible downside there could be to a college football playoff. Well, while it may seem flawless in sports fans’ fantasies, there are many potential problems with a college football playoff system.

1. Downplayed secondary bowl games. Presumably, if a playoff system were put into place, the NCAA would still maintain its other bowl games. From the Outback Bowl to the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, every .500 team would be bowl-eligible and play in bowl games as if there weren’t a playoff system for the top teams.   Herein lies the problem.

If the NCAA were to move to a highly-anticipated playoff system, many if not all of these secondary bowl games would be overshadowed.  A playoff system would not only require an unbelievable amount of hype and analysis from the major TV networks, but it would also likely move the opening rounds of the playoffs into late December, directly conflicting with the rest of the bowl season. A four-team playoff would mean two rounds and three games. As of now, the competitors for the national championship get close to five weeks off before the big game. With a playoff system, there may be close to three or four weeks before the opening round, but no more than two weeks between the first games and the championship. This means five or six weeks of the public’s attention about this playoff system, and it would undoubtedly downplay the little guys playing their hearts out in the other bowl games. A playoff system would be a huge deal and would give all other bowl games an NIT-type feel.

2. Loss of tradition. In a playoff system, it is hard to figure out what to do with the current BCS bowls. The Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl currently hold games of huge prestige and importance, and they feature the best teams in the nation not already selected to play in the National Championship. While the Rose Bowl is the most nostalgic and storied of the group, even the Fiesta Bowl has seen its fair share of memorable games (Boise-Oklahoma, anyone?).  All of these bowls have pride and history, and in creating a playoff system, the NCAA would be threatening both of these attributes.

If a playoff system existed, there would be essentially two options as to how these BCS bowls would be handled. One way would be to make these bowls venues for various playoff games. To do so, the NCAA would have to leave one bowl out or add another round, as in a four-team playoff there would only be three games. This would also hugely diminish their prestige and tradition, as there would be nothing to win: no trophy presentation. The other way would be to keep the bowl games, and they could feature games with anyone not in the top four or top eight. This could work, but would diminish the prestige and awesomeness of the games.

3. Still no clear winner. Many seem to think that a playoff would be the be-all end-all of college football supremacy. Many think that a playoff would end all controversy over the Boise States and the TCUs of the world.  Well, it won’t. Imagine March Madness “bubble teams” times a thousand.

Let’s assume there’s a four team playoff. In ’09-‘10, the Boise State team (No. 6, 13-0) misses the cut. The ’08-‘09 Utah Utes (No. 6, 12-0) miss the cut. The ’07-’08 Hawaii team (No. 10, 12-0) doesn’t even come close.  As much as we hate to admit it, the BCS does a pretty good job at giving us a good and fair National Championship game.

This year, Auburn and Oregon clearly deserved to play for the glass football. Would it have been fun to see TCU compete for a national crown? Of course. Did they deserve to? No! They’re in the Mountain West. They played two ranked teams all season. If lovable non-BCS programs want to make their way into the National title picture, they need to put more than #24 Oregon State on their schedule. Play a prestigious program late in the season! Take on Ohio State or LSU or USC – don’t wait for a bowl game to show us what you got. I hear people say, “Any team with an undefeated record should get a chance.” That’s just irrational. You think the Tulane Green Wave of 1998 deserved a BCS bid? If there were a clause saying an undefeated record gets you a playoff berth, we would get the Ball States and Eastern Michigans of the world putting no one worthwhile on their schedule.