Want a Playoff? Fine, But Kiss the Bowls Good-Bye

By now, you've certainly the news about BCS Commissioner John Swofford getting grilled by Congress. Basically, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee—college football experts, I'm sure—spent an hour or two beating up on Swofford, bashing the BCS and calling for a playoff. How original.

I've got a few thoughts about this. Here they are.

• First, it should be noted that it's absolutely ridiculous—indefensible, even—that the United States Congress is wasting its time on college football at a time when we're facing the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.
• At one point during this joke of a hearing, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas told Swofford that the BCS system should be renamed the "BS system." This was supposed to be funny. People apparently laughed, but maybe they worked for Barton and had no choice. He also compared the BCS to communism. Drama.
• For the record, no, I don't think college football should adopt a playoff. A plus-one model is more than sufficient. And I'm not entirely against the current BCS set-up, either. For all the bellyaching about it, the fact is, college football has never been more popular. The BCS can't be all bad, can it?
• That being said, the BCS does need a couple tweaks. Specifically, the big four bowls should be given more leeway to create more interesting match-ups. Also, the time has come for the Mountain West Conference to be given an automatic bid. If the Big East has a bid, there's no way you can say the MWC doesn't deserve one, too.
• Oh, and speaking of the MWC. That league has been pushing an 8-team playoff model. But you know what? I bet you a dollar that if the other BCS conference reached out to the MWC and offered them membership under the current model, that 8-team playoff proposal would disappear. Real quick.
• Asked at one point during the hearing whether the BCS was "fair," Swofford answered: "I think it is fair, because it represents the marketplace." I have no idea what means.
• One point to consider for you playoff proponents: If you get your playoff, you'll kill the bowls. Alamo Bowl CEO Derrick Fox said as much during the hearing, telling the committee that a playoff would be "rife with dangers" for the bowl system. And think about this, folks. If you adopt, say, an 8-team playoff, and the bowls are gone, and your favorite team is the first team left out of the playoff, how are you going to feel when that team—a team with 10 wins, maybe, ranked in the Top 10—doesn't have any bowl trip?
• Can you imagine New Year's Day without bowl games? I can't.
• Finally, and most importantly, I would like to say this: The biggest complaint about the BCS is that it does not guarantee that the "best team" in the country is named national champion. Well, I've got a news flash for you, folks. A playoff won't guarantee that, either. The BCS system as it stands rewards teams based on their entire body of work. The NFL playoff system, by contrast, rewards teams based strictly on their performance in the playoffs. The "best team" does not always win the Super Bowl. Just ask the 2007 New England Patriots.

Photo: BCS Commissioner John Swofford, left, faced tough questions from Congress on Friday about the "fairness" of the BCS system. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)