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Friday, October 14, 2005
College football playoffs bring more issues than answers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
So what’s wrong with Georgia finishing the college football season ranked No. 1 in, say, the Master Coaches Survey, Virginia Tech taking honors with The Associated Press and Southern Cal smacking Texas in the Rose Bowl to become king of the Bowl Championship Series?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
“I mean, why would college football want to start something [a playoff system] that they don’t need?” said Dick Bestwick, 75, among the all-time wisemen of sports. He’s done everything from coaching high school football in his native Grove City, Pa., to working under Tom Landry with the Dallas Cowboys. He’s now retired in Athens after serving as Georgia’s assistant athletics director, and he added, “College football never has been more popular. They keep increasing their attendance every year. The thing that they [critics of the BCS] don’t understand is that, no matter what we do, there still will be controversy.”
For instance: You’ll have those who will yell themselves hoarse Monday after the first BCS standings are released. Well, imagine the fuming you’d have every week over the choices of whatever entities would be used to select teams for a playoff system. This season, for instance, Southern Cal is a universal No. 1, with Texas, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Georgia rounding out the top five of most polls and computers. And the problem?
“Let’s say you go with four teams in the playoffs. How about the fifth and the sixth team on the list? They both could say they’re better than three and four, and in most cases, they could make a pretty good argument,” Bestwick said. “Who would have been the fourth team for a playoffs last year? Would it have been Texas, California, Utah? No matter how many teams you have in a playoffs — whether we’re talking eight, 16, whatever — you would have more controversy than now.”
You’d also have the NCAA battering the student-athlete even more. Right now, players spend a week or so in bowl cities for a wonderful combination of relaxing and practicing. The intensity needed for a playoff system would take away those tours of beaches and amusement parks, along with compensation from players.
Says who? Says Bestwick, once the executive director of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl after playing and coaching in other bowls through the decades. “If you had a playoff, you’d go in the day before the game and play, and you’d come back out the next day,” Bestwick said. “There would be no coming to the site and having a good time and making about $1,000 in expenses and travel money. Besides their Pell Grant, that’s the one time that kids have to make some legitimate money. You know, this whole thing is just goofy.”
It’s this goofy: Some bowls would lose money with playoffs. “The majority of the help at bowls are volunteers,” Bestwick said. “At the Peach Bowl, they’ve got 400 to 600 volunteers. You can’t function without those volunteers. You have Al Tarica, who has been with the Peach Bowl for about 30 years, and he’s in charge of the events. He’s a very outstanding CPA. You’d have to pay a huge salary to a guy to do the things that he does as a volunteer.”
Worse, with a playoff system, you’d have Division I-A football trying to resemble the NFL postseason, but only with players who aren’t equipped physically or mentally to handle such a thing. And, yes, they do have playoffs at the lower levels of college football. It’s just that the collisions aren’t as fierce or damaging.
“If you look at anything from Division I-A down, all the fast guys are little, and all the big guys are fat,” Bestwick said. “The speed and the strength of the big guys at those levels don’t even begin to compare. The mounting injuries of the Falcons this season is just another reminder of why the playoffs would really be bad for colleges. After a season of big games, the playoffs would be high intensity games where injuries would be even greater. The carnage on the kids would mean a final game would be more a contest of who has survived best than the two best teams.”
In other words, stop whining about the current system. Better yet, just sit back and embrace it.
Permalink | Comments (43) | Categories: Tech / ACC, Terence Moore, UGA / SEC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Before we get into this week’s possible game between the Falcons and New Orleans, which is on the schedule but will not be confirmed by the team or Jim Paramoira, who may or may not be a coach and says he has no special plans for Sunday and might just walk the dog or plant daisies, though he’s not confirming the existence of the dog species or plant life on Earth, which is not to say he’s an Earthling, if indeed Earth exists, and then there’s that whole Big Bang theory … AAAAGGGH!
Anyway, about this “competitive advantage” thing that Paramoira harps on. I had a conversation with Bill Walsh once during a strike season. I had walked through the locker room and saw a Tom Cousineau jersey hanging in a stall. The conversation went something like this:
Me: “So. I see you’ve signed Cousineau for your strike team.”
Walsh: “Who told you that?”
Me: “Nobody. His jersey’s hanging up.”
Walsh: “Oh, um, no, you’re mistaken. I mean, we thought about signing him but we changed our mind.”
Me: “Excuse me?”
Walsh: “Sorry. I’m late for Mensa. But you wouldn’t know about that.”
Walsh, who also had this thing about competitive advantage, didn’t even want teams to know he signed Cousineau. Of course, this thrilled Cousineau, who was not considered a competitive advantage before.
But there’s no reason to be secretive this week. It’s the Saints. They lost 52-3 last week. Jim Haslett has done less with more than any coach in NFL history during his reign of error. Just give him your playbook. He’ll still tie his shoes together.
Michael Vick was listed as “questionable” early in the week. But as Paramoira said: “What’s questionable tell you? … We’re all questionable. I might die in 30 seconds.”
Ah hah! He’s not on the injury report! LIAR!
With or without Vick. Or Mora. Or life forms. Falcons cover 5 1/2.
4 BAGS
Giants at Cowboys: New York has scored the most points in the NFC (136) and is plus-10 in turnovers the last three weeks. I hate stats. Cowboys win and cover 3 1/2.
Dude, That Was My Skull: It’s not Jeff Spicoli having a pizza delivered to Mr. Hand’s class, but you have to admire Nick Saban for starting a blazed certified yoga instructor (Ricky Williams) in his backfield. Or not. Tampa wins but take Fins and 5.
3 BAGS
Patriots at Broncos: Tom Brady has been near perfect. With that defense in New England, he’ll have to be. Take the gift 3 as Pats outgun Denver.
Chargers at Raiders: Oakland is struggling in the Red Zone despite having Randy Moss, which ticks off Al Davis, and he’s not even in a Fantasy League, unless we’re counting every day delusions. San Diego covers 2.
2 BAGS
Men of (Rhymes of Thors): So the Vikings reportedly rode The Lust Boat during a bye week. Police are investigating possible prostitution, drug use and illegal sex acts on a chartered cruise involving at least 20 players. The good news is, the Vikings finally tackled somebody. Bears cover 3.
Panthers at Lions: Roy Williams told Sports Illustrated that the Detroit receivers “don’t have any trust” in QB Joey Harrington. It’s a team-building thing. You wouldn’t understand. Take Carolina and 1.
Redskins at Chiefs: The friendship between Joe Gibbs and Dick Vermeil dates back to when they worked together on the first transcontinental railroad. Chiefs cover 6.
Bengals at Titans: Imagine how good Cincinnati would be if it didn’t lead the NFL in penalties (57). The team ranks second in wins and first in felonies. The 3 is covered.
Jaguars at Steelers: Pittsburgh may be without Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward, which would be a problem if Jacksonville didn’t rank 29th against the run. Steelers win, but take Jags and 3.
Jets at Bills: Vinny Testaverde and Kelly Holcomb have steadied their teams. There’s something very disturbing about that. Bills cover 3.
Rams at Colts: St. Louis coach Mike Martz has taken a leave of absence. He joins Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce. (I know. No respect.) Indy covers a whopper (13 1/2).
HOW ‘BOUT THAT WILL AND GRACE MARATHON?
Texans at Seahawks: Four games and Houston hasn’t forced a turnover yet. It seems so much easier in practice when they’re going against David Carr. Seattle covers 9 1/2.
Browns at Ravens: Jamal Lewis has averaged 147.6 yards per game against the Browns, a credit to his conditioning and monthly games against the Guards. Baltimore covers 5 1/2.
PROFIT MARGINS
(This has become the No Figuring League. But, hey, it’s not about profits! It’s the thrill of the ride! That’s what we like to say. Come on! Who’s with me!?! Hello? Why are you looking at me like that?)
Straight up: 7-7 last week, 35-24 overall
Against the line: 6-7-1; 29-29-1 overall
Lock of the week: Sunrise, 7:43 a.m.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Jeff Schultz
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