The best way to build a college playoff system is by using all the best elements of the current bowl system. All the components are already in place, they just need to be rearranged... and egos need checked at the door. A six team, two bracket, 3 tier playoff/tournament featuring the top six teams according to the BCS's own robust computer ranking system, with byes given to the numbers 1 & 2 teams directly into the second round. It's a plausible solution.

1. A
Be%er
BCS:
Reaching
College
Football’s
Poten9al
Lance
Hedges
December
6,
2011
DraD

2. How
Cool
Would
This
Be?
A
Be%er
Bowl
Championship
Series
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Week
17
(Mid
Dec)
Week
19
(New
Years)
Week
21
(Mid
Jan)
“BCS
Qualifiers”
“BCS
Semis”
“BCS
Finals”
Sugar
Bowl
Fiesta
Bowl
#1
#4
LSU
“A”
Stanford
TBD
Bracket
A
Be%er
BCS
TBD
#7
Boise
St
Na.onal
CoJon
Bowl
Champion
Orange
Bowl
Rose
Bowl
#2
#3
Alabama
Oklahoma
St
TBD
“B”
c
Bracket
TBD
#5
Oregon
It’s
doable.
It’s
an
evolu9on
of
the
current
system.
And
it’s
what
fans
want.
Unfortunately,
it’s
not
what
(most
of)
the
BCS
wants.
At
least
not
yet.

3. The
BCS
Misinterprets
Its
Mandate
It’s
not
just
#1
v.
#2
anymore.
The
BCS
seeks
to
provide
a
na9onal
championship
game
between
the
#1
&
Fans
wants
the
post-­‐season
#2
teams
and
uses
the
games
to
be
a
meaningful
and
regular
season
to
iden9fy
progressive
way
to
conclude
such
teams
the
season,
with
exci9ng
matchups
across
the
board.
The
results:
weak
matchups,
empty
seats,
poor
TV
ra9ngs
and
frustrated
stakeholders

4. The
Bowl
Championship
Series
What
is
it?
:
“The
Bowl
Championship
Series
(BCS)
is
a
five-­‐game
showcase
of
college
football.
It
is
designed
to
ensure
that
the
two
top-­‐rated
teams
in
the
country
meet
in
the
na9onal
championship
game,
and
to
create
exci9ng
and
compe99ve
matchups
among
eight
other
highly
regarded
teams
in
four
other
bowl
games.”
BCSfootball.org
Who
is
it?
“The
BCS
is
managed
by
the
commissioners
of
the
11
NCAA
Football
Bowl
Subdivision
("FBS")
(formerly
Division
I-­‐A)
conferences,
the
director
of
athle9cs
at
the
University
of
Notre
Dame,
and
representa9ves
of
the
bowl
organiza9ons.
“-­‐
BCSFootball.org

5. The
BCS…A
Contrary
Opinion
“Realis9cally,
six
men
control
college
football:
the
commissioners
of
the
Atlan9c
Coast,
Big
East,
Big
Ten,
Big
12,
Pac-­‐10,
and
Southeastern
conferences….(They)
guide
the
BCS
to
a
place
where
their
conferences
receive
automa9c
bids
to
the
BCS
games
with
massive
payouts.
This
is
college
football’s
Cartel.“-­‐
DeathToTheBCS.com

6. While
the
truth
is
somewhere
in
the
middle…
• College
football’s
popularity
is
as
consistently
popular,
on
a
rela9ve
basis,
as
professional
football,
through
its
regular
season,
and
even
the
off
season.
• Like
football
at
all
levels,
it
accomplishes
this
by
providing
enough
9me
between
games
to
savor/despair
over
the
previous
week’s
win/loss,
while
gelng
ready
for
the
next
game.
• This
is
unique
to
football
in
American
popular
sports,
as
it
provides
a
recurring
cycle
of
elongated
an9cipa9on
and
guaranteed
payoff.
• Fans
reward
this
structure
in
the
form
of
high
a%endance
and
television
ra9ngs.
• The
NFL
has
reached
the
pinnacle
of
success
with
its
Super
Bowl
achieve
default
na9onal
holiday
status.
That’s
because
the
NFL
builds
upon
its
regular
season
with
an
even
more
compelling
post-­‐season,
culmina9ng
in
Super
Bowls
that
are
the
most
watched
television
events
in
history.
• As
the
college
season
progresses,
and
the
an9cipa9on
for
an
exci9ng
conclusion
builds
up
as
more
and
more
na9onal
interest
is
placed
on
how
the
rankings
will
turn
out,
the
powers
that
be,
in
the
form
of
the
BCS,
pull
a
bait
and
switch
on
the
fans.
• The
BCS
does
provide
a
Na9onal
Championship
game,
but
all
the
work
in
gelng
there
will
already
have
taken
place
in
the
regular
season.
• For
most
fans,
this
leaves
them
without
that
sense
of
closure
one
naturally
dedica9ng
a
season
to
a
sport.
• The
fans
then
vote
with
their
feet
and
TVs.
Tickets
go
unsold
and
sports
fans
fail
to
tune
in.
…the
bo%om
line
is
the
BCS
is
a
perpetual
missed
opportunity.

7. A
Reality
Check
This
argument
presumes
the
following
points
to
be
fact...
1. The
athle9c
conferences,
in
the
form
of
the
BCS,
control
their
own
des9ny…
…Not
individual
teams.
They
are
represented
by
their
respec9ve
conferences.
And
independents,
like
Notre
Dame
and
the
military
academies
have
their
own
seats
at
the
table.
…Not
individual
bowls.
The
bowls
are
willing
partners
in
that
endeavor,
but
in
reality
are
useful,
but
expendable
partners.
They
are
responsible
for
raising
their
own
money
to
host
them,
and
must
eat
their
losses
when
forced
to
host
low-­‐interest
games.
2.
It
is
essen9al
to
the
BCS
to
retain
that
self-­‐direc9on.
They
do
not
want
to
relinquish
control
to
the
NCAA.
3. The
logis9cal
challenges
of
shiDing
the
bowls
to
the
planorm
for
execu9ng
a
playoff
system
are
real,
but
not
insurmountable.
4. Concerns
about
the
welfare
of
student
athletes
being
subjected
to
addi9onal
games
are
not
relevant.
The
Div
II
schools
u9lize
a
far
lengthier,
in
terms
of
game)
playoff
system
and
are
governed
directly
by
the
NCAA.
This
is
ul9mately
about
the
business
of
college
football.
5. There
is
a
lot
of
money
involved.
But
not
nearly
as
much
as
there
could
be.

8. Lots
of
Money,
but
not
for
everyone
• Current
program…$18M
per
Conference
that
automa9cally
qualifies…
$4.5M
per
team
beyond
the
first
that
earns
a
spot.
• This
usually
means
6
Automa9c
Qualifying
Conference
(AQC)
teams,
plus
2
or
3
at
large
selec9ons.
• This
leaves
only
1
or
2
slots
for
non-­‐Automa9c
Qualifying
conferences
(NQCs),
who
have
agreed
amongst
themselves
to
5
of
them
to
split
the
proceeds
any
of
them
receive
amongst
themselves,
which
is
the
remaining
balance.
• Who
are
the
AQCs?

9. Payout
for
2010-­‐2011
Bowl
Season
(in
millions)
ACC-­‐
$21.2M*
Big
10-­‐
$27.2M88
Big
East-­‐
$21.2M*
Big
XII-­‐
$21.2M*
PAC
10-­‐
$27.2M**
SEC-­‐
$27.2M**
MAC-­‐
$4.8M***
Conf
USA-­‐
$4.8M***
WAC-­‐
$4.85M***
Mt
West-­‐
$4.8M***
Sun
Belt-­‐
$4.8M***
*
1
Team
Automa9cally
Qualified
(AQ)
**
2
Teams
Qualified
***
Per
mutual
agreement,
all
Non
AQ
Conferences
split
appearance
revenues
amongst
themselves
Are
there
any
Non
AQCs
that
historically
outperform
the
AQCs
and
s9ll
earn
less?
Absolutely.

10. WAC
Outperformed
the
ACC
and
Big
East
in
every
category…
…and
earned
only
22%
of
the
revenue
the
others
each
received.

11. Cycle
of
Dependency
• The
BCS
depends
• The
Bowls
depend
upon
its
TV
upon
the
BCS
contract
for
its
structure
to
select
revenue.
teams.
Bowls
BCS
Fans
TV
• The
Fans
depend
• The
TV
network
upon
the
Bowls
to
depends
upon
provide
exci9ng
conclusion
to
the
the
fans
to
tune
season.
into
the
games.
This
dependency
leads
to
stress
and
frustra9on
as
the
season
ul9mately
fails
to
reward
anyone,
with
the
excep9on
of
a
very
few,
as
well
as
it
could.

12. Cycle
of
Frustra9on
• Conferences
split
on
• The
Bowls
want
to
host
how
best
to
split
meaningful
games.
revenue
and
assign
They
know
that
is
bowl
slots.
Some
are
ul9mately
the
best
way
protec9ng
their
slice
of
to
sell
9ckets.
The
the
pie,
others
are
current
system
challenging
the
equity
prohibits
this.
of
the
system
dividing
the
pie
up.
Bowls
BCS
Fans
TV
• The
fans
want
a
• The
TV
network
wants
meaningful
end
to
the
a
system
that
will
season
they
invested
so
maximize
poten9al
much
9me
watching.
audience
share.
The
The
current
system
current
system
falls
well
precludes
this.
short
of
its
poten9al.
What
exactly
is
at
stake,
and
what
is
the
poten9al
being
missed

13. There
is
a
lot
of
money
at
stake,
but
could
there
be
more?
Current
Contract
$500M
The
current
contract
with
ESPN
is
for
$500
Million
over
three
years.
How
much
more
would
it
be
worth
if
it
meant
it’s
poten9al?
We
can
measure
this
by
looking
at
how
the
BCS
performs
regarding
its
TAW
numbers
and
PACE
curve

14. Total
Audience
Weight
(TAW)
Scores
TAW
compiles
the
120
individual
ra9ngs
for
an
event
into
a
100
single
score,
providing
a
way
to
80
compare
rela9ve
60
popularity
and
total
viewership.
40
The
score
directly
relates
to
how
20
much
a
network
will
pay
for
the
0
rights
to
televise
BCS
(Current)
the
event.
BCS
(Poten9al)
NFL
(NFC)
How
is
that
Poten9al
calculated?
By
reviewing
its
PACE
performance.

15. PACE
Curve
Progressive
An9cipa9on
and
Collec9ve
Excitement
(PACE):
The
phenomenon
in
a
televised
sports
whereby
its
popularity
grows
well
beyond
its
regular
season
base
as
it
approaches
its
championship
conclusion,
building
momentum
round
aDer
round
How
steep
the
curve
rises
(increases
in
popularity)
is
directly
connected
to
the
perceived
quality
of
the
matchup
and
the
level
of
tradi9on
amongst
the
audience
to
follow
the
event,
year
aDer
year.
A
sport’s
PACE
poten9al
can
be
reviewed
when
comparing
it
to
a
constant
baseline.

16. BCS
PACE
Curve
An
event’s
PACE
poten9al
can
be
30
iden9fied
via
its
25
BCS
(Current)
rela9ve
comparison
to
another
event
BCS
(Poten9al)
similar
in
scope
and
20
NFL
(NFC)
intent,
so
long
as
15
the
baselines
(applicable
regular
10
seasons
ra9ngs)
5
remain
propor9onate
over
0
the
same
extended
Regular
Season
Regular
Regular
Playoff
period
of
9me.
Season
Season
Championship
BCS
is
not
maximizing
its
poten9al.
How
much
does
this
mean
in
terms
of
lost
opportunity
revenue?
Note:
The
size
and
scope
of
the
Super
Bowl
do
not
make
for
an
appropriate
comparison.

17. Money
on
the
table…
Poten9al
contract
$750M
Current
Contract
$500M
…but
what
kind
of
system
can
be
put
in
place
to
take
advantage
of
it?

18. A
New
Way
of
Doing
Things
is
Needed
If the BCS wanted to convert to a system that makes
the most of the opportunity presented them, they
must revise their system to do two things…
1. Ensure the best match-ups possible are not
interfered with by special rules favoring certain
conferences to ensure their largest possible
share of revenue (ex.WAC v. ACC and Big East)
2. Implement a progressive winner moves on/
elimination regime that incorporates and
maximizes the future potential of the bowls.

19. A
Plausible
Solu9on
If the BCS wanted to convert to a winner-moves-on system, as such.
A six team, two bracket, 3 tier playoff/tournament featuring the top six teams according to the BCS's
own robust computer ranking system, with byes given to the numbers 1 & 2 teams directly into the
second round.
Proposed
BCS
College
Football
Post
Season
Tournament
Format
Season
End
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Week
15
Week
17
Week
19
Week
21
“BCS
Selec9on
Party”
“BCS
Qualifiers”
“BCS
Semis”
“BCS
Finals”
CoJon
Bowl
Fiesta
Bowl
#1
Team
Team
#1
“A”
#4
Team
TBD
Bracket
#1
TBD
Team
#2
#5
Team
Team
#3
Na.onal
Rose
Bowl
Champ
Sugar
Bowl
Team
#4
Orange
Bowl
#2
Team
Team
#5
#3
Team
“B”
TBD
Team
#6
c
TBD
Bracket
#6
Team

20. Some
Plan
Details
A six team, two bracket, 3 tier playoff/tournament featuring the top six teams according to the BCS's
own robust computer ranking system, with byes given to the numbers 1 & 2 teams directly into the
second round.
• It would take commence 2 weeks following the conclusion of the season with the first round taking
place Mid December, the semis around the New Year, and the final 2 weeks later.
• The Bowls would continue hosting the championship in a rotating fashion.
• The Cotton Bowl would be incorporated as the 5th bowl in the rotation.
• The seeding of 3-6 into the varying brackets would be governed by certain rules, such as the "SEC"
rule, which keeps two teams from the same conference from meeting until the final round, or the
Hawaii rule which ensures the seeding of undefeated teams that win their Conference but who have
not cracked the top 6 in ranking.
• Scrapping the Automatic bid regime. Currently the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, PAC-10 and SEC
conference champions are all guaranteed spots in BCS games. This often leads to low ranking teams
being slotted in place of undefeated teams from non-automatic bid conferences (i.e Boise State)
missing the cut. Only two teams per conference max to
• An allocation of Television dollars based on a flat annual payment to each conference, $$ to each
conference based on the amount of teams they have in the Top 25, and $$ for each team selected to
compete in the post-season event.

21. Retro
Alloca9on
of
2010
Revenue
per
Proposal
All
$$
in
Millions
Revenue
ACC-­‐
$25M
Big
10-­‐
$40M
Big
East-­‐
$10M
Big
XII-­‐
$30M
Pac
10-­‐
$35M
SEC-­‐
$40M
WAC-­‐
$15M
Mt.West-­‐
$5M
Conf
USA-­‐
$20M
MAC-­‐
$5M
A
much
fairer
distribu9on,
based
on
performance,
while
s9ll
growing
the
pie.

22. Retro
Applica9on
of
Concept
to
2006-­‐2010
seasons
(all
$$
in
Millions)
As
the
following
slides
show,
this
concept
applied
retroac9vely
to
past
5
seasons
yields
compelling
matchups
and
exci9ng
rounds
of
football.
It
should
be
easy
to
narrow
the
PACE
gap
in
a
few
short
years
and
begin
maximizing
its
poten9al.

23. 2011-­‐2012
BCS
Format
Actual
&
Proposed
Rank
School
Record
Conf
Actual
Bowl
Score
TV
Ra9ngs
1
LSU
13-­‐0
SEC
BCS
2
Alabama
11-­‐1
SEC
BCS
3
Oklahoma
St
11-­‐1
Big
12
Fiesta
4
Stanford
11-­‐1
PAC
12
Fiesta
5
Oregon
11-­‐2
PAC
12
Rose
6
Arkansas
10-­‐2
SEC
7
Boise
St
11-­‐1
Mt
West
8
Kansas
St
10-­‐2
Big
12
9
South
Carolina
10-­‐2
SEC
10
Wisconsin
11-­‐2
Big
10
Rose
11
Virginia
Tech
11-­‐2
ACC
Sugar
13
Michigan
10-­‐2
Big
10
Sugar
15
Clemson
9-­‐3
ACC
Orange
23
West
Virginia
10-­‐3
Big
East
Orange
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Week
17
Week
19
Week
21
“BCS
Qualifiers”
“BCS
Semis”
“BCS
Finals”
Sugar
Bowl
Fiesta
Bowl
#1
#4
LSU
“A”
Stanford
TBD
Bracket
TBD
#7
Boise
St
CoJon
Bowl
TBD
Orange
Bowl
Rose
Bowl
#2
#3
Alabama
Oklahoma
St
TBD
“B”
c
Bracket
#5
TBD
Oregon
•
Based
on
Projected
Results
**
Based
on
Actual
Bowl
Match
Ups

24. 2010-­‐2011
BCS
Format
Actual
&
Proposed
Rank
School
Record
Conf
Actual
Bowl
Score
TV
Ra9ngs
1
Auburn
13-­‐0
SEC
BCS
22
15.3
2
Oregon
12-­‐0
Pac
10
BCS
19
15.3
3
TCU
12-­‐0
Mt
West
Rose
21
11.7
4
Stanford
11-­‐1
Pac
10
Orange
40
7.1
5
Wisconsin
11-­‐1
Big
10
Rose
19
11.7
6
Ohio
St
11-­‐2
Big
10
Sugar
31
8.4
7
Oklahoma
11-­‐2
Big
12
Fiesta
48
6.7
8
Arkansas
10-­‐2
SEC
Sugar
26
8.4
9
Michigan
St
11-­‐1
Big
10
10
Boise
St
11-­‐1
WAC
13
Virginia
Tech
11-­‐2
ACC
Orange
12
7.1
26
Uconn
8-­‐4
Big
East
Fiesta
20
6.7
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Week
17
Week
19
Week
21
“BCS
Qualifiers”
“BCS
Semis”
“BCS
Finals”
Rose
Bowl
Orange
Bowl
#1
#4
Auburn
“A”
Stanford
#1
Auburn
Bracket
#4
#5
Stanford**
Wisconsin
Fiesta
Bowl
#1
Auburn
Sugar
Bowl
CoJon
Bowl
#2
#3
Oregon
TCU
#2
Oregon
“B”
c
#3
Bracket
#6
TCU*
Ohio
St
•
Based
on
Projected
Results
**
Based
on
Actual
Bowl
Match
Ups

25. 2009-­‐2010
BCS
FormatActual
&
Proposed
Rank
School
Record
Conf
Actual
Bowl
Score
TV
Ra9ngs
1 Alabama 13-0 SEC BCS 37 17.17
2 Texas 13-0 Big 12 BCS 21 17.17
3 TCU 12-0 Mt West Fiesta 10 8.23
4 Cincinatti 12-0 Big East Sugar 24 8.5
5 Florida 12-1 SEC Sugar 57 8.5
6 Boise St 13-0 WAC Fiesta 17 8.23
7 Oregon 10-2 Pac 10 Rose 17 13.18
8 Ohio St 10-2 Big 10 Rose 26 13.18
9 Georgia Tech 11-2 ACC Orange 14 6.8
10 Iowa 10-2 Big 10 Orange 24 6.8
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Week
17
Week
19
Week
21
“BCS
Qualifiers”
“BCS
Semis”
“BCS
Finals”
Orange
Bowl
CoJon
Bowl
#1
#3
Alabama
#1
“A”
TCU
Alabama*
#6
Bracket
#6
BoiseSt**
Boise
St
Rose
Bowl
TBD
Sugar
Bowl
Fiesta
Bowl
#2
#4
Texas
#5
CincinaT
“B”
c
#5
Florida*
Bracket
#5
Florida**
Florida
•
Based
on
Projected
Results
**
Based
on
Actual
Bowl
Match
Ups

26. 2008-­‐2009
BCS
Format
Actual
&
Proposed
Rank
School
Record
Conf
Actual
Bowl
Score
TV
Ra9ngs
1 Oklahoma 12-1 Big 12 BCS 14 15.8
2 Florida 12-1 SEC BCS 24 15.8
3 Texas 11-1 Big 12 Fiesta 24 10.4
4 Alabama 12-1 SEC Sugar 17 7.8
5 USC 11-1 Pac 10 Rose 38 11.7
6 Utah 12-0 WAC Sugar 31 7.8
7 Texas Tech 11-1 Big 12
8 Penn St 11-1 Big 10 Rose 24 11.7
9 Boise St 12-0 WAC
10 Ohio St 10-2 Big 10 Fiesta 21 10.4
12 Cincinatti 10-2 Big East Orange 17 5.4
19 Virgina Tech 9-4 ACC Orange 20 5.4
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Week
17
Week
19
Week
21
“BCS
Qualifiers”
“BCS
Semis”
“BCS
Finals”
Sugar
Bowl
CoJon
Bowl
#1
#4
Oklahoma
#1
“A”
Alabama
Oklahoma*
#6
Bracket
#6
Utah**
Utah
Orange
Bowl
TBD
Fiesta
Bowl
Rose
Bowl
#2
#4
Florida
#2
Texas
“B”
c
#5
Florida*
#5
USC*
Bracket
USC
•
Based
on
Projected
Results
**
Based
on
Actual
Bowl
Match
Ups

27. 2007-­‐2008
BCS
Format
Actual
&
Proposed
Rank
School
Record
Conf
Actual
Bowl
Score
TV
Ra9ngs
1 Ohio St 11-1 Big 10 BCS 24 17.4
2 LSU 11-2 SEC BCS 38 17.4
3 Virgina Tech 11-2 ACC Orange 21 7.4
4 Oklahoma 11-2 Big 12 Fiesta 28 7.7
5 Georgia 10-2 SEC Sugar 41 7
6 Missouri 11-2 Big 12
7 USC 10-2 Pac 10 Rose 49 11.1
8 Kansas 11-1 Big 12 Orange 24 7.4
9 West Virgina 10-2 Big East Fiesta 48 7.7
10 Hawaii 12-0 WAC Sugar 10 7
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Week
17
Week
19
Week
21
“BCS
Qualifiers”
“BCS
Semis”
“BCS
Finals”
Fiesta
Bowl
CoJon
Bowl
#1
#5
Ohio
St
#5
“A”
Georgia
Georgia*
#5
Georgia**
Bracket
#10
Hawaii
Sugar
Bowl
TBD
Rose
Bowl
Orange
Bowl
#2
#3
LSU
#2
VA
Tech
“B”
c
#5
LSU*
#4
Oklahoma*
Bracket
Oklahoma
•
Based
on
Projected
Results
**
Based
on
Actual
Bowl
Match
Ups

28. 2006-­‐2007
BCS
Format
Actual
&
Proposed
Rank
School
Record
Conf
Actual
Bowl
Score
TV
Ra9ngs
1 Ohio St 12-0 Big 10 BCS 14 17.4
2 Florida 12-1 SEC BCS 41 17.4
3 Michigan 11-1 Big 10 Rose 18 13.84
4 USC 10-2 Pac 10 Rose 32 13.84
5 LSU 10-2 SEC Sugar 41 9.29
6 Louisville 11-1 Big East Orange 24 6.98
7 Boise St 12-0 WAC Fiesta 43 8.4
8 Auburn 10-2 SEC
9 Notre Dame 10-2 Ind Sugar 14 9.29
10 Wisconsin 11-1 Big 10
11 Oklahoma 11-2 Big 12 Fiesta 42 8.4
14 Wake Forrest (14) 11-2 ACC Orange 13 6.98
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Week
17
Week
19
Week
21
“BCS
Qualifiers”
“BCS
Semis”
“BCS
Finals”
Rose
Bowl
Sugar
Bowl
#1
#5
Ohio
St
#5
“A”
LSU
#6
LSU*
Bracket
#6
LSU*
Louisville
Fiesta
Bowl
TBD
Orange
Bowl
CoJon
Bowl
#2
#3
Florida
#2
“B”
Michigan
c
#4
Florida*
Bracket
#4
USC**
USC
•
Based
on
Projected
Results
**
Based
on
Actual
Bowl
Match
Ups