The Quandary of College Football

There are so very many things to love about college football. The thrill of watching the game combined with a college atmosphere creates a unique experience that every football fan should treasure at least once. Not to mention, the games themselves are high-scoring, free-flowing, and dramatic, rampant with upsets and comebacks from every corner of the country. It is a break from the professionalism, discipline, and defense that marks the professional game and a delightful foray into the experience of college.

That being said, college football is far from the paradise of sport. The BCS ranking system is so muddled that Cincinnati Bearcats (currently ranked #8 in the country) is ranked ahead of a far more prestigous (and superior) school in the #9 Ohio State Buckeyes, not just traditionally but also presently. The Bucks are 4-1, their only loss coming to a USC team that has dominated the Big Ten (and college football in general) for decades. Don't get me wrong; Cincinnati are a great team (their dominant victory at Rutgers during the first week of the season proved as much), but to put them ahead of the Buckeyes because of a loss to USC when the Bearcats have yet to play a ranked opponent (their first such contest will be today against the University of South Florida) seems a mistake to me.

So befuddled are we by this system of college football rankings that President Barack Obama has proposed the installment of a national championship playoff. I personally love this idea, as it allows the broadcasters to get more big games between the best teams in the country (who otherwise would not likely get the opportunity to play one another) and allows all the teams an even shot at the National Championship instead of leaving it to voters to decide which team goes where.

Another problem exists in the college game that irrevocably set it apart from its professional counterpart: lack of parity. The NFL is steeped in collective bargaining agreements and regulations to keep control of its teams and players. No such restrictions are in place for the powerhouses of college football. Just like professional soccer in Europe, the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. A school's program is only limited by what their athletic department is willing to spend. For schools like Ohio State and USC, the sky is the limit; for the not-so-wealthy schools, fielding a competitive team can be a seemingly insurmountable challenge.

But that makes the victory all the sweeter when the underdog team does rise to the top. And that is why we love college football.