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Too bad the BCS isn't gone now

In the Bleachers with Billy

by: Billy Gates/The Pioneer - Madras’ Brandon Hawes gains a top position on a North Lake wrestler during Saturday’s Central Oregon Officials Open wrestling tournament at Mountain View High School in Bend.

I have never been a fan of the BCS bowl system for college football. There's too much money changing hands in an arena that is supposed to be one of the last bastions of amateurism in sports, among other issues.
   Whether it's the way the bowl games are set up, which are solely for how much money they can generate and give to weasel-like CEOs, or because the human and computer voting system are flawed to their very core, the BCS has had a tumultuous ride since 1998, drawing criticism from just about everyone across the nation that follows college football.
   It has been in place, however, because of the financial gains a few people in the most influential places make. Sounds something like the 99 percent versus the 1 percent.
   This year, however, I'm not so worried about the money aspect of it. I'm worried about the quality of games and some of the archaic rules that were implemented when this was created.
   Allow me to explain.
   There needs to be an option whether or not the BCS has to take a nonautomatic qualifing school in one of the games.
   Northern Illinois has no business being in the mix with everybody else, including the team that's going to throw them around like a rag doll, Florida State.
   I understand Northern Illinois did everything they had to do in order to put themselves in position to earn a selection. They won the Mid-America Conference, finished in the top 16 of the BCS standings and finished ahead of a conference championship that earned an automatic bid.
   In fact, they finished ahead of two champs, Wisconsin from the Big 10 and Louisville from the Big East, so by the letter of the law, they were allowed into the Orange Bowl.
   And if it wasn't for Jim Tressel lying about benefits to players, along with the whole Jerry Sandusky scandal, the Huskies might not be in the position in the first place.
   With Ohio State and Penn State both on bowl bans, either team could have won the Big 10, eliminating that avenue of qualification because Ohio State (the Big 10's best team) is much higher in the BCS than Northern Illinois.
   Georgia and Oklahoma need to be in BCS games, but since no conference can have more than two teams (I guess some BCSers were feeling charitable?), two of the nation's top teams won't get to play in the big games and fans get cheated.
   The best teams need to play in the postseason, and that's why college football needs playoffs.
   Every Division I team in the nation needs to feel like they can win a national championship at the start of the season, not just a select few from power conferences.
   At least football fans around here will be treated to a great game when the Ducks take on Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.
   The Beavers should also be part of a great game against Texas in the Alamo Bowl.