RIP BCS- You Will Not Be Missed.

This past summer brought hope to the world of college football.  Finally, a four-team play was put in place following the end of the 2014 season.  After the constant debate over the current and unfair Bowl Championship Series, or BCS, the right decision was finally made.  This BCS dominated for the past fourteen years in college football, which used a combination of formulas and various computers to determine the overall champion, or champions, after the final bowl games.  

Several obvious and key benefits come from the implementation of a playoff system.  The current BCS system gives no chance for a "Cinderella" type team, like a Boise State, to ever have the chance to play in the national title game, despite suffering zero losses in the regular season.  The playoff, despite only being four teams, gives more teams a chance to be crowned number one.  Losing one game in a season doesn't completely crush the national title hopes for teams.  If USC were to lose their second game of the year, they still have as good of a chance as anyone to make the playoff and potentially win the title.  Human bias will be largely decreased with this playoff system as the votes of experts weigh less and the actual performance of teams determine their fate.  Don't forget that most NCAA championships are determined through a playoff system already, such as March Madness, which is arguably the biggest sporting event of the year. 

What about money? The playoff system will provide schools with a higher percentage of the earnings of each game.  This money is used for academic purposes in a addition to some athletic upgrades.  According to a Huffington Post article regarding the new playoff:

"this new format figures to more than double the TV revenue of the current BCS and Rose Bowl contracts. Those pay out about $155 million annually. The commissioners want to lock in this format for 12 years with a television partner. The current four-year BCS deal with ESPN runs through the 2013 season. The new format will be presented to potential TV partners in the fall, starting with ESPN."

Of course money was a key contributor to the acceptance of this new format.  Any national TV partner would be stupid to pass up this deal for the new playoff system.  Doubling the current $155 million annual deal and multiplying it by twelve years brings the estimated TV revenue to $3.72 billion.  Now that is lotta money!  TV ratings for playoff games will be through the roof.  With these incredibly inflated revenue figures, the playoff system will be here for a long time and potentially increase in size in the future. 

While all of the benefits sound great, is there any downside to the playoff system?  The season becomes longer for those teams that continue to advance in the playoff.  Players will be kept out of school for longer periods and the chance for injury increases with an elongated season.  There could be a financial lose due to less advertisements and television contracts. 

To me the decision is obvious- the pros heavily outweigh the cons: bring on the four team playoff!  America was built on the idea of equality, so why not allow more college football teams a shot at the national title?  The NCAA already passed Title IX- forcing colleges to offer equal scholarships to male and female athletes.  It's time for college football to join other NCAA sports in the thrill, excitement and opportunity of a playoff.