Did you think the idea of expanding the NCAA Tournament to 96 teams was backwards and just plain stupid? Worried about having too many mediocre teams undeservedly in the postseason? Well, it looks like that’s about to happen, this very bowl season in college football.
It’s bad enough that 6-6 teams have been getting into bowl games, and getting there by scheduling creampuffs to pad their record. But now it’s going to get even worse: we could realistically see a few 5-7 teams in the “postseason.” I told you the bowl system has WAY over-expanded, the BCS is a backwards system, and every year we don’t have a playoff system, the terrorists win.
According to the San Diego Union Tribune:
In April, the NCAA approved an all-time high of 35 bowl games for the 2010 postseason, up from 34 last year. At the time, the NCAA said it would later address what would happen if there weren’t enough teams with the minimum six wins necessary to fill those 70 spots.
No contingency plan has materialized yet as NCAA officials hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. But now some factors have arisen that may make it more likely that teams with losing records might be needed to fill all the bowl games.
There are a couple things working against the chances of making sure all the bowl slots are filled with .500 or better teams. USC is ineligible and parity rules. Parity is a double edged sword, it can work for against the bowl system currently in place.
There are fewer chances for teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to get “easy” wins. FBS teams each year schedule teams from the slower, smaller Football Championship Subdivision in order to increase their chances of getting the minimum six victories for a bowl berth. Last year, FBS teams were 89-5 in such games. By season’s end, there were 71 bowl-eligible teams for 68 bowl berths.
This year, FBS teams are 63-6 against the FCS, according to the NCAA, with 21 more such games left on the schedule. That means, at most, FBS teams will have 84 “easy” wins, down from 89 last year, when there were just enough teams eligible to fill the 34 bowls.
There are fewer chances for teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to get “easy” wins. FBS teams each year schedule teams from the slower, smaller Football Championship Subdivision in order to increase their chances of getting the minimum six victories for a bowl berth. Last year, FBS teams were 89-5 in such games. By season’s end, there were 71 bowl-eligible teams for 68 bowl berths. This year, FBS teams are 63-6 against the FCS, according to the NCAA, with 21 more such games left on the schedule. That means, at most, FBS teams will have 84 “easy” wins, down from 89 last year, when there were just enough teams eligible to fill the 34 bowls.