NCAA football playoff geekdom runneth over

Now to the Bull Crap Series, errr, umm, Bowl Championship Series. Although its advocates will again argue otherwise, the BCS has yet again proven ineffective in yielding a true No. 1 vs. No. 2 match for the NCAA Division I football title.

Sure, I'm a Longhorn honk. I admit UT is an above-average-at-best No. 2 team in the nation. Alabama indeed deserves the top ranking right now. Yet I can't deny unbeaten and well-balanced (and pretty well-tested) TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State that they, too, deserve a fair shot at a national title. Who's the better school in Texas? TCU? UT? Only a head-to-head contest would settle that question.

Could Cincinnati top Boise State? I'm sure millions of objective purists would love to see that match play out...except, of course, for the "powers that be"--television executives and power conference presidents who only want to see and sell sex when it comes to bowl games. They'd rather arbitrarily pair two traditional powerhouses via a computer rather than let rising star schools settle such questions where it truly counts: on the playing field.

I’m not sure who the real top two teams are. You don’t, either. I’m very sure neither does a computer. As the quote goes, that’s why they play the game. On the playing surface. Like virtually every other sporting organization on earth. Even the Kazahkistani kick-goathead league has a playoff. Without the NCAA basketball tournament, a school like George Mason likely would have never made it to the Final Four. You see Gonzagas and Marquettes make their mark on the national scene. Without the College World Series, schools like Cal State-Fullerton and Long Beach State -- not so much a Texas or USC -- get to shine.

Well, we won’t waste further time going into the minds of those myopically opposed to a NCAA Division I tournament of some kind. Even the “bowl games are a tradition” and “schools will lose money” and “you can’t make the student-athletes play that long or late into January” philosophies. None of those arguments really work. Never did, never will.

So, what if a playoff system did exist for college football? This is what I'd do. You start with automatic champions from 11 conferences (regular-season champs and/or championship game victors). In this year’s case, those automatic bids go to: Georgia Tech (ACC), Texas (Big 12), Cincinnati (Big East), Ohio State (Big 10), East Carolina (Conference USA), Mid-American (Central Michigan), Mountain West (TCU), Oregon (Pac-10), Alabama (SEC), Troy (Sun Belt) and Boise State (WAC).

You could average the rankings of the AP, USA Today, Harris and Coaches' polls, emphasizing which schools get the most place votes and arrive at a final aggregate Top 25 poll (a de facto BCS without the computer interference). Those are arguably the strongest, long-standing, most popular and credible of Division I polls.

You add the top independent team ranked high enough (overall in polls) for an FBS bid and/or four (or five) other highest-ranked schools (overall in polls). So this year these schools get an at-large bid: Florida, Penn State, Iowa, Virginia Tech and LSU.

1. Alabama (SEC Champion-automatic)

2. Texas (Big 12 Champion-automatic)

3. TCU (Mountain West Champion-automatic)

4. Cincinnati (Big East Champion-automatic)

5. Florida (SEC East Division Champ-at large)

6. Boise State (WAC Champion-automatic)

7. Oregon (Pac-10 Champion-automatic)

8. Ohio State (BIg 10 Champ-automatic)

9. Georgia Tech (ACC Champ-automatic)

10. Penn State (Big 10 third place-at large)

11. Iowa (Big 10 second place-at large)

12. Virginia Tech (ACC second place, Coastal Division-at large)

13. LSU (second place, Western Division-at large)

14. BYU (second place, Mountain West)

15. Miami, Fla. (third place, ACC Coastal)

16. Pittsburgh

17. West Virginia

18. Oregon State

19. Oklahoma State

20. Nebraska

21. Stanford

22. Arizona

23. Wisconsin

24. Utah

25. Central Michigan (Mid-American champ-automatic)

The ultimate FBS tournament seedings in a 16 vs. 1, 15 vs. 2, 14, vs. 3, etc. format would be:

1. Alabama

2. Texas

3. TCU

4. Cincinnati

5. Florida

6. Boise State

7. Oregon

8. Ohio State

9. Georgia Tech

10. Penn State

11. Iowa

12. Virginia Tech

13. LSU

14. Central Michigan

15. East Carolina

16. Troy

Take into account the oldest, popular, most lucrative, traditional bowls and mix in some regional flair and considerate schedules. You can keep some of the best bowls. (I mean, really. The glut of bowls is ludacrous. More and more are added each year, some from inauspicious sponsors. Does anyone care to see the EagleBank Bowl? The what? Or the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl? Oooh, barnburner. The St. Petersburg Bowl? Really? Oh, we could so perpetuate the Poulan Weedeater FreeCreditReport.com Pomegranite Bowl joke.)

Rotate the remaining bowls as quarterfinal, semifinal and final games, all of which could retain and maybe even increase the number of ticket-buyers and TV viewers. One reason? There’s even greater incentive to play in such a bowl. Not just one bowl. But a series of true head-to-head games where all the conference champions (not just the typical, known powerhouses) and other top-ranked squads have a genuine (and fair) shot at an undisputed national title. Throw in serious regional consideration and voila. Imagine that!

The younger, Decemberish bowls host quarterfinals on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday:

December 16

Georgia Tech v. Ohio State - Independence Bowl, Shreveport

Iowa v. Boise State- Insight Bowl, Tempe

December 17

Troy v. Alabama – Chick-Fil-A (Peach) Bowl, Atlanta

Central Michigan v. TCU - Sun Bowl, El Paso

Dec. 18

Virginia Tech v. Florida – Gator Bowl, Jacksonville

East Carolina v. Texas- Alamo Bowl, San Antonio

Dec. 19

LSU v. Cincinnati – Liberty Bowl, Memphis

Penn State v. Oregon – Holiday Bowl, San Diego

Probable winners?

Georgia Tech, Boise State, Alabama, TCU, Florida, Texas, Cincinnati, Oregon

More bowls in Thursday and Saturday semifinals (lowest v. highest-seeded winners):

Dec. 24

Georgia Tech v. Alabama – Capital One Bowl, Orlando

Oregon v. Texas– Cotton Bowl, Dallas

Dec. 26

Boise State v. TCU – Fiesta Bowl, Tempe

Florida v. Cincinnati – Outback Bowl, Tampa

Probable winners?

Alabama, Oregon, TCU, Cincinnati

Final Four of sorts/Friday, Jan. 1

Cincinnati v. Alabama - Orange Bowl, Miami

Oregon v. TCU- Sugar Bowl, New Orleans

Probable winners?

Alabama, TCU

Championship game, Friday, Jan. 8

Rose Bowl, Pasadena

TCU v. Alabama

Yeah, the winner would probably be Alabama. But I guess we'll never really know. Interesting that a House subcommittee approved legislation Wednesday aimed at forcing college football to switch to a playoff system to determine a national champion, over the objections of some lawmakers who said Congress had more pressing matters on its plate.

To those naysayers, I say screw war, health care and jobs. Give us a playoff system!

A blog without a name

The end of March and this is, what, only my third blog of 2009? How disappointed all your faithful readers must be. All three of you. So much to say, yet not enough time or energy to elaborate. So here's a scattering of thoughts...

* Mindy and I enjoyed our quick New Orleans trip. The town is slowly but surely getting back to that same ol' Crescent City I've come to know, love and hazily recall through alcohol-fueled weekends.

* My NCAA tournament bracket went kablooey. Pitt, Memphis, Louisville -- anytime you all really wanna play hard enough to reach the Final 4, let me know. I am now counting on a Villanova-UConn showdown. Oh well, I guess otherwise I'll look forward now to the Frozen Four, the new baseball season and someone knocking off the Lakers.

* It's a year my inner geek looks forward to so many cool, titillating flicks -- a year that has begun with Watchmen, Monsters v. Aliens and I Love You, Man. A year that will include a reenvisioned Star Trek prequel/sequel, X-Men, Transformers, G.I. Joe, something about 2012, Year One, Inglorious Basterds, Terminator, Seth Rogen needing a chill pill and...holy crap, someone is suggesting Naked Gun 4! My inner geek runs giddy with joy.

* Farewell, Battlestar Galactica. The finale was incredible. Not totally satisfying, but an awesome attempt nonetheless. Hey, someone (a Star Trek: Next Generation alum, no less) was bold enough to create a not-so-cheesy sci-fi show that boasted plenty of grit, bleak action and philosophy. It was a cool homage to a TV childhood favorite of mine and game-changer for current fare. So say we all. (Caprica -- eh I'm not so sure of yet.)

* I'm thinking it won't be too long before we see the finale of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles and where the hell is my final Pushing Daisies episodes, ya bastards?!

* Michelle Bachmann and Glenn Beck, sit down, shut the hell up and chill the f#$@ out.

* Newt Gingrich. New Catholic. Muhahaha! Yes, our church really welcomes a guy who had an extramarital affair AND who told a hospitalized wife not once BUT TWICE she was dumping her.

An ode to newspapering

It is a curious feeling to have survived a round of massive layoffs at a newspaper company. While very fortunate for the time being, there is pain and remembrance for those who were forced out and a sobering reminder of how our once-vibrant industry was.

I've always considered myself lucky to be doing what I love and be paid for it (well, some there is a relative semblance of compensation ;-) I am not naive to not realize what stubborn perils and outdated business models have brought newspapers and magazines to the breaking point (and total death for some that have been around for more than 100 years).

But to say print periodicals are a thing of the past is, too, myopic and ignorant. For your consideration: The Canmore Leader in Alberta, Canada ran a story about the industry's state, poking holes in the theory that the Web is the only way to go nowadays.

"The ad revenue scenario no longer only applies to print publications, the 'State of the News Media' reports says. Ad revenues for online publications were down 48 per cent in 2008," the Leader article stated.
The article goes onto the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which just closed as a print paper and went totally online: Very little original reporting is online and not much professional/objective reporting is done for the Web.

The Leader story continues: "Supporters of community journalism can find a seed of hope and should know that they are the backbone of a cure. The results of a recent Globe and Mail online poll suggest that readers care. Around 10,000 people, 72 per cent of those polled, said it’s important to have local newspapers. Only 10 per cent said, 'No, I don’t read my local paper.' Only 18 percent said, "No, online media can fill the gap."

It didn't help matters that, as a David Sirota column explains, money-bleeding newspapers cut down on strong local reporting - the key to garnering and maintaining loyal audiences - in favor of cheaper national "news," much of which is sensational/quasi-celeb crap that sometimes contains a thinly veiled bias. Then there's that contemporary human nature problem of most people, particularly younger folks, whose shrinking attention spans enjoy flashy, noisy 30-second soundbites.

Leaving the future of print journalism solely to the mere idea of subjective bloggers and so-called "citizen journalists" is not appealing to me as a purist. And I'm sure many other readers, advertisers and media practitioners feel the same way.

A Globe and Mail story puts it this way: "...nobody has been able to explain is how the Internet will be able to fund the extremely expensive and often dangerous work of reporting. Nobody has been able to convince surfers used to a completely free Internet that they should pay for news stories. And online advertisers pay their hosts very little for the space."

A senator's proposal to have the federal government allow newspapers to operate as non-profits really won't help. After all, as critics say, that could invite (ultimately) government control. It's not a cure in any way. All that could happen - and it'll take time - is for newspapers to resize, restructure and reevaluate their business practices, advertising marketing strategies and reporting priorities.

Remember that it has always been up to your local newspaper -- be it the major metro daily or the small town semi-daily, alternative weekly or the suburban weekly -- to serve as your main source of reliable, accurate, updated news and human interest features in an array of fields. It is your newspaper who gives you stories about what your children achieve in school or what corporation is dumping toxic waste in your backyard.

For a purist reader or writer, there are few things better than waking up, checking your email to see if anything's blown up or a war started the previous night, drinking a coffee (or breakfast shake) and browsing through the morning edition.

A tangible publication (of usually news you can use) you can take with you anyplace. You can't really do that with the Web. And no, not even your iPhone or clone will really ever be an apt replacement. So newspaper haters/misunderstanders -- suck it!

How will I miss Dubya? Let me count the ways…

No, George, those boos from the inaugural crowd won’t boos for Clinton or Carter. Not even for your dad, of whom I actually have a higher opinion. No, those boos, those catcalls of “na na na na, na, na, na, na, hey, hey, goodbye” were very much meant for you.

But in a strange sense, in retrospect, I’m glad you “won” (for lack of a better term) in 2000 and 2004. Because Obama’s election showed that Americans thoroughly repudiated your rule by fear. You tried to implement an empire against your better judgment, if there was such a thing. You invaded a country and are responsible for the deaths of thousands of U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians because that country’s former leader was – in your eyes – worse than Hitler (how I’m not sure), connected to 9/11 (we know better) and tried to assassinate your dad. Excellent rationale, junior.

You became the equivocator, the false commanderer/deciderer-in-chief with a similarly false sense of misplaced bravado. Your astounding delegation of power and contempt for detail (and proper grammar) actually prompted your fellow neo-cons to believe you were a messiah of some sort meant to lead the U.S. to permanent Republican rule without checks and balances.

Your loyalists used various means (mainly though a lapdog corporate media) to imply that dissent and criticism was tantamount of treachery. Even the first few days into Obama’s new administration, the Faux News website practically allows wingnuts to post death threats (yes, death threats) and all sorts of idiotic yet uninspired, anti-liberal pabulum. Wow. Not shocking but still disturbing and sickening. You must be so proud of Rupert Murdoch.

You bullied or belittled other countries. You essentially endorsed the use of morally corrupt practices (veil of secrecy, torture) to conduct this so-called war on terror. I mean, c’mon, George. A former National Security Agency analyst had to tell us today that domestic spying has been far worse than first thought, including having targeted journalists. Really, Dubya? I should feel disgusted and a bit flattered.

Additionally, Shrub, you pledged to be a “uniter, not a divider,” yet you and your cohorts continued and even expanded emphasis on turning your regime into an oligarchy. An ideology-driven reign of anti-intelligence, anti-reason and anti-oversight. And right-wing hypocrites have dared to talk of responsibility. No wonder a conservative like Bruce Fein wrote in the Washington Times (not the Post, the freaking Times) urged the Obama administration to investigate you, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Rove and even Ashcroft for “complicity in torture, illegal surveillance, illegal detention, perjury, obstruction of justice and contempt of Congress. Prosecutions should follow if the evidence convinces a grand jury to indict.”

Some of your loyalists dare to defend and desire the continued operation of Guantanamo Bay when much of us in the real world know that closing it would be the moral thing to do. Because I as a Christian believe in the power of repentance, and believe this nation does and should keep aspiring to a genuine, inclusive moral leadership that matches its national traditional values. Heck, the military and FBI reject torture on legal and ­– to a certain extent – moral and practical reasons. Jack Bauer’s methods in the real world don’t work. They only work on TV.

So, Dubya, I will miss you only because you did so much these past eight years to remind us what a true modern republican democracy really should be with an all-encompassing morality and a sense of a higher purpose. Enjoy your retirement with your blue-blooded friends. Adios and good riddance. We’ve got quite a mess to clean up. (Maybe we can do a “Lost” episode in which we could project how things would be if the Supreme Court had ruled in favor Gore!)

I do salute Obama for having, among other things, signed an executive order that eliminates one of Dubya and Alberto Gonzalez's first collaborations: an executive order that put a veil of secrecy of Bush’s reign. That’s just a start. I sincerely hope Obama will be a progressive president, one who combines idealism with dashes of pragmatism. His ultimate cabinet and other high-level administrative appointments get mixed reviews from me (could be a bit more diverse; hey Clintonites, Hillary is higher up on the line of succession now; Ray LaHood for transportation secretary – really?)

And yes, for anyone wondering how I see it – Blagojevich needs to save what’s left of his credibility and reputation and resign immediately. Dude KNOWS he did wrong and doesn’t believe in culpability. That’s a pathological liar in the making. And for you other dumbass Democrats lately (Spitzer, Edwards, the Portland and Baltimore mayors): BE-FUCKING-HAVE! Do you really aspire to be corrupt or act outragesouly and expect to get away with it? Are there a few neuro pathways loose up there? Way to bring the party down with you. Idiots.

In the end, let’s temper our expectations a bit and be patient with the new administration. We got at least four years to figure things out and set a better example.