I am one of those many out there that hate the way that Division IA college football decides their National Champion.  This season is just another example of many where (at least as it stands right now), there is no clear way to put the top 2 teams on the field on Jan 8.  I have long advocated that there should be a 16-team playoff tournament and 15 of the current bowls should be used as the playoff sites.  Those who have argued against a playoff system have said that taking the bowls away would be disastrous to teams 17-119.  I never really put much credence in that way of thinking with my shortsightedness on wanting to see a true champion decided on the field.  But now I am starting to re-think my stance…..

As some of you know, I am a graduate and die-hard fan of the University of Arizona, not, by any stretch, a football powerhouse.  In fact, in recent years, they have been downright brutal to watch.  But with upset wins the last 3 weeks, Arizona is actually bowl-eligible for the first time in almost 10 years.  Even if Arizona beats rival Arizona St. this Saturday, they will only finish with a 7-5 record and, at-best, a 5th place finish in the Pac 10, hardly credentials for inclusion in the 16-team championship tournament.  For this team, getting to play in a bowl, ANY bowl, would be a major breakthrough.

Before last week, I always discounted the significance of the Las Vegas Bowl or the Poinsettia Bowl or whatever else they are being called today (names will likely change 2 or 3 times before the games are actually played).  If Division 1A football adopted a playoff tournament, the other bowls would likely go away or would be reduced to meaning less than the NIT in college basketball (seriously, can any of you name a past winner of the NIT?).  I am not saying that I like the way the current system decides a champion, far from it.  I am just saying that, until now, I never realized that the other bowls are important too, even if only to a few fans of the teams playing in the games.