The BCS is Broken

The time for change has come. Ask any college football fan about the postseason and you’ll likely get the same answer over and over – “the BCS is broken”.

Fans and schools want a compelling postseason, and, more importantly, a way to crown an undisputed, true national champion. They also want all teams to have a shot at winning the championship, not just some. And those schools that are discriminated against also want a fair distribution of postseason revenues, rather than a system that is rigged from the start.

These concerns and calls for reform have continued to go unanswered by the BCS. But now, even the Department of Justice and state attorneys general are aware that the BCS is broken and are becoming increasingly concerned that the BCS's discrimination, favoritism and the harm it causes fans and universities are violating anti-trust laws.

How is the BCS is broken? Let's count many of the ways...

Do the fans even like the BCS?

NO. The vast majority of fans report that they despise the current system. Some polls have the BCS’ approval rating as low as around 10%.

Does every team have a real chance to compete for the National Championship?

NO. Every year, the BCS scheme eliminates nearly half of the teams before the kickoff of their opening game – denying student-athletes, fans, alumni and the Universities the opportunity to see their team win, or even compete for, a national championship. As fans, if our team is going to be eliminated from the title, we expect it to happen on the field, not off it.

Is an undefeated season even enough to assure a school an opportunity to compete for the National Championship?

NO. Under the BCS, undefeated teams repeatedly are denied a chance to win the national championship. The BCS has told these teams, “You guys had a great season,” but “not everybody can play” for the national championship. This is the only system in which “Perfection isn’t Good Enough.”

Does the BCS create a better regular season?

NO. In fact, the opposite is true. The BCS undermines the excitement of the regular season by restricting the number of games with national championship implications. Every year, several hundred more regular-season games would have national championship implications if a playoff were in place.

Do fans get to watch the best teams compete in the BCS Bowls?

NO. The BCS dictates who gets to play in the games, often picking a conference champion that no fan would consider to be one of the best teams in the nation. This diminishes the excitement and importance of the BCS bowl games for fans.

Does each conference receive its fair share of the postseason revenue?

NO. The system is rigged so that certain conferences receive at least $10 million more than others, regardless of performance.

Does the BCS allow schools to maximize the revenue they can receive from football?

NO. The system restricts revenues and keeps Universities from collectively earning hundreds of millions of dollars more each season. Yet, the vast majority of these universities’ athletic departments are losing tremendous sums of money each year, leading to greater tuition increases and the need for additional government funding. Parents, students and taxpayers end up paying the bill as a result of the BCS’ refusal to change.

Now is the time to fix college’s football postseason.

Need even more reasons why the BCS is Broken?

For a more complete analysis, read “BCS’ 22 Tall Tales”. Each “Tall Tale” of the BCS is broken down with hard, undeniable facts demonstrating that change is needed.