A common theme that runs among commenters here who favor a football playoff and think that my concerns about an extended playoff are overblown is that there’s no rational reason for a college postseason to expand beyond a manageable handful of games.
Now GTP is lucky to have a great bunch of folks who comment here regularly (I probably don’t say that enough) and even those with whom I have philosophical differences on this subject strike me as being sensible enough folks that if they were the ones calling the shots on this, I wouldn’t worry too much.
Unfortunately, Larry Scott isn’t one of the commenters here.
As part of his conference’s ongoing expansion study, Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott has explored the possibility of staging a conference football championship game with the current membership of 10.
Give me a few days to come up with a dumber idea and I could probably have something for you, but off the top of my head, that’s about as stupid as it gets. And don’t take my word for that.
“Initially, it doesn’t make much sense but I’ve had a couple of conversations …”
Scott himself said that.
The Pac-10 plays a round robin schedule. It’s the fairest way to determine a conference champ. In that context, a championship game is a virtual lock to make any regular season showdown between the top two schools completely meaningless. Beyond that, think about how worthless a championship game would have been in the years when Pete Carroll’s USC squads were destroying the rest of the conference. It’s a ridiculous move that nakedly elevates financial considerations over competitive ones.
Scott speaks of a “logic gap” here, but there really isn’t one. He’s just not comfortable coming out and admitting the ugly truth.
And he’s one of the guys who would have a significant role in fashioning a new college football postseason format.
Get The Picture 
Next week, Larry will explore the possibility of having a conversation with himself about how to best tell others to keep their hands off his Rose Bowl.
Larry was thinking about having that logic gap conversation with Delany but Delany won’t return his calls. Besides, Delany thinks it’s his, not Larry’s, Rose Bowl.
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You’re right, if the Pac10 keeps the Round-Robin schedule than a CG makes no sense other than financial. But, I seroisuly doubt that doing so is a real possibility.
Keep in mind, no one east of the Rockies has talked about the Pac10 since the U$C lost its second game last year except for Reggie Bush violations and Oregon’s Fulmer Cup bid. There’s also that fact that the Pac10 used to be thought of as a good basketball conference and after the first weekend of the March Madness the conference is represented solely by #11 seed Washington. Larry now has people talking about something else. That, also, is part of his job…and remaining completely rational about things doesn’t usually garner headlines. He’ll say he’s fliting with an idea…teh media will pick it up…and then we’ll find out that he elects the status quo for now.
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Look, the answer is simple for the PAC-10. They don’t need to expand. Simply play the season round robin like normal and select a champion. Find another conference about the same strength top who also plays a round robin schedule. Set up a game where the two conference champions play each other. Since by then it will be winter, you should play the game in Southern California to be sure of good weather. You probably would want the game to be in a population center for maximum PR and fan interest–say, LA– but not downtown. Use that stadium in Pasadena that UCLA uses, what’s it called? Er,,,,what’s that? They already do that? It’s called the Rose Bowl?……………..Never mind.
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Obviously, the conferences’ financial interests and the spirit of sport or on tangents that may never intersect.
I guess it will be up to the broad powers of regulations given congress under the “commerce clause” to realign and reclassify college football and grant us the entitlement of a college football playoff!
😉
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I’ve heard the BCS Busting Bill will, in an attempt to sway Senator Chamblis, include a sweetener called the Herschel Helper, which will subsidize contributions to the Hartman Fund so that all Georgia residents will be able to afford season tickets. After all, it is the inherent right of all Georgians to be able to watch the Dawgs play ‘Tween the Hedges.
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