When the President-Elect Talks, The BCS Should Listen (Michael Wilbon)

[MojoMan]

Michale Wilbon leads the full court press against the BCS in today's Washington Post. Here is a quote from that article.

I would love to see a playoff in NCAA division I. I don't know what else Obama will do as President. However, if he gets this done, that would be really good.

When the President-Elect Talks, The BCS Should Listen
By Michael Wilbon
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

What appeared to be an throwaway line in a conversation with ESPN now has become something of a sporting obsession.

The night before Election Day, Barack Obama said with that increasingly familiar smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye that college football ought to stop messing around with this BCS nonsense and go to a playoff. People noticed.

Then, in an interview broadcast on Sunday night to an exponentially larger network television audience, Obama told "60 Minutes" the same thing, just in a little greater detail, and added with that same twinkle that he might throw his weight around to tilt the college football world in the direction of a playoff.

And people really took notice.

In fact, it's become the No. 1 topic this week in college football and forced another national discussion that those of us with good sense not only welcome, but find a relief. Suddenly, the conference commissioners and college presidents are having to defend their indefensible positions and explain why the championships of every team sport in every division, except big-time football, are settled through playoffs. Of course, it's great to see them squirm. This isn't a sportswriter making the suggestion; it's the newly elected president of the United States, for crying out loud.

[threetoedpete]

Well they had a nice segment on this the other day on College football now, NFLnetworks college program. I won't say he can't. I will say he'll have to flex his mucsles a bit to get it done to get the 119 college presidents of the bowl lobby's sugar teat.

How ?

Lauch the justice department at them full bore with a billion dollar discrimantion suit. No way they can justify only six black coaches out of 119 institutions. First one up should be sodom on town lake....the oil leases they are reportedly going to sell this year are worth in the billions...and these are the same folks who decided that Galveston doesn't warrant 170 M investment for health care after a major disaster. They have basically said let Galveston and UTMB eat cake. Too funny. Quid Pro Quo. Sic'em Obama.

I like the bowl system. But I see no down side for Obama on this one. Liberal institutions talking the talk....time to make them walk the walk.

[b0ng]

If Obama actually made that happen in his first term, I'd expect every one of you red posters in the No Spin Zone to vote him in for a second term. And if you didn't you'd be a bastard.

If he were to actually do it, he'd probably have to cut federal funding for state schools that played in bowl games rather than a playoff. Hit em in the wallet.

Now that I think about it, that'd probably be the dumbest way to do it, and I don't endorse that one bit.

EDIT: Nevermind, read about suing for discrimination. I retract my last statement.