College Football Playoffs

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges and military academies. It was through college play that American football first gained popularity in the United States.

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The college football playoff debate is a normative discourse among college football fans, journalists, conference representatives, government officials, university administrators, coaches, and players concerning whether or not the current postseason format of the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) should be changed or modified. Playoff proponents argue that a bracket-style playoff championship should replace the current Bowl Championship Series, while others advocate for a Plus-one format, which would create a single national championship game with participants selected after the conclusion of the traditional bowl season. This debate has been ongoing since at least 1971.

The BCS is the system established, prior to the 1998-99 football season, to select two participants to compete for college football's FBS division (formerly division I-A) national championship. There have been numerous controversies about the teams that should play for the college football national championship.

Several polls have shown significant support among college football fans for a playoff to replace the BCS.

For a playoff

Playoff proponents argue against the internal validity of the BCS National Championship and lament that the participants of the BCS National Championship game are decided based upon coaches' and media polls rather than via previous, on-field competition such as the case with head-to-head, bracket-style tournaments in other major sports and levels of college football. Proponents occasionally accuse the Bowl Championship Series of financial conflict with respect to the money earned in bowl games and the allocation of those resources.

Barack Obama has spoken out in favor of a playoff, before and after the 2008 U.S. presidential election. On November 18, 2008, in Obama's first interview as president-elect, Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes ended the interview with a question about the topic. Obama replied:

I think any sensible person would say that if you've got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there's no clear decisive winner that we should be creating a playoff system. Eight teams. That would be three rounds, to determine a national champion. It would it would add three extra weeks to the season. You could trim back on the regular season. I don't know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this. So, I'm gonna throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do.

Against a playoff

Playoff critics point to various obstacles and unintended consequences that a college football playoff would present. Some university presidents and administrators argue that a playoff format would detract from the importance of the regular season and the intensity of rivalry games, while others argue that a playoff system would create conflicts with student-athletes' studies, final exams, and other academic endeavors. Critics argue that a single loss can potentially end a team's chance at a National Championship or propel some other team into the title game under the current system, making regular-season college football games, particularly in the beginning of the season, more important than regular-season games in sports with a playoff.

Critics note that the current bowl system allows for nearly half of the teams to travel and play in bowl games, while proposed playoff formats that include home games for higher seeded teams do not provide these players the bowl game rewards, which often include favorable hotel accommodations, gift bags, and travel to warm destinations. Additionally, under the BCS, fans who travel to bowl games are able to participate in parades and beach bases, which presumably would not be offered to teams losing in the playoffs.

Proposals

Several proposals for change to the current BCS have been presented. Recently, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS National Championship tickets) commissioners contemplated replacing the current BCS with a Plus-one format, which would create a national championship game at the conclusion of the traditional bowl season with the two participants selected among BCS Bowl winners. Ultimately, the Bowl Championship Series commissioners rejected any immediate action and tabled the discussion on whether to establish a Plus-one format.

Other proposed formats include bracket-style playoff championships with 8, 10, 12, 16, and 64 teams. Although popular among college football fans, these formats have gained little momentum within the circle of BCS commissioners. The official response from the BCS to these formats is: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" line.

The latest proposal to change the structure of the postseason came from the Mountain West Conference at the Bowl Championship Series commissioners' annual spring meetings in Pasadena, California in conjunction with the Rose Bowl's staging the 2010 BCS title game. The Mountain West Conference commissioner argued for a selection committee to replace the BCS ranking system, the establishment of an eight-team playoff, and a revision to the automatic qualifier rules.

United States Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has indicated that he would hold congressional hearings on the BCS in the future after his a team within his constituency failed to play in the national championship game.

Governmental intervention

According to CBSSports.com wire reports and information obtained by the Associated Press, Senator Orin Hatch received a letter from the justice department concerning the possibility of a legal review of the BCS. The letter, received on January 29, 2010, states that the Obama administration will explore options to establish a college football playoff including (a) an anti-trust lawsuit against the BCS, (b) legal action under Federal Trade Commission consumer protection laws, (c) encouragement of the NCAA to take control of the college football postseason, (d) the establishment of an agency to review the costs and benefits of adopting a playoff system, and (e) continued legislation in favor of a playoff system. Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich writes, "The administration shares your belief that the lack of a college football national championship playoff ...raises important questions affecting millions...." BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock responded to the letter that the BCS complies with all laws and is supported by the participating Division I universities.