[Husker] Re: husker Digest, Vol 7, Issue 485

[Steve Reichenbach]

> Look at all the bad calls, etc over the years that have caused a
> dominant team (not just the Huskers) to get 1 loss, thus ending
> almost any chance of a MNC.  Put in the playoff and then one single 
> loss does not end all hopes.  

Your statement is inconsistent with facts.  In fact, in a playoff,
a team that loses a single game is eliminated.  In the current system,
the only loss that truly eliminates a team from the MNC is a loss in
the BCS Championship game.

As to those who argue that the current system is only about money,
that clearly does not account for the large number of fans who do
not want to change from the current 2 team playoff to a playoff with
a larger number of teams.  Clearly, most of those fans who prefer the
existing system don't do so because of money, they do so because of
the reasons that they have stated: the current system makes each
regular season game more important (because the number of teams in
the playoff is so small), the current system does not require multiple
weeks of travel for neutral-site games (as many propose for a larger
playoff), the current system is better for players in terms of the
length of the season, etc.

> Over the last 5-6 years my family has drifted away from college
> football, and to a certain degree the Huskers and migrated more to
> the NFL.  Yes, the NFL has a lot of serious issues, but once your
> favorite college team loses a game, the season is basically over.

That is too bad for your family, but it doesn't make me care for a
playoff.  College football is very healthy.  I still was very
interested after NU lost to Texas and after NU lost to A&M.  I was even
interested in the Texas vs Texas A&M game even though it had essential
zero implications for anything beyond the game.  I'll be interested in
the NU - Washington game, even though NU already would have been
eliminated in a larger playoff scheme.  I hope that college football
continues to cater to the large number of fans who love the game as
it is rather than an even larger number of mildly interested fans.

Personally, I have no interest in pro football until I watch a few
post season games.  Except for marginal playoff teams, no regular
season game really matters, so why watch any of the regular season
games except maybe the last week or so?  That goes even more for
the NBA and NHL.  In those sports, "the season is basically over"
before the season even starts.