[Husker] The fed bringing the heat on the BCS

Tue Feb 2 11:11:12 CST 2010

Actually, trying to set up predetermined sites for the preliminary rounds is going to be a logistical and financial nightmare.  It works for the NCAA Men's basketball tournament because (a) it's March Madness and (b) arenas only hold 15k-20k.  Bring in 8 teams from around the country, and if each brings 500 to 1,000 fans, you've already filled half the arena.  Supplement that with local ticket sales, and it's a very manageable event.

Now extract that to football.  Make it 70,000 seat stadium and only 2 teams.  Teams don't know where they are playing until a week before the game, which is nearly impossible to put together charters in  time, and airlines will charge you the maximum rate possible for not booking early.  If the site is within 500 miles, many fans could drive, but that limits Nebraska to playing in Minneapolis, St. Louis, KC, Chicago, and Denver.

How many fans are going to be able to head to Phoenix, Charlotte, Tampa, or Seattle on a week's notice?  Not enough to fill a football stadium.  The only way a neutral site game would work is if the local markets grab on and buy all the tickets for these preliminary games.  Problem with that is you get a neutral crowd who arrives late and leaves early and isn't into the game all that much, as compared to a partisan crowd.

The NFL knows this, and that's why they play all of their preliminary games on home fields where you earn the right to play at home throughout the playoffs.  (Yes, that means the regular season is STILL meaningful, because going undefeated means you are playing at home for much of the playoffs, while sneaking in with a 9-3 record means you'll be on the road the whole way...)  Use the BCS formula as a baseline to select teams as well as seed them, and get strength of schedule back in the formula.  A USC should be rewarded for scheduling Florida (even if they lose) over scheduling Appalachian State as a non-conference opponent.

 Mike Jaixen
http://huskermike.blogspot.com
http://www.cornnation.com

________________________________
From: David Strong <gbrlist at yahoo.com>
To: j j <jjj112665 at yahoo.com>; Theodore Heise <theo at heise.nu>; Jon Johnston <jon.johnston at gmail.com>; Husker List <husker at tssi.com>; Mark Landin <marklandin at gmail.com>; Duane Feldman <dlfeldman at ameritech.net>
Sent: Tue, February 2, 2010 10:45:02 AM
Subject: RE: [Husker] The fed bringing the heat on the BCS

There you go.  Certainly a workable scenario, one of many.  I don't really see your flaw as a flaw.  The BCS would go away if a tournament was ever instituted.  Accommodating bowls is irrelevant.  I expect that if a tournament is ever put in place, they will have predetermined, designated sites for the games, much like the basketball tournament.  Ex.  the quarters might be called "regionals" with sites for the games in cities within those regions.  Then the semis and finals elsewhere.  Probably change every year, or not.  Football games are big events and they would be easier to plan and promote if this was so.   But regardless,  all very doable.

Dave

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