BCS system broken and widely unfair

Go to John Klein's Blog IT IS IRONIC that college football coaches, who are impacted the most by the Bowl Championship Series, have the least amount of input in the debate. When the BCS blew up last winter, everyone from Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops to USC's Pete Carroll had plenty to say about the system. Texas coach Mack Brown and Utah's Kyle Whittingham weren't too fond of the way things worked out last season, either. The BCS is a system that is pretty much controlled by athletic directors and university presidents. Football is the only NCAA sport that does not have a playoff. And there's a huge difference between the six BCS leagues, including the Big 12 and the non-BCS leagues, including Conference USA. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, as members of the Big 12, may not agree with the BCS championship game formula. However, the Sooners and Cowboys have guaranteed access to the BCS if they win the conference. Tulsa, as a member of C-USA, does not enjoy the same guarantee. "I think we have a legitimate complaint," Tulsa football coach Todd Graham said. "We need more access to the BCS." The schools that are members of the six BCS leagues Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC, Big East and ACC should consider themselves lucky. Yes, the system to pick the two teams for the championship game might be messed up, but at least teams from the power conferences are in the discussion. That isn't true for the non-BCS leagues. Tulsa is a prime example. A year ago, with a schedule that looked favorable, Graham started lobbying for his team in the preseason. He was talking about the Golden Hurricane going 13-0 during the season. Some felt that he was setting TU up for a big fall. But, in reality, he had no choice. He had to push the talk of an unbeaten season. He had to agree to any move on the schedule to get television time. He had to appear on every sports talk show on which he could be booked. If you don't play in one of the big conferences, you have to get attention. "We have to have more access," Graham said. "I'm not sure how to make it work, but we need to have better access. If you just look at the last couple of years, teams like Boise State and Utah have made the case for us. Some people look down at our leagues. But those two teams went into BCS bowl games and won. "All I'm asking is for people to take a look at the level of play of our top teams." TU was a couple of plays away from a 13-1 season. It finished 11-3 but only once was decisively beaten. "We had no chance for a BCS game," Graham said. "In our situation, and it is the same for all of the non-BCS leagues, you have to go unbeaten. Then, get some attention." Tulsa got some attention but didn't go unbeaten. It wound up in the GMAC Bowl down in Mobile, Ala. Teams from the non-BCS leagues face long odds. You must win all of your league games. Then, you need to win a couple of times against significant teams from BCS leagues. For instance, next season TU will need an unbeaten run through Conference USA and beat both Oklahoma and Boise State to be in the debate for a BCS bowl game no guarantees. In two years, go unbeaten in C-USA and beat Oklahoma State and probably a team from the SEC. In three years, TU will need no losses in Conference USA coupled with victories over OU, OSU and Boise State. "We've won 21 games the last couple of years," Graham said. "There has to be a way for us to have a shot at the BCS. It is all about access. "Sure, as the coach of a team in Conference USA, I'd love to see a playoff. But, I'd love any system that would give our teams more of an access." Graham admitted he does not have a specific plan. As a coach, he's handed the rules and must build his team to take advantage of those rules. The rules of the BCS make it a huge long shot that the Golden Hurricane would ever get into a BCS game. "I think last year we had a manageable schedule, something you really need under the current system," Graham said. "I'm still not sure how much access we really had under this system. "I'm not sure what is going to happen. Yet, I do see some reshuffling in the future."