The BS BCS
Fans of college football have spent the past couple of years complaining about the current bowl and championship setup, known as the BCS. The main complaint is that the system doesn't work since undefeated teams that are ranked lower than 2nd in the BCS rankings are shut out from national title contention even though they may be just as deserving of a shot as teams ranked 1st and 2nd. There are plenty of other complaints that people have about the system, but I'm not interested in getting into all of that at this time.
While something certainly needs to be done to change things, such as implementing some form of playoff, I don't necessarily agree that the system doesn't work. It all depends on what the system was intended to do in the eyes of it's creators.
I liken the BCS to our nation's incessantly problematic publik school system. If you think that publik schools are supposed to produce highly motivated students who enjoy learning and can engage in free and critical thought, then you would rightly feel that the system doesn't work. However, if you come to realize how publik schools are really designed and recognize how they're supposed to function, you may then conclude that the system does seem to work after all.
If you think that the BCS is supposed to be a system that is intended to eliminate controversy and crown a true champion of college football each and every year, then you would rightly feel that the system doesn't work. However, if you think about what the intended purpose of the BCS may really be, you may conclude that the system does seem to work after all.
I don't claim to know what the true intention of the BCS is, although I have heard of a theory that seems to make enough sense for me to consider as a possibility. The theory is that the BCS is intended to create controversy, thus increasing the amount of discussion and general attention dealing with the BCS and college football. Such a result would seem to be tailor-made for many parties to benefit, including the NCAA, the media, and corporate sponsors. If such reasoning actually did influence the dawning of the BCS era, then one could state that the system does indeed work.
*Recommended Reading: For those wondering what I was talking about concerning publik education, I suggest doing some reading on the subject. The works of John Taylor Gatto are a good place to start off, such as his essay titled "Against School".
While something certainly needs to be done to change things, such as implementing some form of playoff, I don't necessarily agree that the system doesn't work. It all depends on what the system was intended to do in the eyes of it's creators.
I liken the BCS to our nation's incessantly problematic publik school system. If you think that publik schools are supposed to produce highly motivated students who enjoy learning and can engage in free and critical thought, then you would rightly feel that the system doesn't work. However, if you come to realize how publik schools are really designed and recognize how they're supposed to function, you may then conclude that the system does seem to work after all.
If you think that the BCS is supposed to be a system that is intended to eliminate controversy and crown a true champion of college football each and every year, then you would rightly feel that the system doesn't work. However, if you think about what the intended purpose of the BCS may really be, you may conclude that the system does seem to work after all.
I don't claim to know what the true intention of the BCS is, although I have heard of a theory that seems to make enough sense for me to consider as a possibility. The theory is that the BCS is intended to create controversy, thus increasing the amount of discussion and general attention dealing with the BCS and college football. Such a result would seem to be tailor-made for many parties to benefit, including the NCAA, the media, and corporate sponsors. If such reasoning actually did influence the dawning of the BCS era, then one could state that the system does indeed work.
*Recommended Reading: For those wondering what I was talking about concerning publik education, I suggest doing some reading on the subject. The works of John Taylor Gatto are a good place to start off, such as his essay titled "Against School".
posted by freeman at 12/16/2004 07:21:00 PM
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