Now that the BCS has ended, with Big Time Football somehow looking slimier, I like what Chris Brown had to say about playoffs:
So what does a playoff give you, and why is it probably a better solution for crowning a National Champion? Let me say first that I think it would be a better system than the current BCS morass. But the advantage the playoff gives you is not anything metaphysically correct. It probably does not crown the best team. And it does not reward the best season (sorry Utah).
It merely gives you relative certitude. It’s not perfect — some clunker teams can be crowned, some historically great teams will get the relative shaft — but, before the season, during the season, and in the playoffs, everyone knows what it takes to be the champion: you must get into the playoffs, and you must win every game once you’re there. The Patriots couldn’t lobby for votes, they couldn’t say that they got jerked around, and they even couldn’t say that they didn’t get their chance. They played and they lost. They were probably better, they might only have had a bad day, but hey, you knew what you were getting into.
Emphasis mine. Everyone knows what’s going to be on the exam. Either you pass or you don’t and your answers are fully visible to everybody. No lyin’, no cryin’. Perfect? No. But it’s better than what we had.
My only suggestion is to go for broke and have a twelve team playoff. Six automatic spots for conference winners. Six at large bids. Top four get a bye. Could be done in a month. You could even have a four game New Year’s Day bowl fest. Everybody wins!!