Trying to fix college football

No surprise here but I am a die-hard Florida Gators fan. Have been since 1988, so that’s 21 years (and I’m 30 now). This season, the Gators have been ranked #1 since pre-season. They have been undefeated for the longest in a season since Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerfell, and the 1996 National Championship year. But because of the abject silliness known as the BCS, top flight college football cannot have a clear cut national champion.

So, I’m like all the other (sensible) folks who want a change for the game. We want to have the best possible system in place to declare a champion, and to allow that champion to be decided on the field, without all the politics and greed getting in the way.

Here’s my idea. Give it a go. If you think it’s ridiculous, than you are probably sane. Any radical change is going to be “ridiculous.” But, my concern is “the best possible system in place to declare a champion.”

My Proposal

1. Using the last recognized poll standings, set the teams in order.
2. Eliminate conference schedules and bowl games.
3. Break the teams into tiers of 13 teams each, based on the rankings.
4. Eliminate the rankings and polls.
5. The top 13 teams will be playing in the top-flight, top-tier. They are the best of the best supposedly. So the groups will be 1-13, 14-26, and so on.
6. They will play each other in a twelve game season. Each school will play 6 at home and 6 away. A win gets 2 points, and a loss 0. So a record of 10-2 garners 20 points for the year.
7. The top school at the end of the year is the National Champion. No playoff necessary. The table doesn’t lie.
8. If there is a draw/tie in points at the top, head to head victory wins out. If there are multiple teams locked in a draw (think last year’s Big 12 tragedy) then point differential gives the edge. Most points scored is not good enough; just ask the record setting offense of Oklahoma last year when they met Florida in the title game. Defense is equally vital.
9. The bottom 5 schools (those with the lowest total points) will be demoted (relegated) into the group below (e.g. from 1-13 into 14-26). The top 5 schools from the lower group will be promoted to the top-tier.