Are You Not Entertained?!

Oklahoma State players Jamie Blatnick (50) and Justin
Gilbert (4) celebrate after Stanford's Jordan Williamson (36)
misses a field goal during the Fiesta Bowl. The Stanford-
Oklahoma State game proved the need for at least a plus-1
game, if not an eight-team playoff.

It's been said for years, but the time has come for the NCAA to own up to its biggest mistake — the B(C)S.

While named the Bowl Championship Series, the only series of events that takes place is the Big East team taking on an at-large team in the Nobody Cares Bowl. Sadly, the Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl used to be games that everybody watched – until the NCAA decided to step in.

But now the NCAA has the chance to rectify the situation — or at least add some excitement.

This bowl season has been incredible. From Ohio edging Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl to Michigan State's win in triple overtime over Georgia, it has been fun to watch. Even the Stanford-Oklahoma State Fiesta Bowl had me on the edge of my seat the entire game.

And as a fan I want more.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating a complete playoff system. I like the bowls. I know the athletes like going to Arizona, Texas, Florida and California for a week of fun in the sun. But wouldn't it be great if we could have a real Bowl Championship Series (or Bowl Championship Playoffs)?

Take the top eight teams — no matter what conference — and have them square off. If you're in a lousy conference like the Big East or Mountain West, get rid of the cupcakes and schedule some real teams if you want to a spot in the BCP. If you can survive the SEC or Big 12 and remain in the top eight, then you deserve your shot at the nation's best teams.

We saw what happened when Oregon's speed met Wisconsin's strength. We'll see some more of that in the next few days. Why not try to produce even more of that with a mini playoff?

True, the playoff would add three more games and possibly two more weeks to the schedule, but in his last press conference in Stillwater, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said there was already too much of a lag between the regular season and those late postseason bowls. Why not take a couple weeks out and give the fans what they want, a playoff?

The NCAA is a business, no matter how they try to spin it. And like most good businesses, the goal is to make money. Hosting three extra games would cost a little more, but with television rights and fans packing the stadiums, it seems like a money tree that's ripe for the picking.

If nothing else, even adding a plus-1 playoff game would be enough to quench the thirst of those fans who crave more football before delving into their brackets for March Madness. Plus it would also force Nike co-founder Phil Knight to come up with something even more ridiculous than the "Darth Vader" helmets used in this year's Rose Bowl.

Weird, Wacky Stuff

Michigan State's Keith Nichol (7) and B.J.
Cunningham (3) celebrate after the Spartans beat
Wisconsin 37-31 on a hail mary pass. Mid-October
games like that are only part of the reason Americans
love college football.

If you didn't catch any college football last week, I regret to inform you but your fan card has just been revoked.

From fake refs and the ensuing brawl in the Arizona-UCLA game to Michigan State's hail mary victory upon further review this weekend had just about everything a college football fan could want. Then again, doesn't October always bring out the best in college football?

Think about it for a second. Usually right around Halloween we start to see the major upsets. Teams that once had dreams of national championships and undefeated seasons suddenly show their true colors and become pretenders. Why is that?

The obvious reason is that desperation starts to sink in for everyone. Teams on the bubble for a bowl began to step their game up against the country's top teams, resulting in some of the best games of the season.

It can get messy sometimes — see the brouhaha at Arizona — but it can also be fun. In a matter of hours, we saw two top 10 teams fall on Saturday night — effectively changing not only the BCS scene but also the national championship picture.

This is why we love college football. It isn't just the tailgates, the homecomings and the love for the ol' alma mater that draws us to these games week after week. It's the upsets — knowing that on any given Saturday dreams are crushed, while other live on.

In a couple weeks, LSU will face Alabama. Assuming all goes well, it should be No. 1 against No. 2. And I, for one, can't wait to see how the rest of the season plays out.