Meeting of the Minds

Issue 1: BCS/bowl or playoff
system?

Howard: I’ve enjoyed watching the
college football post-season for years
now, but I think it’s time for all of
Division I to move to a playoff system.
No offense to all the teams that worked
hard to finish above .500, but I could
care less about a post-season bowl game
between Ball State and Rutgers that
takes place in Canada.

Also, one of the greatest arguments
that people have used to defend the BCS
system is that it uses less time, therefore
allowing more time for the students to
focus on their final exams. Well, guess
what – according to the latest statistics,
the playoff system used by the rest of
college football takes fewer hours to
accomplish – meaning more time in
the classroom and still a good amount
of time on the field.

Doyon: Yeah, the BCS system is
flawed, no doubt about it. But the
bowl season includes more than just
the five BCS games, and the NCAA
can’t eliminate dozens
of teams from postseason
play.

There is too much
money to be had by
more than 60 schools
now from many conferences
in the current
state. A playoff system
would be unfeasible
if it included more
than eight teams.
That means only
major conferences
could send teams to
the post-season, and
just seven games are
played, resulting in
far less revenue.

Rarely do undefeated
schools ever get
left out of the BCS National Championship,
and if they do, they’re placed
in another BCS game. Teams such as
West Virginia, among many others,
have no gripe for being excluded from
the national championship. Time after
time a team scratches its head for being
overlooked when it could’ve secured
its own fate by taking care of business
on the field.

Issue 2: More likely to
happen: Dolphins 0-16 or
New England 16-0?

Howard: As a Dolphins fan, it’s hard
for me to admit how bad Miami is, but
I’ll go ahead and say Miami wins this
argument. Both could easily happen,
but when a team loses 40-12 to the
Jets, it’s time to pack it in. The Patriots
have been solid all season long, but they
are becoming beatable. The Ravens had
the Pats on the ropes before beating
themselves at the end. I find there is more
of a chance of New England becoming
fat and happy than Miami suddenly
becoming competitive.

Doyon: As great as it would be to
see an undefeated Patriots team, the
Dolphins are jaw dropping with their
futility. It isn’t that they aren’t capable
of challenging the remaining teams on
their schedule. It’s just they lack the
killer-instinct will to win. Fellow bad
team St. Louis has proven that despite
its shortcomings, it can close out a few
games – but not the Dolphins. No one
wants to be the first team to fall to
Miami. Everyone wants to knock off
the Patriots. That means a 0-16 Miami
and a 15-1 New England.

Issue 3: Will an Eastern
Conference team win the
NBA title this season?

Howard: It’s not that it’s not possible
– but more often than not, the Eastern
Conference champion doesn’t match up
very well with its Western Conference
counterpart. Take last year, for example
– San Antonio was head and shoulders
above Cleveland. This season, it would
have to be Boston or Orlando. Both teams
are very solid on the perimeter as well
as in the post. But if it’s Detroit – or
God forbid a team like Cleveland again,
expect the title to stay out west.

Doyon: Western Conference basketball
has dwarfed the Eastern Conference
since the day Michael Jordan left the
Bulls . for the second time. The
concern out west is SEC syndrome,
meaning all of the best teams beat up
on each other before the championship
so no single team looks unstoppable.
The SEC faces the same obstacle in
football. Obviously, San Antonio,
Phoenix, Dallas and Utah can’t all make
it to the Finals. Whoever does will have
proven itself to be superior, but will be
tired, physically and emotionally, and
not unscathed. That would open the
door for an Eastern team like Boston or
Orlando to step up after an easier path
to the Finals, possibly in position to win
it all. Alas, though, it won’t happen. A
Western Conference powerhouse will
once again be crowned champion in
June.