Bokolis has long been against most forms of playoffs in sport.
The worst offenders are the NBA and NHL, who play seven-game series after seven game series when they are really playing the same game seven times. There doesn't need to be any more than a one-off. But, of course, since those two leagues were essentially traveling carnival shows until the 1980's- and probably longer for the NHL- they had to get gates. So, that now means seven-game series, up to four times over.
Of the two, the NBA is worse. With the NHL, because you have a constantly rotating stream of players, they go at an anaerobic level when out there. At least you get bang for your buck (or loonie). NBA players can't be bothered.
MLB and NFL had not quite as horrid systems, but both have also overcooked them.
MLB would take up a lot of space here and ripping it apart is not the point of all this build up. It's enough to say that Bokolis' position is that there should be no interleague play and no divisions, and certainly no wild-card- just two teams, one series. You can play seven, it's fine.
Generally, the NFL playoff system holds some legitimacy because, since teams do not play all common opponents, there is clamor to grab the best few and put them in a tournament of one-off games.
Since the early '90s, the NFL has been trying its damnedest to stretch out its season so that its championship can be played over Presidents' Day weekend. It experimented with a second bye week, but that was quashed after one year, probably because there were too many weeks with not enough good matchups to go around, kind of like week three of your suicide pool.
By adding a game and round of playoffs, the NFL is one week away from getting to Presidents' Day, but won't day go to a second bye, even with four more teams in the league. That should tell you how badly it worked out for them. More likely, they will surely push through an 18th game during the next CBA negotiations.
Bokolis was checked out of the NFL during the COVID year, but I reckon the league just shoved a 17th game down the throats of the players, similar to how the owners starved out the unprepared and unresolved masses of players to get them to accept a reduced share of revenues. That's really another story. All I'm saying here is that the NFL is almost there, and a Bowl on a weekend where we have Monday off will dramatically raise the profile of Presidents' Day.
Enough about that- Bokolis really means to lampoon the college football playoff system. I was about the only person in my sphere who was always against a playoff structure. The classic argument for it was that you could no longer have writers and coaches- who certainly weren't watching all the games/teams- picking a national champion. This was fine when sports were about building character and the environment was collegiate and collegial.
When television and the money took over, it became a different issue. It's corrupted the whole college process and experience but, again, that is for another story.
Every other year or so, some injustice or another would happen during bowl season, whether it was preventing us from seeing a #1 vs #2 match-up because #1 wanted to go to the bowl of its choice and wound up playing a lesser opponent, whether #3 had beaten #2 during the season, but somehow wound up ranked lower, all this kind of bullshit. They built computer models, as if human bias didn't influence the inputs, and dicked around with it every year.
No satisfaction came, and the clamoring for a playoff system became louder.
The big obstacle, no matter what they tell you, was that this all had to take place between semesters, where kids were out of class and supposed to go home. You couldn't just force them to play football for a month when they are supposed to be reconnecting with their people and recharging their batteries for the next academic semester. Well, you could if you paid them.
And, that's what happened- NIL. Now that the players are paid, there is no more illusion of the student-athlete. Their job is to play sport for their university, which, combined with television, will whore them out. If they manage to further their studies, bully for them.
Oh, and they get paid lovely. Bokolis will relate a silly story here.
Bokolis' spawn goes to one of these mills, a FBS1 joint that has won national championships in football and in other sports that nobody really gives a shit about at the college level. Spawn isn't there on an NIL deal- while Bokolis could ball a little bit, spawn has enough issues negotiating their shadow. Mom and dad are paying.
Bokolis is speaking with said spawn as spawn is pulling into a parking spot before class. Spawn is chuckling because they have arrived to the spot before the All-America athlete who is trolling the lot for a spot.
I bring this up because spawn is chillin' at school, puttering around with an automobile that probably prices out about $60k new (spawn's isn't new). Spawn has a nicer automobile than Bokolis, but that's mainly because I refuse to pay $60k and up for a mobile tracking device that's giving out information on me to every cow-town, corporation and hacker that can access it.
Bokolis is not so cavalier as Grits n' Gravy to not GAF who's watching. But All-America- in a sport other than football- is. All-America has a ride that goes for well over $100k.
Bokolis told my kid to let All-America have the spot, that it might score some points that may be useful down the road. Spawn was like, heyull naw, I have to get to class...all right, back on topic...
You may say, but they already had a playoff system before NIL. Sure, a four-team deal that they fit around bowl season and that still gave the players most of December off. The current 12-team deal runs for a full month (even if four of the teams still get most of December off just the same), and they will be up to 16 soon enough.
That right there makes Bokolis' prediction come true. It's why I was opposed to it- once you open that box, I guaranteed that they'd turn it into March Madness, into an orgy.
The point of a playoff is to ensure any club that has a claim to the national championship gets to play for it. It's exceedingly rare that you'll have any season where there are three teams with a legitimate claim. If anything, you'll get one team that is the clear #1 with two or even three other teams that claim to be #2.
It's what you have this year, where only one school- Indiana- has claim to number one, while there are/were six schools with one loss (Ohio State, Georgia, Texas Tech, Oregon, Mississippi, Texas A&M). The bolded teams have won their conference championship* and, coincidentally, those are the only clubs with what Bokolis considers a legitimate claim to the #2 spot.
* Bokolis also doesn't believe in conference championships- a form of a playoff- and only sees value in them as an eliminator.
Both Oregon and Ohio State have already lost to Indiana so, according to Bokolis, they have no claim to a rematch- they've had their shot and lost. No second bites at the cherry.
wah! But Georgia got a second bite at the cherry with Alabama! This is why Bokolis doesn't like conference championship games. They are useless filler and, if there are rematches, result in one win mattering more than another. I would also point out that Alabama already had two losses going into that game, so Georgia is already absolutely above Alabama without the second bite.
Ole Miss has lost to Georgia, so its claim is inferior to Georgia and therefore disqualifies it. Texas A&M might have had a leg to stand on had they not gotten wiped by Texas. As it was, combined with their dodgy victory over South Carolina, they were clearly seen to be fading and a cut below. Unsurprisingly, they were the lowest-ranked of the one-loss teams.
So, in the final analysis, it's Georgia and Texas Tech that have the claim to be able to challenge the top team, which is absolutely Indiana.
Have them play, the winner plays Indiana, job done, don't need 12 teams.
In the old days, Indiana would've gone to the Rose Bowl and played Oregon, who would have still been in the Pac-10 and not have lost to Indiana during the season. Two undefeated schools, dream matchup, winner is undisputed national champion.
Reality is, in this playoff format, Indiana will be made to win three neutral-site games, with at least one of them against a team that has no claim to be able to challenge them.
That right there is why it's all bullshit.
But, it's not why Bokolis is keying in this nonsense. That was the preamble what's about to degenerate into a shitshow below.
My real aim was to laugh at those who feel they've been snubbed in this system. Like when, a few years ago, when it was still four teams, Ohio State whinged about getting left on the outside. They had all forgotten about a few years earlier, when they were give the 4th spot as a clear number four, with no claim to the championship, played with illegal uniforms and substance and won the whole thing.
Even funnier was this year, when Notre Dame got hosed by being shut out at #11 while they gave slots to enhancement talent James Madison and Tulane.
To make it worse, the committee had no issue ranking Notre Dame above the University of Miami for weeks, despite ND having lost to them and despite both teams having the same amount of losses, while BYU was a buffer between them. But, when BYU lost its last game and there was no buffer in the rankings, the committee made things right and put Miami above Notre Dame, sending the domers home, as they will skip bowl season in protest.
Bokolis says put things right because, decades ago, Miami suffered just such an indignity, getting ranked lower than a team they had beaten and being shut out of the national championship at #3 despite a general feeling that it was a better side than both #1 & #2.
As for Notre Dame, piss off, you fucking domer cunts- whinging that you didn't get the last spot when you have no business playing for the title.
That doesn't even come close to evening the score.
Besides, if they had let y'all in, we wouldn't have gotten to see Michael Irvin BTA.
Hopefully, Cleveland Gary was smiling watching the selection show.
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