In his ‘State of the Union’ speech in 2002, George W Bush famously grouped Iraq, Iran and North Korea into the ‘Axis of Evil’, eerily familiar to the Axis powers of the second World War. Always on the lookout for catchy phrases, the mainstream media led by ESPN have cleverly modified the term to dub the Big Ten and the Pac 10 as the ‘Axis of Obstruction’.

Aren’t we getting a bit too dramatic here? Despite what most fans want (and I am clearly not in that majority) any idea of a playoff system involving college football is not and has never been in the best interest of any of the powerhouse conferences, INCLUDING the SEC despite what Mike Slive wants you to believe.

I shall first allow the commissioners to explain then I will elaborate,

“After a very thorough, very good discussion among the group, we have decided that because we feel at this time the BCS is in an unprecedented state of health, we feel it’s never been healthier during its first decade, we have made a decision to move forward in the next cycle with the current format,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford

“If it isn’t broke,” “don’t fix it.” Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White

“The system is under a lot of scrutiny that can result in pressure to add games. Our league is not favorable to a playoff system as a whole, and viewed this as the first step in that direction.” Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe

“very pleased with the current system.” WAC commissioner Karl Benson also representing C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt.

So let me get this right. Every single Div-I football conference major AND mid-major are opposed to any sort of a playoff idea except the SEC and yet the finger is only pointed at the Big Ten and Pac 10? If it looks like a scapegoat, and smells like a scapegoat, then it probably is a scapegoat. The reason why people love to hate the Rose Bowl alliance between these two Northern and Western conferences is also the reason why people love to hate Notre Dame.

While this is extremely tough for me to admit, but the nation’s hatred with Notre Dame is less about their performance on the field, their fans, tradition or even their impressively long waiting list for season tickets, but it is solely because of their privileged relationship with NBC and the BCS system in general. Did you see any other athletic directors representing just 1 school sitting at the ocean-front resort this past weekend?

Jim Delany, John Swofford, Dan Beebe and even Mike Slive represent a collection of multiple football powerhouses ranging from Ohio State and Michigan to Texas and Oklahoma to Florida and Miami. They are each obligated to represent multiple athletic directors, differing opinions and massive fan bases. And Kevin White? Well he sits among these godfathers representing just 1 school, Notre Dame. Not because Notre Dame is an independent. If that were the case, we’d see Army, Navy and Western Kentucky represented. Kevin White is an equal among these men of influence simply because of what Notre Dame means to college football.

Now we’ve all done analogies before. Notre Dame to college football is what the Rose Bowl is to the college post season. The Rose Bowl is the oldest bowl game still in existence and the pageantry, history and tradition surrounding the game only makes it the premier destinations for most teams. To make the Rose Bowl game is an entitlement in itself. And this is why the Big Ten and the Pac 10 hold on so dearly to their commitment to the Rose Bowl. Why wouldn’t they? Like Notre Dame’s independent contract with NBC, both the Big Ten and the Pac 10 have a good thing going for them. Before the days of the BCS, the Rose Bowl stood tall alongside its Cotton, Orange and Sugar peers. Now the Cotton has been replaced with the Fiesta, yet the Rose Bowl is still going strong.

Many believe that it is actually feasible for all the conferences to move forward without the Big Ten, Pac 10 and their Rose Bowl. But remember the Bowl Alliance prior to the BCS? Well that was a post season system that excluded the Big Ten, Pac 10 and the Rose Bowl and look how well that turned out. The other conferences can only hope to have a tie in with the Rose Bowl that is currently already occupied. And as Big Ten fans we should recognize the special status our historic tie-in affords us in the college football landscape.

But don’t we want a true ‘fair’ national champion crowned each year? What about college football is fair? Even within the Big Ten conference itself, there are teams that don’t have to play Ohio State and Michigan in some seasons while other teams are stuck with playing both powerhouses annually. Is that fair? Notre Dame gets to pick and choose their entire schedule on an annual basis. If a playoff system were to be instituted why wouldn’t teams want to pick and choose an entire schedule of cupcakes in addition to 2 or 3 games against the big boys. Hell, a 9-3 record would solidify Notre Dame as a regular participant in any playoff scenario.

People are too short sighted to actually appreciate what the current BCS system has afforded us. Yes, there is lots of contraversy, but isn’t it exactly that contraversy that sends thousands of fans to the forums, blogs and world wide web to further talk about college football? Isn’t the fact that a single loss whether it be to #1 Ohio State late in the year or to Division I-AA Appalachian State to start off the season devastating, the reason why fans pack the stadium for both matchups? Fan attendance is in record figures, television ratings are through the roof, schools are raking in record revenues, can someone remind me what exactly is wrong with the system we have now again?

Oh, the fair thing. Auburn still has a grudge, apparently so does Georgia and Boise State. But what about USC in 2007 after being upset by UCLA in their last game? Or Penn State in 2005 who lost in a controversial game to Michigan in the last second? Don’t you think they would have benefited from a playoff? Sure. But that is exactly why a playoff is not good for college football. It is because we answered in the affirmative to the last question that would render such momentous upsets that would be scribed into history books into mere formalities.

The 2006 Ohio State – Michigan game with both team’s undefeated records would have simply been a battle between two teams that had already punched their ticket into any sort of playoff system. What’s to stop them from resting their best players? The NFL already does it because they know the ultimate prize lies in the post season. There is absolutely no reason why Jim Tressel would want to risk injury to Ted Ginn, Gonzales or even Troy Smith in a game that has no bearing on making the postseason had there been a playoff system. But it is because we didn’t, that we were treated to an all out, epic battle between two teams who knew, despite all the politicking that the loser of the game face little to no chance of participating in the national title game.

In 2006 after the classic matchup between #1 Ohio State and #2 Michigan, SEC commissioner Mike Slive denounced any possibilities of a repeat matchup between the two Big Ten powers in the championship game. Now he is proposing a plus-one playoff format which would have ensured that both Ohio State and Michigan would have had another shot at a repeat matchup. The likely matchup that year had we moved to a plus-one playoff system would have been #1 Ohio State v #4 USC and #2 Florida v #3 Michigan. The only difference would be that Florida from the SEC and USC from the Pac 10 would have had a shot as well. Just a tad self-serving when it comes to proposing ideas aren’t we Slive?

So how exactly does rendering the regular season into a ‘win-enough-games-to-make-the-postseason’ system better than the current system. It isn’t and never will be. You can miss a couple NFL games and still be content with your favorite pro football team come playoff time as long as they make the playoffs. Do you honestly want to render college football into what men’s basketball has become? Where losing a few games is acceptable. I personally think that would be devastating for this sport we all love and cherish.

Shockingly not everything revolves around money. There is just so much more money potentially for the NCAA and its members if they switched to a playoff format, but at the expense of reducing the value of the regular season? The benefit becomes negligible.

Do not for a second even fool yourselves into thinking Auburn, Boise State and Georgia are the only victims in our wacky postseason format. Penn State was robbed of 2 national championship appearances once by Nixon when he prematurely awarded the title to Texas and once to Nebraska despite the 1994 team still widely regarded as one of the best ever in college football. So trust me when I say that I am still a little ticked off. But my rage has not blinded me to the bigger picture. Our national championship system is not perfect, but it works for college football.

So why exactly is Mike Slive the commissioner of possibly the second highest profile conference in the nation advocating an idea so absurd to the institution of college football that it is doomed to fail from day one? Ever hear of the Ralph Nadar tactic? Well when you know that an idea or a candidate stands very little chance of winning, the idea/candidate is still proposed simply to earn favor with the fans or electorate. Nadar will propose legalizing marijuana. He knows that is extremely popular with the younger generation. He will also propose lowering the drinking age. That is even more popular with college bound voters. But he also knows all too well he will never, ever win. So proposing it makes him look like the forward thinking candidate, the innovator and earn some good will despite the fact that he has no intention or ability to ever make good on his promise.

In walks Mike Slive. His conference has just won back to back national titles through a system that he now proposes scrapping. The mere fact that he is even thinking about a proposed playoff has all the fans, blogs and forums up in arms supporting him. But wait, he knows there is no chance such a system will ever come to fruition. How can I claim that? Well scroll back up and read the almost unanimous rejection of any sort of playoff or plus-one idea by every commissioner including the one representing mid-majors who as of the current system has no shot in hell of ever earning a title spot.

So why would Mike Slive still go through the trouble of bringing it up? Well isn’t the media and fans berating the Big Ten, Pac 10 and Rose Bowl and giving Slive and the SEC a standing ovation? Don’t you think he has already accomplished his goal? Those who can’t see through the game Slive is playing here want to award him with the medal of honor. And unfortunately that describes that mass majority of college football fans. Slive knows all too well his idea is bogus and will never gain traction, yet he runs his propaganda machine perfectly.

Each and every year there is contraversy, it adds to the lore that defines the sport of college football. We have to remember that this is a sport where teams and fan bases battle and hate each other over bronzed pigs, wooden buckets and in Notre Dame and USC’s case, a stupid looking Irish stick. Logic has little place in a sport so immersed in passion and tradition. Where else can you find two differing win records between teams from Missouri and Kansas simply because they can’t agree on the results of their historic rivalry? Do we honestly want to risk these rivalry games, passion for our teams even against inferior non conference opponents and the tradition that is the bowl game tie-ins (and I’m not talking about Joe’s Toilet bowl that was just introduced last year) just to give two more teams that couldn’t make a good enough case to be a national title participant lock in the first place another shot at the title? It sure isn’t worth it to me.

The only difference between commissioners Jim Delany and Mike Slive is not in their post season systems. They both know and believe that the current bowl tie-in system is what is best for the sport. The only difference between the two is that Jim Delany actually possesses a backbone. He is blatantly and at times too painfully honest about his commitment to the Rose Bowl and the current system. Slive on the other hand will squeeze as much good will from the majority of passionate college football fans as he can. How else will he ever get Missouri, Kansas, USC and even West Virginian fans on his side otherwise?

The mainstream media can dub the Big Ten, Pac 10 Rose Bowl alliance as the ‘Axis of Obstruction’ all they want. But in all honesty, the Rose Curtain (thats right ESPN, I can make smart, creative references too) is here to stay and for the good of college football as a sport, lets hope they never tear down this wall.

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