Good Riddance

News item: Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen plans to step down next summer. Read about it HERE.

Normally I wouldn't give a hoot about some college conference commissioner stepping down. But this is an exception. Hanson led the PAC-10 in its annoying, hypocritical fight against a college football playoff. In fact he was the #1 opponent of a playoff system --citing student academic concerns and the like. As if college football wasn't a multi-million dollar business. As if NCAA basketball and division II football (which does have a playoff) couldn't get around those concerns. No, this was about money. The money the PAC-10 made with TV tie-ins and bowl tie-ins. Total crap.

Hansen may have been a good commissioner, but his obstructionist tactics were unfair, given that the majority of college football officials wanted a playoff system. Good to see him go. Not a moment too soon.

About. Damn. Time.

Two news stories today caught my eye. One is that the BCS is looking at a "Plus One" bowl to take place after the top 4 teams play each other in the top BCS bowls --for a real national championship. This year that wouldn't have worked because Kansas (orange bowl winner), Georgia (Sugar Bowl winner), and of course LSU would have had a claim to 1 of the 2 spots. Nevertheless, even better news is that Georgia (bitter about having to play Hawaii after getting stiffed in the BCS standings the final week) is calling for an 8 team playoff. Read the story here. Basically the top 4 bcs bowls would be the quarter finals and then there would be two semi-final games and a final after. I'm not sure why the quarter-finals couldn't be assigned to bowls as well, but I'm happy about the proposal. Georgia is right, there were shenanigans going on in the BCS process. Plus the Rose Bowl was downright silly for picking Illinois. Far better to have a playoff to see who is the best -whether it be 4, 8, or 16 teams.

It is time for the networks and bowls to quit deciding who gets in and who is out --let the teams decide it on the field.