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The Honolulu Advertiser


By Ferd Lewis

Posted on: Friday, January 8, 2010

BCS is good, especially for BCS

 • Tide wins national title

"I know this is not completely popular, but I believe in it. I believe it (the Bowl Championship Series) is in the best interest of the universities."

— Bill Hancock, new BCS executive director.

Finally, we have someone from the BCS speaking the truth.

Well, up to a point, anyway.

When the newly-appointed czar (hand-picked by the six-conference cabal that runs the BCS, of course) yesterday said: "...(the BCS) is in the best interests of the universities" he came closer than anyone yet to acknowledging the underlying truth of the whole operation:

It is most definitely in the best interests of the universities. The ones that pull the strings, that is.

Which is why we won't be seeing the logical conclusion to this season: Alabama (14-0) vs. Boise State (14-0), a pairing of the remaining unbeatens in major college football.

Only in the BCS could two games be set up each matching undefeated teams with no plans to settle the issue. Only the BCS could leave things hanging.

Would the Tide roll over the Broncos? Probably. Would Boise have more tricks up its sleeve?

We'll never know because the BCS is less about determining a true national champion than making sure into which pockets the lion's share of the money goes — and doesn't go.

Which is why there was no Boise vs. Florida or Texas Christian vs. Cincinnati.

The winners — and still financial champions — are and, barring congressional mandate, will long remain the 64 schools of the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10 and Southeastern conferences that created the BCS to monopolize the postseason bowl and TV moolah.

Rather than equitably divide up the pot, a la the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the BCS decided how the pie would be cut. Those conferences, thanks to the automatic berths they have granted themselves, averaged $20.8 million each last year. The other 56 schools that make up the five non-automatic conferences and independents each received an average of $3.9 million. And it won't change much anytime soon.

Not for some of the stated reasons that the college football has never been better or that it would prolong the season. Especially when you consider the interest a playoff would bring or that they are already playing to Jan. 7, including nine games after Jan. 1.

But, at least, the "best interest of the universities" has been preserved.