A bad anti-playoff argument

Ron Morris is a friend, and I agree with a lot of his takes.

But not this one.

Not going to climb aboard the anti-BCS soapbox, because I've already beaten you folks over the head with that enough.

But goodness ... he lost me with his opening line:

The greatest playoff system in all of sports is working again.

The difference between this system and all the other playoff systems is that all the other playoff systems actually are playoff systems.

When a system is based on computers and Harris polls and basically amounts to a weekly beauty contest, it's hard to consider it great or even good or even remotely acceptable.

Another line I don't get:

Now we have six contenders for the other championship game spot. One by one, five of those six will fall out of the race. That is the way it has worked beautifully in 11 of the 13 seasons since the BCS championship game was adopted for the 1998 season.

First of all, when a "system" is built on the hope that two teams will emerge and establish themselves as better than all the rest, there is something wrong with the system.

Second, "the best playoff system in all of sports" does not work only most of the time. Not trying to get political here, but it's kind of like saying the death penalty works because only two of the past 13 guys executed have been innocent.

Let's get rid of this notion that 1) the regular season is a playoff, and 2) the regular season would somehow be diminished in the face of an actual playoff. An eight-team playoff would enhance the meaning and the drama of the regular season, not diminish it.

But the most incomprehensible line of the column comes near the end:

That brings us to Boise State (7-0). The Broncos have one stiff test remaining and that comes against TCU on Nov. 12. Fortunately for Boise State, this is not a strong TCU squad.

By virtue of going unbeaten — and having proved itself on the national stage time and again over the past few seasons — Boise State deserves a crack at the national championship.

There are some good arguments in favor of Boise State. At this point I'm not dismissing the belief that they are the best team in the country. I like them. I hope they play in the BCS title game.

But what the Broncos have done in recent years should have ZERO to do with their legitimacy as a BCS title-game participant this year.

And since Ron wrote something I disagree with, I officially refuse to conduct press conferences when he is in the room.

LW