Dump the BCS for a playoff

Note to all Bowl Championship Series supporters: Open your minds to a playoff.

Pretty much every year, a team deserving of playing for the National Championship in college football gets the shaft.

This year is no different.

Texas beat Oklahoma in its annual rivalry game and yet, for the second time, Oklahoma somehow gets the benefit of the doubt and is playing for the National Championship.

In 2003, Oklahoma was trounced by Kansas State 35-7 in the Big 12 Championship game, but was still in the National Championship game in place of the more deserving USC and Michigan.

The BCS should have been disbanded after that season, but college football and college presidents continued to push to keep it going, and for one reason.

Money.

Yes, supporters will tell you that a playoff will add games and wear down college athletes, but I don't buy that argument.

In all honesty, the extra game or two (with an eight-team playoff) will help college athletes preparing to go to the NFL begin to adjust to a longer season.

Plus, I believe colleges will have the potential to earn more money.

With an eight-team playoff, teams making it to the National Championship game will have two extra games to "earn" their respective schools more money.

Plus, two more locations could be added to the national spotlight.

On top of that, there would be no reason to eliminate any of the other bowl games which reward other teams for having a winning season.

Rather than have 40 or more days between the final game of the season and the National Championship, teams could have one or two weeks off (depending on the conference) before playing the quarterfinals on Christmas Eve. Then, the semifinals could be played on New Years' Day and the National Championship on Jan. 8, which is about when its been played in recent years.

That short time off will allow the athletes time to focus on their December finals and also have time to prepare for their next opponent.

Sure there would be complaining by the No. 9 or 10 ranked team, but the argument would be far less valid than a No. 3 team believing it should be in the big game over the No. 2 team that they beat.

The College World Series and NCAA basketball tournament are playoffs which are very successful, so why not utilize it in college football.