blitzburgh

Okay, I haven’t really done a true “opinion” blog topic in awhile, so why not air my thoughts on something that has been bugging me for a long time.  A great and mighty tempest is brewing in college football which seems to be leading to the inevitable super conferences, with Texas truly expanding the definition of “Pacific.”  And as everyone clamors endlessly for a playoff (which I, too, would like to see implemented in the future), I have taken a more realistic approach to this issue by accepting that this radical change is nowhere in the immediate future.  It was suggested that the current BCS system may remain in place through 2040.  While I see that statement as a bit of a stretch, 2020 could be a distinct possibility.  This begs the question: what can the NCAA do NOW to increase the credibility of the BCS system and eliminate so many controversies that have plagued it in the past decade?

The answer, my friends, is simple.  Reinstate the tie to the college football rulebook, and eliminate overtime.

It is widely accepted that the overtime rules in both the NFL and NCAA are a farce.  In the pros, sudden death means over half the time, the coin flip decides the game; the winner will simply convert 2 or 3 first downs, kick a mid-range FG and go home.  In college, it is simply too ridiculously easy to score.  While the equal opportunity offense makes sense, it is extremely flawed in the NCAA.  Starting at your opponent’s 25 yard line, a team can kick a very makeable 42 yard FG without gaining an inch of territory.  How many times have we seen these games turn into 7, 8 OT marathons?  If overtime is to remain in place, the starting field position should be moved to the 50 yard line, but that’s another argument for another day.

Quite frankly, what brought this opinion of mine back to the forefront was a soccer match of all things: the United States vs. England, in the World Cup.  This game resulted in a 1-1 tie, but was it really a tie?  Obviously, one team (the US) can take a great deal more solace in this outcome than the English squad can.  The same would be true in college football.  If say, Eastern Michigan came into the Horseshoe this season and earned a tie with Ohio State, they would truly be the winners.

Think back to all those great matchups in the late 80’s and early 90’s before overtime was instituted.  Often the team with the final possession would score a touchdown while being down by 7 points, then face the gut-wrenching decision of going for the win or the tie.  If a team was in national title contention, this decision could speak volumes to where they played in January.  I believe the same could happen today, and it could eliminate much of the headaches associated with the BCS.  Many early season marquee non-conference matchups would likely fall into the tie category, as a coach with real aspirations would hesitate to gamble for a win when assured of a tie.  This team would still be officially undefeated, but whether it would be enough to land them in a major bowl game would remain to be seen.

It’s about time we make a return of authentic strategy to the college game.  Let a coach decide whether to go for broke or accept a tie.  At the very least, returning to the old way of doing things could clear up many conference title races, and it would almost assuredly help to clear what would be a muddled national title picture between 3-4 teams if OT was still in effect.

After reading my proposal, who in their right mind would be against bringing the tie back to NCAA football?

For those who are (and those who agree!!!), the floor is all yours.