For College football Playoffs, Only ESPN Holds the Key.

We all have heard the same argument over and over again; college football needs to have a playoff system.

Even president Obama, on 60 Minutes, pushed for college football to adapt a do or die tournament.

Meanwhile, we have always blamed the same people; the people in charge of the Bowl systems who make too much money from corporate sponsors on to many to count bowl games to decide to have a four, or eight or x amount of teams for a playoff. Doing so would be great for fans but bad for business is typically the excuse that floats around.

But rarely do we blame the one network who is mainly, and in 2011, entirely the culprit for the hopes of a playoff system in college football; ESPN.

Ya, that’s right, ESPN has shot our playoff hopes down for good. It was reported on November 18th that the sports leader, which already aired 25 bowl games last year and set to air 27 in the next month, has bought the rights to the four championship bowl games beginning in 2011. ESPN out bid Fox network $125 million to $100 million.

Many of the bowl games are lame. For example, the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, the New Mexico Bowl and the Independence Bowl will feature two bad ranked teams who are playing for nothing besides pride and some extra cash for their schools. Still, ESPN ratings for bowl games are through the roof. In 25 games last year, ESPN had over 98 million viewers, an average of over 4 million viewers each game, according to my elementary math skills. And we can bet that in 2011 the four bowl games will help rake it in for ESPN.

Outside of the most trusted brand in sports, only Fox and CBS have bowl games, but only a handful. According to Wikipedia, “In January 2010, FOX will continue to air three BCS bowl games (Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl), but ABC ( which owns ESPN) will air the BCS National Championship Game due to its contract with the Rose Bowl, who is hosting the event. Starting with the 2010-2011 season, ESPN will start airing the games after outbidding FOX for the television rights.[1]”

With this knowledge in hand, ESPN will be the outright leader of the “ Money Games.”

So let’s get back to the argument. ESPN should be blamed, solely. Not to say that their wrong, because clearly the ratings say otherwise. While I do not think ESPN should halt from covering the four bowl championship games in 2011, they should forget about covering the dumb games that mean nothing. Honestly, outside of the cities that the two teams are playing from and addicted gamblers, does anyone care who wins the Eagle Bank Bowl? And, would anyone care if that bowl game, along with numerous others, were taken away?

The thing that matters to the BCS the most is that all of their 30 some odd bowl games get covered by a brand network like ESPN or Fox. But if ESPN decided to take away, say 20 of the least exciting bowl games from their schedule, it might force the BCS to have a playoff instead. While the four BCS championship games still bring in the most revenue for the BCS, most of it comes from having all of the bowl games being aired. Take away the meaningless bowl games and having a playoff makes more sense for the BCS. With say an eight game playoff there would be just as many games, 4, but with more interest.

ESPN fans can tell you that on numerous ESPN outlets the BCS system is argued over. But Pete Fiutak of CFN.scout.com believes that now, ESPN personalities will refrain from arguing over the system. If this is true than we are screwed. ESPN is the leader in the bowl debate. If they stop the push than whom can we follow?

The BCS gets too much money from corporate sponsors to ever switch their current systems and college’s get to much money for winning for either one of them to change their minds.

That leaves ESPN to pave the way. For those of us who have seen, “ A field of Dreams” we remember the line, “ If you build it they will come.” But how about, “If you do not air it than they will succumb?”

The only bright spot is this: Now that ESPN is the sole owner of the bowl games, only they can force a playoff. J.P. Giglio of the newsobserver.com said, “Grouping the broadcast rights with one television partner might be the first step in changing the postseason format.”

The worldwide leader in sports will now be the leader when it comes to extra games that count. ESPN, let the power be with you.