Empower the Student Athlete

Earlier today I was listening to an interview of Kyle Whittingham on ESPN. Of course he has repeated over and over during the past week his feeling that the Utah Utes are deserving of the National Championship crown this year. Included were the regular points, "we are the only unbeaten team in the United States;" "we are the only team that does not need to explain away a loss;" "we believe we can play with anyone in the country;" "someone will have to explain to me why we are not deserving of a National Championship." I am in full concurrence.

He made an additional point which, I believe, is very insightful. The show host asked why he thought the Utes would beat the Florida Gators and thus are deserving of the national title. Whit responded by saying, "well, the current system that's in place isn't about who beats who... it's who has the best season, and I believe we had the best season." HE NAILED IT!!! Whittingham perfectly identified what the BCS is designed to do.

The pageantry of the BCS is designed to crown the team with the best season - not the best team of the season. There is a difference there. A playoff will identify the best team of the season by flat out on-the-field performance. Whoever wins, moves on. Whoever is standing at the end is the champion. However, the BCS system coronates its national champion based on which team had the best season. This goes far beyond wins and losses. The BCS is a beauty pageant of collegiate football teams. The judging criteria includes brand name, conference affiliation, preseason expectations and projections, timing of one's loss during the season, fan following, national media perceptions, strength of schedule, etc. It is all about show. It is all about garnering votes. College football is not a sport, it is a competition. Each program competes for votes. Whoever can piece together the best season - not just based on wins and losses - will win the most votes.

Now, the BCS along with other administrators and commissioners claim they are protecting the student athletes with their system. They say they cannot interfere with the student athletes' final exams in December. They say they cannot take the football season late into January because such a long season will be too hard on the student athlete. They say the bowls are a reward for the student athletes - something they deserve at the end of a long, hard-fought season. Well, if these powers who control the college football postseason are so intent upon empowering and protecting the student athletes, why does their system strip said student athletes of all power to control their own destiny as to where in they finish in the final standings?

Think about it for a moment! Consider all that is taken into consideration to determine who plays in the BCS games and who plays in the National Championship game. What say does the student athlete have in what conference his school plays in? What influence does the student athlete have in who is on the team's schedule? What control does the student athlete have in his team's preseason ranking? What influence does the student athlete have in how his opponents perform in other games during the season? None. None. None. And none!!!

Why don't conference commissioners, university presidents, athletic directors, bowl committees, computer rankings, media polls, and coaches’ polls step aside and return the focus of collegiate football to the student athlete! Let the student athletes determine who the best is. Let the student athletes today determine who the best is. Not has-been athletes who now populate press boxes and fill the air waves with biased opinions and tainted analysis. Not teams of yester-year who established a respected tradition at a particular school. Not bowl committees who are simply looking to increase viewership and incite intrigue for their name.

College football should be about college athletes. The winner, the champion, the #1 team should be determined on the gridiron, athlete versus athlete. Let the athletes answer the question of who is the best team this season.