Playoff Potential: The End of the BCS era, and the Potential of an Extended NFL Playoff.

The BCS’s Last Hurrah.

With a sad salute farewell we say goodbye to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). R.I.P. BCS, 1998-2014. You and your shenanigans will be missed. The death of the BCS is paving the way for something, that if you know how television contracts work, that will glue more eyeballs to more television screens across the country. More viewers mean more money for all parties involved with the newly named College Football Playoffs (the NCAA is very creative). 

The new college football postseason will feature two semi-final games which in 2014 will be the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. The winners of those two games will go on to play in the National Championship game. Those four semi-final teams will be the four top ranked teams at the end of the season. A two game playoff system isn’t very dramatic to determine the two top teams, but it is slightly, just slightly, more exciting than the top two teams are in the big game, end of story. The NCAA is hoping that the semi-final games will become their own mini National Championship games and draw the typical national audience plus four extremely excited fan bases instead of two. Four fan bases trying to secure tickets to the National Championship game instead of two will drive up the demand for tickets and good ole supply and demand will do its thing. Oh, also factor in the general college football fan base trying to get tickets. That’s big money. 

 

So what happens to the other Bowl games? Well their will be four Bowl games outside of the semi-final games for other top teams to compete in, but the rest will be left in the dust. That’s right no more beloved Bowls such as the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, or Belk Bowl. May you and your other deceased Bowl brethren watch over the College Football Playoffs from Bowl Heaven. You will be missed greatly. 

He’s a link to the College Football Playoffs’ website if you need a clearer explanation of the new system. Also check out Spencer Hall’s of SB Nations: Goodbye to the BCS, sort of: A eulogy.

A Possible NFL Playoff Expansion

Goodell spoke yesterday about potentially expanding the NFL playoffs. It’s highly unlikely for the 2014 season, but 2015 isn’t out of the question. 

"What we're talking about is adding two teams. So you might have three games on the first weekend, and this is probably more of the issues that need to be addressed."

"How do you schedule that? Do you have three games on Saturday and three games on Sunday? Do you have two on Friday, two on Saturday and two on Sunday? Do you go into Monday? There are competitive consequences in there and television consequences,” he (Goodell) said.” (espn.com)

If you recall, in early 2013 I wrote an article about the NFL potentially doing a full pre through postseason overhaul. If you do not recall, here it is.

 

This playoff change could easily settled into a full NFL overhaul. Also an extra game on each of the days during Wild Card Weekend would create more viewers and more money.

"How do we continue to make sure the regular-season games are incredibly important each week, but also, how can we create more interest, and does expanding the postseason allow other teams to get into the dance with the potential of going on and winning the Super Bowl?" Goodell said. "That is a good thing for fans. It is a good thing competitively.” (Goodell via espn.com)

It’s also a good to make the NFL’s pockets a little bit deeper. 

For this to happen a lot of people would have to agree on this topic.The commissioner, the NFLPA, and owners would all have to agree on this extended two extra team playoff scenario. The only factor that makes this seem like it has a chance of passing is that it will not increase the length of the season, but will increase revenue. 

 

Goodell also mentioned that a shortened pre-season would be unlikely for the 2014 season as well. The soonest we will see a potential schedule change would possibly be 2015. 

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Zachary Cintron is a pre-junior in Drexel's Sport Management program with a minor in Music Theory and Composition.  Zach also writes for his personal blog, Sports and Music Weekly. You can follow Zach on Twitter at @cintronz.

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