Okay, so not everybodylikes Barack Obama’s plan to implement a playoff system into college football:
“I am extremely delighted that he is our president and excited that he is going to lead our nation,” Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said. “I am disappointed that there isn’t more full discussion before he comes to a conclusion on this. I would hope only that the leader of our country would take under full consideration all the aspects.
“The simple solution is easy to state. We’re not in charge of a professional league where we have the entertainment value to consider. That should be fully considered. This isn’t something you should make a rash decision about.”
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany told the New York Times over the weekend: “I think it’s that time of year. Whether it’s the president-elect or college football coaches or fans debating it, the First Amendment is alive and well.”
“Certainly it’s an important issue for college football and colleges. Where does it stand in the list of challenges we have in America today? I would say it’s not very high.”
Obama’s comments have added weight not only because he is about to become leader of the free world. His vice president has been a strident BCS critic. Around the time the Senate Judiciary Committee convened hearings on the BCS in 2003 Joe Biden called the BCS system “rigged” and “un-American”.
It was the threat of hearings in 2005 that prompted the commissioners to add an additional BCS bowl and loosen the qualification standards for non-BCS teams.
“I’m concerned about it,” Beebe said of Obama. “Obviously he is in a powerful position. If it makes people think along those lines without fully considering all the ramifications, that’s the main thing. A one-game single elimination type playoff works well for the NFL, it works well for our basketball championship but it doesn’t mean you end up with the best team winning it all.”
All of the above comments can fit into one translation:
“Listen Obama, we’re all making a crap load of money with the way the current format is set up. It’s not about the fans that line our pockets with luscious money – it’s about the luscious money. So how about you shut your damn mouth and keep things the way they are, huh?”
