Editorial: Champion should be decided on the field

Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2001 | 8:32 a.m.

On Jan. 3 the top-ranked college football team in the nation, the University of Miami, will meet the University of Nebraska in the Rose Bowl, a game that is supposed to determine the national champion. There is just one problem: Not many people believe Nebraska deserves a trip to Pasadena.

The University of Oregon and the University of Colorado, which will meet in the Fiesta Bowl, were ranked No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in the polls by the media and coaches. For that matter, the No. 4-ranked Nebraska team is playing for the national title despite the fact that Colorado buried Nebraska in its final game of the season, 62-36. There even is the possibility that should Nebraska upset Miami in the Rose Bowl, the winner of the Oregon-Colorado game easily could make a case that they are the best team in the land. The confusion is brought to you courtesy of the Bowl Championship Series, which is anything but what its name suggests.

Under the BCS, there are no playoffs. Instead a formula is used to rank the teams, separately consisting of polls by the media and coaches, computer rankings, the strength of schedule, winning percentage and bonus points for big victories. So while the polls argued against Nebraska going to the Rose Bowl, enough of the other variables in the BCS formula favored Nebraska, allowing them to play for the national championship. The Byzantine method is just one more reason why the BCS should be ditched in favor of a playoff system. Fans want to see which team is the best -- and that is done on the playing field, not by polls or computers.