I’m not smart enough nor do I have the time right now to understand ins and outs of college football’s Bowl Championship Series. If you do an archive search on this blog, which typically focuses more on the NFL than college football, you’ll see that neither my brother nor I like the BCS as it sits right now.

But I would guess neither of us would claim to be an expert on what conferences make huge chunks of money or whose teams have the worst chances of being selected for the big money bowl games.

I was intrigued during the last couple weeks, however, as discussion emerged about the possibilities of the Big Ten, which includes the University of Minnesota where we both went to college, potentially adding any number of teams from big name Notre Dame to up-and-coming Rutgers, to recent power Missouri to trying-to-re-emerge Nebraska.

But I’ve been hesitant to embrace the talks too much because when you follow college sports you know that A) the BCS sucks and B) there is always a money angle somewhere along the line.

Yahoo! Sports has a fantastic story describing one view of how the Big 10 fought off a “plus one” playoff format a couple years ago as part of a plan to get its own network up and running so it could now raid the Big 12 and become one of what could become three or four “super conferences”.

I don’t know if Dan Wetzel has all the answers in this story. But he did write a book on the topic (due out in October, as he tactfully pitches in the narrative) and this is the best and most illustrative story I’ve seen so far on the topic.

I love the idea of Minnesota hosting teams like Nebraska and Notre Dame on a regular basis. It’s not like my Gophers have been a powerhouse worth watching on their own merits often in my lifetime.

But I don’t like this level of alleged deceit or the idea that college football as a whole, particularly the medium to small-sized schools, may pay a huge price in the long term for these changes either.

I don’t know how this will play out. My instincts tell me we’ll know more in the next few days. The major discussions underway the last few weeks could change the landscape of the game in a big, big way.

We realize that here at Zoneblitz.com (and at our baseball site) we sometimes rant on particular topics a little too much.  But sometimes, the subjects of our rants make it too easy not to.

Case in point–last week, Andy pointed out that Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk castigated Jim Kelly for saying that he would be comfortable recommending Tim Tebow to his former team, the Buffalo Bills, saying:

“The fact that he was a quarterback doesn’t make him qualified to determine the round in which another quarterback should be drafted. And it especially doesn’t qualify him to assess overall team needs and determine whether Tebow or any other quarterback should be picked instead of the best player available at another position, or the best player available regardless of position.”

Florio thought this was was worthy of a post, despite the fact that:

• Kelly was answering a question from a reporter, not actually making a recommendation to the Bills in their draft war room (that we know of)
• Kelly admitted he didn’t have enough information to decide whether he was worthy of a 1st round pick, but that he would be ok as a 2nd round pick
• Kelly acknowledged that he’s not qualified to make a recommendation as to whether the Bills should use the ninth pick in round one or the ninth pick in round two to get Tebow

Despite this, Florio added:

“If Kelly wanted to recommend players to the Bills, he should have become a scout upon retiring, rolling up his sleeves and grinding away and visiting college campuses and watching film. “

And this:

“Indeed, we doubt that many/any Bills scouts offered Kelly unsolicited advice about playing quarterback during his career.  He would be wise to return the courtesy now.”

Now, five days later, Florio offers up this gem:

“Even if he’s not ready to contribute at the NFL level as a rookie, his long-term potential likely makes him worthy of a selection in the top 20 picks.”

That quote was featured in a short piece about Jason Pierre-Paul, a defensive end prospect considered a “freakish athlete with unlimited potential”, but one that has raised questions about maturity and his readiness for the NFL with “nonsensical answers to fairly basic questions” during team interviews.

Hey Mike, I doubt that any scouts offered you unsolicited advice about how to try cases during your legal career–it might be wise to return that courtesy now.

Otherwise, some other blogs might start wondering just what you’re getting out of hyping a player that has raised legitimate concerns with his behavior during interviews–not to mention the fact that his “huge splash in only one year of major college football” amounted to only 6.5 sacks and only 7 starts (but still 13 games played)–hardly the kind of production that warrants a first round pick.

But hey, maybe you finally found another way to monetize all that traffic your site gets–I would guess that agents would pay pretty heavily to get a recommendation on a site that so many NFL insiders supposedly visit?

So this story is already a week old, but apparently the Obama administration really is looking into reviewing the legality of the BCS Championship.  I only bring it up a week later because we’ve written about it a few times before.

And also because, when we shared the link above with a friend of ours (who’s a little more politically oriented than we are), he had an interesting reaction:

“I’m trying to imagine going back in time and asking the Federalists, ‘Now, if we ratify this thing, will it give the federal government the power to regulate tournament rules for collegiate sporting events?’”

You can find more of his thoughts on the topic at his blog.  Being a football blog, Zoneblitz does not necessarily agree or disagree with a lot of the topics covered on his blog–but we do agree with him that, if the NCAA wants their BCS solution to look good, getting the government involved might be the best thing for them.

The folks over at Despair.com have probably summed it up best:

“Government: If you think the problems we create are bad, just wait until you see our solutions.”

I know I just wrote 2,200 words the other day focused at least in part on describing why I think ProFootballTalk.com isn’t as good a site as it used to be.

And I hate to harp on the topic. But he wrote another post today that raised my ire. Today Mike Florio’s topic was Noel Devine, the running back from West Virginia who decided to pass on the draft and go back for his senior season.

Sure, there might be little for him to prove by staying a Mountaineer. And yes, the NFL might impose a rookie salary cap for the 2011 season. So it’s possible – even likely – that Devine might cost himself some money by staying in school.

But at the end of the day, even if the NFL imposes a rookie salary cap, if he’s taken in the first couple rounds of the 2011 draft (assuming there is one) he’s going to make plenty of money.

Isn’t it just possible that Devine is enjoying the college experience? Can it be that he likes his teammates and wants to make a run at a major bowl game? Perhaps a national championship? Or, maybe he wants to guard against the chances that an NFL career doesn’t work out by, cough, cough, getting a degree?

Many college players come out early. And sure, it’s hard to blame them with the payouts they see in front of them. But many stay in school, some because they just enjoy it.

So often college football players are criticized for pretending to be students and using the NFL as a springboard for a pro contract. It’s almost surprising with a good to great player when it goes the other way.

So whatever Devine’s reasons, can we just enjoy the fact – injury risks aside (yes, see the cases of Sam Bradford and Michael Bush) – that this guy might be in the college game for more than just the big payoff? He’s taking a risk. But there’s insurance for that. I applaud Noel Devine. I don’t watch a lot of West Virginia games but I hope this move pays off for you.

No matter what ProFootballTalk.com says.

College football’s Bowl Championship Series is a joke. There are few things dumber in sports than having teams play 13 games and then having a collection of computers determine who’s number one and number two. As much as I have always enjoyed bowl games (though there are WAYYYYYYYYY too many) college football should long ago have instituted a playoff system that takes the top eight or 16 teams and plays them down to a final two, just like every other sport does.

But it’s not a congressional issue.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, should not be calling for Justice Department investigations into the BCS – at least not because it’s a crappy system. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, the top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, is free to think the system is unfair – he’s not wrong about that. Major conference or not, any team that wins all of their regular season games should have at least a shot to win or lose the national championship on the field

But as unfair and stupid as it is, he and Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee (Really? The House Energy and Commerce Committee needs its own subcommittee? Maybe these elected clowns, err, officials would be better off spending their time trying to eliminate layers of government and making the system more efficient? Just a thought) should not be co-sponsoring bills to change the system – certainly not now, when there are so many other things for them to be spending time on and, in my opinion, not ever.

But yes, that subcommittee Wednesday approved legislation aimed at forcing college football to adopt a playoff system.

The bill, according to an Associated Press story, would ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision game as a national championship unless it results from a playoff.

Why does government feel it needs to be involved in everything? Why should Congress have a voice in how the NCAA determines its champions? Thankfully there were, in my opinion, some voices of reason. “With all due respect, I really think we have more important things to spend our time on,” says Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., who also doesn’t like the BCS, but according to the AP shouted “no” audibly during a voice vote.

The last I checked the country was still fighting two wars, negotiating controversial health care reform, dealing with a massive-and-growing deficit and trying to solve a lagging economy. I think elected officials have plenty going on without figuring out how the NCAA should or shouldn’t market their final game of the season.

As screwed up as the system is and as much as I love the sport, this is just football. It’s an escape from reality. It’s a game. There’s big money involved but at the end of the day, no matter who wins and who loses – and who gets screwed over by the BCS – this is not an issue in which government should be getting itself involved.

Graham Harrell, the latest record-setting quarterback from Texas Tech University, has signed a contract to play for Saskatchewan in the Canadian Football League.

Nothing against the Roughriders (or is it the Rough Riders), but how can 14,000 yards passing and 119 touchdowns against 30 interceptions during a four-year college career not even warrant a training camp tryout in the NFL?

I realize Mike Leach runs a passing offense that skews some of those numbers. I also realize the stellar numbers of guys like Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons and Sonny Cumbie haven’t translated to success in the pros.

But in a league where backup guys like Dan Orlovsky, Quinn Gray, Cleo Lemon and Anthony Wright get recycled year after year after year, wouldn’t a fresh face like Harrell warrant a tryout?

Harrell completed better than 70 percent of his passes his last two seasons. He led the Red Raiders in chasing the national championship against traditional powers like Oklahoma and Texas by posting a six-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio. He threw for nearly 2,000 more yards than Kingsbury did – breaking his school passing yardage record five games into his senior season – in a similar number of attempts and completions.

He can run – he eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark as a rusher his senior year of high school – so he’d at least have an opportunity to complete in the new, fangled Wildcat fad that’s spread across the NFL. And he was considered a leader at Texas Tech.

I’m not saying all or any of those facts will make him into an NFL superstar. Is it possible he could join the ranks of all the other Texas Tech “system” quarterbacks and be junk in the pros? Absolutely. It might even be likely.

But the fact that this guy isn’t going to get a chance to prove or disprove those theories is confusing and disappointing. Not even a spot on someone’s practice squad? Really?

Somebody give this guy a shot.

Gaaaaaaaach.

Wars in the Middle East.

Budget deficits.

Still plummeting economy.

For the love of God, don’t Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and the rest of Congress have something better to do than worry about forcing a college football playoff?

I’d like to see a playoff as much as the next person.

But Congress needs to butt out. That collection of bickering clowns will probably make it worse anyway.

Heisman winner Sam Bradford announced yesterday that he is going back to school for his Junior season.  It will be his fourth season in Norman, given his red-shirt season.

This morning on my way in to work, the morning crew on the local sports radio station all pretty much agreed that he was making a mistake, since some experts (like Todd McShay) have Bradford pegged as the likely #1 overall pick.

But Bradford made the right call, if he wants to be a successful NFL quarterback, by going back to school.

Although I believe it would be a mistake, it’s possible that the Lions would have taken Bradford #1 overall, and he would have (eventually) signed a nice, fat contract, and likely been set for life.

Many people, including my die-hard Sooner alum/fan neighbor, insist that it is his mental makeup that will make him a success at the next level.  But even against Florida in the national championship game, Bradford just looked average.  Add to that what looks to me to be a strange throwing motion, and only two years of experience–and that coming in a shotgun heavy version of the spread offense, based somewhat on the offense Mike Leach installed in 2000 (which has produced gaudy numbers at the NCAA level, and several QBs who have gone on to do nothing in the NFL), and the likelihood of Bradford succeeding out of the gate in the NFL drop.

Add to that that he would likely be joining one of the worst teams in the NFL, and he would be sure to fail.

2008 NFL success stories Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco might have some teams (and their fans) thinking that throwing rookie QBs to the fire is the way to go.  But they would be sadly mistaken in the case of Bradford.  Both Ryan and Flacco played four years of college, had success in offenses better suited to the pro game, and had that success surrounded by talent that was not as forgiving of mistakes as the OU talent pool.

So Bradford made the right call–at least one more year of college experience, a chance for a second Heisman, another chance at a national title, and hopefully some offensive scheme tweaks (if Bob Stoops wants to improve his reputation as someone who gets players ready for the next level–I count four Sooners from the Stoops era who are NFL stars, and only a handful more that have made any impact), and he could go on to NFL stardom.

OK, not so much in arm strength. Or probably NFL touchdown passes.  Or even NFL interceptions.

But when it comes to announcers knocking each other over to get on their knees to fellate the star quarterback, Tebow might already have Favre beat.

Seriously, some of the comments from tonight’s BCS Might Be Best of the Big Conferences Game, some of the comments on Tebow were ridiculous.  I was doing more drinking than taking notes, but I know I heard something about how his teammates were better people simply for playing with them, how great of a guy he is because he went and lived with lepers, how it might have been his first penalty ever (after he blatantly tried taunting an opponent–and failed, which of course made their highlight reel at the end of the game), how great he was making yards after contact (on a simple dive play up the middle that got like 3 yards), and how he placed the ball perfectly where he had to so only his guy had a chance to catch it (he didn’t, because the ball was too low–had the ball been thrown sooner, or higher, it would have been a touchdown).

And finally, after the game, there was the “When you’re talking about the greatest college football players of all time…<pause for 10 seconds>if he was in the top 10, he’s now in the top 5″.  Might be paraphrased a bit, as I was busy trying not to throw up.

I get that he’s a solid college QB, and that his team won.  But frankly, the defense won that national title for Florida more than Tebow.  And if I have to listen to NFL announcers gush over Tebow the way they gush over Favre…at a minimum, we’ll have some quiet Sunday’s at the ZoneBlitz headquarters watching games with the sound off.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, believes the Bowl Championship Series “consistently misfires” and plans to do something about it, according to the Associated Press.

Barton, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, plans to produce legislation that would force college football to adopt a playoff system to determine its national champion.

The bill, which amazingly has co-sponsors in Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, “will prohibit the marketing, promotion and advertising of a postseason game as a ‘national championship’ football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system,” according to the AP.

Do we have two wars going on? Is the country deeply in debt? Are we trying to discover alternative fuels and restore some resepect in the world?

Granted, President-elect Barack Obama went on 60 Minutes and announced that he would add a National Championship playoff if given the opportunity to run college football.

And also granted, I’d love to see a college football playoff replace the hopelessly flawed BCS system. But enough to watch elected officials propose bills and push legislation?

Please tell me these people have more important things to do.