How in the world does college football get away with this BCS nonsense, year-after-year? Five teams go undefeated this year. The number might've been less, but teams are too busy turning down Boise State and Texas Christian every year for non-conference because of, why? Ah yes, a loss would damage their BCS hopes.

Before we get into more rabid opinion, here are the BCS match-ups as announced by the NCAA this evening:

BCS Title Game: Alabama vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Florida
Fiesta Bowl: Texas Christian vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

That's right, the BCS has covered its flawed system by doing its best to guarantee only two undefeated teams remain after Bowl Season, and that one of them is from a non-BCS school. With all due respect to Cincinnati, a very good football team, I do not expect Florida to lose back-to-back games to end Tim Tebow's run on campus. Do you?

The only folks defending the BCS are those making gobs of green off it, but the shame is that more money could be made off of a playoff system. Cut down the non-conference slate by a week and cut down the amount of bowls, at least by two. You have 68 teams in bowl games this year. Sixty-eight out of 120 teams. That's 57 percent of all college football teams. In NCAA hoops, 65 teams make it, and there's a wealth more squads (347 -- 19 percent). Each of those 65 teams -- perish the thought -- has a look at the national title. Perish the thought.

(EDIT NOTE: Jeremy White pointed out that I didn't include the NIT or CBI schools for basketball, which would increase the percentage to 33 percent. I would counter that figure is still much smaller. I would also counter than I didn't care one iota that my UB Bulls made the CBI last year. Whoop-de-doo. I don't think they are hanging a banner (though I shouldn't speak too soon).)

Here's my imperfect fix to an miserable problem:

-- Sixteen teams (Eleven conference winners, five at-large) make a four-round playoff, ranked by their precious BCS system, with the exception of the lesser conference, which would get seeds Nos. 16, 15, 14, etc. if they were outside the Top-16. At-large Nos. 12-16 could be ticked off, but who cares? Win more games.

-- Non-conference slate knocked down to two games per team per year. This allows traditional rivalries and a cream-puff game if you need. Boise State and TCU don't have to sweat not being involved in huge non-conference games because they can make the "Biggish Dance" just by winning their conference slate.

-- Ah, the independents. No special Notre Dame clause here. The Irish go to the Big Ten, making it an even 12 teams. Put Navy and Army in the Big East, or move East Carolina and Central Florida to the Big East, and let the academies play in the weaker Conference USA. That puts 10 in the Big East. The Fighting Irish want to complain? Fine, no BCS. Handle it.

-- The Rose Bowl can still be the Grandaddy of them all, pitting the PAC-10 vs. Big Ten champs most years. It'll just be a first-round match-up. This is my biggest problem with my system, but that's because I'm a Big Ten guy. My dream is UB in the Big Ten by 2020.

-- The Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls rotate the as venue for National Title game each year.

-- Pick whichever 12 other bowls make the cut. I'm sure the Cotton, Liberty, Alamo, Texas and Gator Bowls would make it most years, but let lesser or newer bowls have a shot at a first-round game every few years. Would the International Bowl mind missing out on the MAC and Big East every few years to get Florida vs. Utah? Doubt it.

So this year, it'd look like this:
Holiday Bowl - No. 16 Troy vs. No. 1 Alabama
Independence Bowl - No. 15 Central Michigan vs. No. 2 Texas
Music City Bowl - No. 14 East Carolina vs. No. 3 Cincinnati
Las Vegas Bowl - No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 4 TCU
Poinsettia Bowl - No. 12 LSU vs. No. 5 Florida
Emerald Bowl - No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Boise State
Liberty Bowl - No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech
Rose Bowl - No. 9 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Oregon

Round Two (projected. What? You thought I'd go with the chalk):
Cotton Bowl - No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 1 Alabama
Texas Bowl - No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 2 Texas
Alamo Bowl - No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 3 Cincinnati
Gator Bowl - No. 5 Florida vs. No. 4 TCU

Round Three (projected):
Orange Bowl - No. 5 Florida vs. No. 1 Alabama
Fiesta Bowl - No. 3 Cincinnati vs. No. 2 Texas

Championship Game (projected):
Sugar Bowl - No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama

How will the fan bases travel? I don't know, but I'm sure they will, and guess what? You'll sell more tickets with great teams than New Mexico State versus Tonawanda Tech in the Big Whammy Automotive Booger Bowl. Listen, I loved going to the International Bowl between UB and UConn last year, and I'm thinking of checking out South Florida and Northern Illinois this year. Still, how much better would that game fare as a Round One match-up between two better teams?

Is it a perfect system? No. Would it ever pass? Clearly no. Smarter folks have come up with more intelligent systems, but they don't work for this station and type in this space. This is just a way to say there is a better way. We just gotta get those rich folks on the same page with rich folk sport lovers.

Email: nick@wgr550.com