Finally, a playoff system for College Football.  Everyone may be cheering, but is it enough?  It is a commonly known fact that the complaining will begin for teams ranked five through eight once the top four are selected for the playoffs.

This past season it was clear who the top four teams were so it would have been an easy selection.  The questions will arise when there are more than four legitimate championship contenders.  Everything comes down to money.  The amount of money for the bowl games compared to the playoff and bowl game combination is a major difference.

What the average fan forgets to realize is the amount of time that the playoff system would take.  Teams that are in the later bowls miss class time as it is.  So an eight or ten team playoff is out of the question because it would take too long and the athletes would miss too much class time.

Personally I think a six team playoff would be the best option.  The one and two seeds would get a first week bye and three would play six and four would play five.  The winner of those will play one and two.  This would create a total of five games which would make it perfect for the big game to be on New Years Day which every college football fan wants.

The National Championship being on a Monday at 8:30pm is a waste of time.  If they moved it to New Years Day at 6:00pm like the Super Bowl then I firmly believe there would be a large increase in viewers.  It is early enough where viewers don’t have to be worried about being up super late and getting to work and school early the next morning.

The five games that would come from the six team playoff would be the Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, and finally the National Championship.  This way those major bowl games hold an even larger importance then they did without the playoff system.

Another positive for the six team playoff is that there is less chance of discrepancy from the number six team compared to the number seven team in relation to the number four team compared to the number five team.

No matter what there will be complaining from the teams that just miss the cut, but if there is a way to minimize the complaints it would be by increasing the number of teams in the playoff without making it too many where it becomes an inconvenience to the student athletes.

Regardless, it is about time a playoff system will take over and it is certainly a step in the right direction.  I can see some changes being made after the first few seasons to improve the system but at least every fan can be relieved that the BCS era is arguably over.

With the news of the overspending and overindulgence of former Fiesta Bowl CEO John Junker, the days of being a part of the BCS could be in the past.  Officials from the Fiesta Bowl were forced to plead their case to stay in the BCS coalition, but the BCS is holding final judgement until a later date and until they uncover any more abuse of expenses.

Junker allegedly spent over $350,000 of Fiesta Bowl funds in the last ten years on campaign contributions, automobiles, a $30,000 birthday party at Pebble Beach and trips to various strip clubs, while he ran the show. 

The results of the investigation could result in the Fiesta Bowl losing its place as a BCS, but Junker’s well-documented debauchery has also led to an investigation into the other three BCS bowls–the Sugar Bowl, the Orange Bowl and the Rose Bowl.

So far, it looks like the Rose Bowl is clean, but the rumors are swirling that the Orange and Sugar Bowls aren’t exactly squeaky clean.  The NCAA and BCS will continue to dig into these allegations, but with spring football in full-swing on most college campuses and summer right around the corner, look for a decision very soon as to whether or not there will be a BCS game in Glendale, Arizona next January.

Should the Fiesta lose its standing in the BCS, several cities, including Atlanta and Dallas have the venues and resources to host a BCS game.

Peter Marhoefer- Mr. Touchdown USA

There was nothing small time or mid-major about Monday Nights Fiesta Bowl. The presence of collegesportsfeed.com as a sponsor of pre-game festivities should have let everyone entering the Fiesta Bowl know this was a huge event.

The atmosphere was big time, the crowds were the bet I have witnessed so far and the play on the field was top level. This was a big time event, in a big time venue, with a National Championship feel. The only exception was maybe one of Tebow or McCoy’s receivers would have held on to the game tying touchdown that TCU wideout Antoine Hicks dropped for the 17 all tie.

There were not sections of empty seats like the Sugar Bowl. There was purple or orange everywhere, and I like how the Fiesta Bowl sets it up. He two schools are seated right next to each other, with some end-zone sections filled with half of each. There are no corporate and local buffing zones between the two like at other Bowls I have attended. T-C-UUUUUU chanted against Boise STAAAATE all night long.

There looked to be tremendous respect between the two schools. I heard few put downs and saw lots of hand shakes and “good luck next year” being exchanged as I walked out of the University of Phoenix stadium. TCU fans proud of there teams year could not have been prouder. Both sides realized this was a very well played football game.

The questions still lingers where do we go from here. As I have mentioned before it is time for the Mountain West to add the Broncos as a tenth member. If that does not give the BCS what it is looking for, add in Nevada and Fresno State with a playoff game in Las Vegas, San Diego, or Salt Lake City. The Bowl system works too well. The communities and games hosting them make too much money they are not going to risk losing these great events. They are not going to risk losing this to fans who like me after the event will be worried about getting to the next place.

Before the plus one this game would not have happened. It would have taken place in the Poinsettia or New Mexico Bowl. This was a proper stage for two accomplished teams.

With the big win last night against TCU, Boise State completed the perfect season. The only other perfect season will come from the winner of the National Championship. The question now becomes, who should be #2, Boise State, Florida or the looser of the National Championship? Florida Showed a dominating performance against an undefeated Cincinnati team in the Sugar bowl. Also either Texas or Alabama will have had strong seasons with one loss coming in a National Championship game. So the question becomes, who should be #2 in the end of season rankings? Let me know what you think!

For all the accolades the Boise State offense had received prior to Monday’s Fiesta Bowl against TCU, it was the defense that actually saved the game in their 17-10 victory.

Following Boise State’s go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, the Broncos defense held TCU scoreless on their final three drives.  After forcing a three-and-out on the Horned Frogs’ first comeback attempt, BSU’s pass rush finally came to life on TCU’s next drive.

The Broncos sacked quarterback Andy Dalton only twice the entire game, but made up for it on their timing. Linebacker Aaron Tevis sacked Dalton inside of Boise State territory to set up a third-and-long.  After a short gain to set up a fourth down play, the defense stepped up once again.  The Broncos pressured Dalton outside the pocket and into an out of bounds throw.

“We put as much speed on the field as we could get,” Boise State head coach Chris Petersen said.  “They just played their hearts out.”

Never was that more apparent than on the last drive of the game.  After the Horned Frogs forced another punt, it was up to the Bronco defense to make one last play.  TCU drove all the way to the Broncos’ 30 yard line before safety Winston Venable picked off a tipped pass from Dalton.

“I think you have to give Boise all the credit,” TCU head coach Gary Patterson said.  “They made the plays and we didn’t.”

The defense actually started the game as well as they ended it.  Using a variety of packages, the Broncos held the heralded TCU offense scoreless on their six possessions, including a three-and-out on the first three drives of the game. Perhaps more importantly, the Broncos held the Horned Frogs to 1-12 on third downs.

“Early on they were doing stuff we hadn’t seen,” Dalton said.  “We didn’t even know exactly what they were doing.”

Part of TCU’s struggles can be blamed on their phone system going out, but Boise State’s success was well earned.  They switched Venable over from cornerback to safety, a move which paid big dividends as TCU was driving.

The defense also played well inside the trenches, holding Joseph Turner and Matthew Tucker to 31 combined yards. Heading into the Fiesta Bowl, the Horned Frogs had been averaging an astounding 317 rushing yards per game over their last five contests.  The domination by BSU’s front line may have been extra special, as they gave up 17-yard touchdown run to Turner in the fourth quarter to lose last year’s Poinsettia Bowl.

Perhaps the biggest star of the game played on neither side of the ball.  Facing a fourth-and-nine from his own 33 yard line, punter Kyle Brotzman executed a fake punt to perfection, delivering a strike under pressure to tight end Kyle Efaw.  Not only did the play gain 29 yards, but the Broncos made the most of their second chance, completing three straight passes for the game winning score.  Despite being backed up in their own zone, Petersen had no quandaries about his decision.

“They don’t seem like they take guts to me,” Petersen said of the risky play calls.  “We have tremendous confidence in our players to execute.”

Brotzman also executed in his real duties, pinning the Horned Frogs to their own one yard line for the decisive drive of the game.  Had his kick sailed any less, or had it been blocked, this game might be remembered for Dalton’s miracle final drive.  Fortunately for the Broncos, that is the last thing on their minds as they celebrate their most recent Fiesta Bowl victory.

“To go out like this is really just incredible,” senior Kyle Wilson said.  “We definitely deserved it, it couldn’t go to a better group.”

We’re here in Phoenix at the stadium, waiting for the big game to start. It’s been a good time so far, and really nice weather. My wife says we are going to move here soon. Lots of fans, everyone seems to be having fun. This is our first bowl game, and our first visit to the new Cardinal stadium. I highly recommend it to everyone-GO BOISE STATE!!!!!!