In my mind, here is a realatively simple way to have a real College Football Champion:
1. Split legitimate teams into 7 conferences (A,B,C,D,E,F,G) with 8 teams in each conference (I'm calling it the Big 7).
2. An 8th conference would be for good teams not in one of the Big 7 conferences. They could be included based on voting or BCS-type computer picking (possibly further broken down into an East and a West).
3. By some set date (i.e. November 1) each team must play the other 7 teams within their own conference (7 total intra-conference games).
4. At that point, four games are scheduled for each team based upon their standing within their own conference. The number one team in Conference A would play the number one teams in four other conferences, for example, B, C, D and E. They could, 1) rotate each year which conferences play each other, 2) make them fixed based on geographic location to cut down on travel, or 3) some combination thereof (4 total inter-conference games).
5. That makes 11 "real" games. If teams wanted to play a 12th or 13th game, they could do so but those games would only be used for tie-breakers.
6. The top 2 from each Conference would qualify for the playoffs (8 x 2 = 16 teams).
7. The 16 teams would be reduced to 8 in the first playoff week, down to 4 the second week and to 2 the third week. Then the Championship game would be played. A real championship game.
- In this way, you are starting each season with 64 teams with a chance to be the National Champions. There is no voting involved (except who makes up the 8th, Unaffiliated Conference). If you finish first or second in your Conference, you will go to the playoffs, no ifs ands or buts and no excuses that you are from a conference that gets overlooked.
- Bowl games would still be played for those not in the playoffs. But instead of just voting on who goes to which bowl, they could use the records to level the playing field and match similar teams up.
- Maybe this makes too much sense.
Rub a Dub,