If you have been following this collection of rule changes on how to fix the Bowl Championship Series, then you know the first two rule changes. The first change included forcing all teams to play a conference championship game. The second rule change provided for a by-law that kept everyone, including Automatic Qualifier conference champions, from playing in the BCS if they fell outside the top 16 in the BCS standings during the bowl selection process.
Rule three will make every school happy except for one. Few college football programs have the rich tradition and mystique of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame claims eleven national championships and seven Heisman Trophy winners. They have produced more All-Americans than any other program in the Football Bowl Division.
But their status as an Independent, void of conference affiliation, for one reason or another has given them special access in the BCS. In fact, nobody has a deal quite like the Irish. According to the BCS automatic qualification rules:
4. Notre Dame will have an automatic berth if it is in the top eight of the final BCS Standings.
Of course, that rule gets all the press, but the Notre Dame lifeline extends far beyond this one rule. One athletic director in the entire country has access to the primary governing body of the Bowl Championship Series. The main governing body consists of all FBS conference commissioners and the athletic director of Notre Dame.
Imagine that. Notre Dame is not fighting on behalf of all the independents, oh no. Notre Dame is the only beneficiary of this setup. The other members on that governing board represent between 8 and 13 programs. In addition, Notre Dame also gets a vote on the Presidential Oversight Committee of the BCS. Every conference is represented by one of their member institutions’ presidents. In short, Notre Dame is the only school in the nation that benefits from special privileges according to the written rules, and they are the only program in the country that has decision makers at every authority level. Notre Dame has more power than any conference in the BCS, and they get to exert that power on rules that specifically govern the University of Notre Dame’s role in the Bowl Championship Series.
This brings us to the third change that needs to be made to the BCS.
Remove Notre Dame’s special privileges in the Bowl Championship Series and the selection process.
We all know why Notre Dame got a cozy deal with the Bowl Championship Series. They are as tradition rich in college football as any program in the country. Their history is the stuff of legend, and it is certainly well deserved.
But even Notre Dame’s tradition should not earn enough capital that they should be given special perks in the system. These are unnecessary measures to protect a storied program that do nothing but prove the unfairness of the Bowl Championship Series.
Navy and Army are also independents. Not only do they not have the same “Notre Dame” clause for an automatic berth in the BCS, but they don’t have the same strings to pull that Notre Dame does at the commissioner or the oversight committee levels. I’m sorry, but the great history of Notre Dame does not mean that they should be at the head of the BCS table.
Outside of the BCS not being a playoff, the single biggest criticism of the system is that it is inherently unfair. It is hard to argue. This year, Michigan State beat Wisconsin and only lost to Iowa. They were shut out of the BCS while Connecticut, who lost to four average teams, makes the trip to the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State and Utah have long cried foul over the BCS. Senators have threatened legislation and lawyers have filed suit against the Bowl Championship Series. TCU is the only undefeated team that isn’t playing for the national championship.
The special attention the BCS provides for Notre Dame is further evidence of the unfairness that dominates the BCS landscape. Over the past three years, Navy has been far more deserving of any special attention as it pertains to independents. Notre Dame has been spectacularly average over that three year span.
And does Notre Dame really need the rule to be added? Is there any doubt that Notre Dame would receive a BCS invitation if they fell inside the top 8 of the BCS standings? Does Notre Dame need to have so many members on the various governing and oversight committees to assure that Notre Dame gets a fair shake?
It is time that each Notre Dame team begins to stand on their own merits, not on the accomplishments of Knute Rockne, Paul Hornung, and Tim Brown. The BCS needs to reflect this with changes to their governing body by removing the Notre Dame athletic director and removing the special “top 8” provision for Notre Dame in the selection process.
It’s only fair.
