What we believed would never happen is about to occur and it hasn't frozen in Hades and pigs aren't presently falling from the skies.
The commissioners of the 11 football conferences, along with University of Notre Dame Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick, announced that the NCAA's Division I programs would join the rest of college football and decide its national title through a four-team playoff system.
What fans (myself included) have waited for is about to become a reality. Or is it?
One only needs to read carefully into one comment made by Big Ten Commissioner Jim Dulaney to understand that the ink is far from being dry on this agreement. Asked to respond about his conference's feelings on the announcement, Delaney said, "I think we're very unified. There are issues that have yet to be finalized."
Why would you make any announcement when there are still "issues to be finalized"?
Does one of those issues revolve around which two of the four major bowls will be left out of the semifinal round or does it involve the so-called selection committee that will decide the fate of the four teams, and their conferences, that will advance into the playoff round.
I've always said that I believe college presidents will look unfavorably on a system that has their football-playing-students competing deeper into the month of January or spilling over into the month of February.
The commissioners' announcement has somewhat resolved that problem in that the plan would incorporate the existing 'bowl system' meaning that the semifinal round would take place during the first week of the new year. But-the question left unanswered-how much time would the two victorious teams need in order to adequately prepare for the national title contest?
With the four major bowls-Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Rose-traditionally played on different days of the week, it would be unfair to play the title game on the following weekend if it involved one team that captured its bowl championship on a Tuesday taking on another which came out victorious on a Thursday.
And, what about the fans?
We have become so enamored with the idea of having a 'true' national champion that we have forgotten that fans help make college sports the spectacle that they have become. Does this committee really believe that a fan that has just shelled out thousands of dollars to attend his team's semifinal at the Rose Bowl will have the financial ability to dole out that much money, or more, to attend a national championship game?
If we have learned anything from watching the NFL's Super Bowl it is that the majority of the sellout crowd in attendance aren't rooting for either of the competing teams. They are there to be part of the 'event'.
And, maybe, that is just what Swarbrick and the 11 other commissioners want.
Selling the rights to the championship game to the highest bidder will exclude many sites throughout the nation and you can bet that stadiums located in 'bad weather' locals will find their chances of grabbing a piece of the pie slim at best-watch out for that pig falling if that happens.
Then, there is this selection committee.
Really? Have these highly educated individuals not read one of the hundreds of Internet talk sites when the final BCS standings are released? Conspiracy theories ran amuck following last year's final poll that elevated an Alabama team, which didn't even reach its conference championship game, into the national title contest against an LSU team that had defeated it during the regular season.
The Tide proved all of them wrong by soundly defeating the Tigers. But, the debates still linger that a 'true' national title game should have featured two teams that won their conference titles.
I can't wait to read all of the debates when the Final Four is announced and an unbeaten, but ranked No. 5, Boise State is omitted from the group because its "strength of schedule" or because its conference title isn't as impressive as winning one of the Big Four-SEC, Big, 12, Big 10 or Pac-12.
Can you hear the screams from the ACC and Big East, not to mention the Mountain West, Big Sky-the list goes on and on-I can. We live in a country that has to endure a primary campaign just to get down to the two, and sometimes more, candidates that will vie to become our next president.
For those clamoring for a 'true' national champion in NCAA D-I football, this was a momentous announcement. I'll be content to play a wait-and-see approach and keep my eyes towards the sky looking out for those pigs.
Contact Jim Butta at jbutta@newsandsentinel.com
