Andrew Wang, commenter, writes:
"Instead, a true 4 team playoff has been defended excellently by many; the best arguments I have seen are by Phil Steele. It can be done without scuttling the bowl system, diminishing the regular season (especially with my proposed "only conference champions" idea) and would finish on Jan. 8, *exactly* the day that we finish this year. If you truly deserve to get in the playoff, you should be able to qualify for the top four spots, yet winning the battle of the four most deserving conference champions must surely give you a legitimate claim on the national championship!"

To this I must respond: Get your own ideas! His argument is totally lifted. I invented the conference champions only 4 team playoff! I INVENTED it! What have you done Wang? NOTHING!!

And yes, I realize the irony of stealing Mugatu's rant in a rant of my own about theft, but I don't care.

My NEW thought: I still want the 4-team playoff with conference champs only (plus ND, of course). However, I think a system that would work equally well (and is completely a pipe dream) is the one employed in European soccer leagues. Divide the D-I schools into, say, 4 or 5 divisions. Make them play only teams from their division, allow for promotion/relegation, and let only the top 2 play for a title. It's so ridiculous that I can't believe I'm even typing it, but finish with a home-and-home, aggregate-decided, two game championship.

Go ahead and make fun. I deserve it.

No making fun of a somewhat original contribution to the fracus, but answer me this, what is this "soccer" thing of which you speak?

I like the soccer idea for another reason: in the FA, there are three domestic championships awarded, plus several international ones. The first is for the best league record in the Premier League; that team has won the League Championship. Teams can also win a playoff championship against either all the teams in the country (the FA cup — single elimination; one of the most prestigious and exciting playoff championships in the world) or against the best teams in the country (the League Cup, also single elimination, but only against the top two leagues).

The best thing about the FA Cup and the League Championship is that to win the former, you have to beat teams from all over, including non-league sides (people who really do play for fun and work a non-sports 9-5 the rest of the time — it might not happen very often, but I bet there are some Div III teams that could give Texas or Ohio St. a run for their money on a good day), and to win the latter, you have to be the best in your league. Very few teams win both, and it's only happened ten times in England in the history of the FA (since 1871).