A 16-Team Playoff is the Perfect Formula to Find a College Football Champion

As the college football season comes to a close, we look forward to a final round of BCS games before the incorporation of a four team playoff next season. But is four teams really enough to keep the skeptics quiet? My guess is not.

If the playoff system were to be incorporated this season, it would be No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 4 Michigan State, and a rematch of this year's game of the century in No. 2 Auburn vs. No. 3 Alabama. But what about one loss Baylor and Ohio State? Whom of which feel as though they deserve a shot at the title just as much as the four teams ahead of them whom of which also have as many losses or more (No. 5 Stanford has two). Now if they were to incorporate an eight team playoff, this would put an end to all the controversy, right? Probably not.

My suggestion would be to play one less regular season game against the pushover schools like Buffalo or Chattanooga, while also diminishing the conference championship game in order to create a 16-team playoff. This would absolutely put a halt to all the controversy.

This would only add two additional games to the season and would leave no discussion as to who should play for the national championship. I'm sure there would be skeptics who would say that those ranked 17-25 should also get a shot at the title, but the truth is that the top 16 teams have earned their spot in the standings and the rest of the 6-win teams would still have the opportunity to play in a bowl game at season's end. Not to mention the amount of revenue that would be brought in from each playoff game. And to make up for the lost conference championship, each one of the eight playoff games could be played at one of the neutral sites that the conference championships used to be played at. Also, the BCS games wouldn't be lost either, for the rest of the playoff games would be played at the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Fiesta Bowl, repsectively.

Although my playoff formula may never come to formation, I think it's the most logical and reasonable way to carry out the playoffs of the future. I mean NCAA Division II College Football has carried out a 24-team playoff system with incredible success for a number of years, so I don't see why this system can't be implemented with the same success.