Friday, November 4, 2011

John Tamny: LSU vs. Alabama Shows We Don't Need College Playoffs

SEVEN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WINNERS AND LOSERS @ PJ MEDIA

INTRADE LONG SHOT:  CAIN TO BE THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE = 5.4%
                  
SATURDAY'S EPIC GAME BETWEEN LSU AND
ALABAMA is a perfect example of why NFL-style playoffs would be a bad idea for college football. Can anything in sports be more fun and interesting than really great college football?
John Tamny answers this ponderous question in the negative:
Tomorrow night #1 ranked Louisiana State University (LSU) will take on 2nd ranked Alabama. As it’s widely assumed that these are by far the two best college football teams in the country, this match up is the latest to have a variation of “Game of the Century” attached to it
Every few years these games present themselves, some are more exciting than others, but perhaps not commented on enough is how unique they are to college football. Of course, they are unique because quite unlike other college and professional sports, there’s happily no end-of-season playoff that would largely devalue this exciting collision of what for now are the two highest ranked teams.
Despite the excitement that this Saturday holds, much like Groundhog Day college football fans will suffer yet again this year myriad breathy articles from emotional sportswriters about how a playoff must be implemented. To the nearsighted a playoff would be more equitable such that more teams would have a chance to hoist the trophy (those who follow modern economic policy perhaps detect a pattern here…), and better yet they allege, a true champion would be discovered on the field.
Ignored by the hysterics is the simple truth that playoffs don’t always achieve what is presumed. Indeed, does anyone think the 2008 New York Giant Super Bowl Champion team was better than the New England Patriots that they beat?
When I comes to most sports, I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other and listen more than I speak. But Tamny makes good sense to me. I'll be watching the game Saturday night with one of the all time big fans of college football.  Read the rest of Tamny's piece.

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