I don't care how much it messed up your bracket. Somewhere, deep inside, you were pulling for George Mason to knock off defending champion North Carolina on Sunday.
Last year a smiling Roy Williams hoisted the title trophy above his head. This time the coach was scowling and the only thing he lifted up in the air was a foldout chair near the court he slammed to the ground in disgust.
This is why they call it March Madness.
George Mason didn't earn an automatic bid into the Big Dance, losing to Hofstra in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. But with an RPI ranking of 26 and a CAA regular season title, the Patriots got the at-large bid they deserved and by beating the Tar Heels, silenced all doubts about the validity of their selection.
There are no conference tournaments in NCAA Division IA football, nor is there anything resembling the 64-team basketball tournament. There isn't even a playoff system of any sort in football, the only NCAA sport without one. There are even tournaments in Division IAA, II and III football.
The Bowl Championship Series may have solved the problem of establishing an undisputed national champion, but even that is debatable. Still, let's assume that the formula is eventually refined enough to satisfy most reasonable parties. I would still feel like something is missing from the process.
The NCAA men's basketball tournament is the most anticipated athletic event of the year and is up there with the Super Bowl in terms of popularity and buzz. The NCAA could easily create a similar excitement for Division I football by creating a 16-team tournament played during a three-week period in late December and early January.
Mid-Winter Madness has a nice ring to it, don't you think?
Fans and pundits alike have been advocating such a tournament for years, and after seeing teams like Wichita State from the Missouri Valley Conference and George Mason advance to the Sweet Sixteen, I am even more convinced that NCAA football needs a tournament as well.
Like Mason, Wichita State won the MVC regular season but fell in the conference tournament. The squad earned an at large bid and knocked off No.2 seed Tennessee. In Division IA football, there are 11 conferences, and I would argue that all of their champions deserve berths into a four-round tournament providing the opportunity for a Cinderella -- a Wichita State equivalent -- to emerge and challenge the big conference teams.
Five at-large bids could be awarded to fill out the remaining slots, staying consistent with the current practice of reserving two of the eight BCS spots for teams that failed to win their conference championship. Seed the teams accordingly and the excitement of March Madness is seamlessly translated to the gridiron in December.
The first round could be held on the Saturday before Christmas, right around December 21st or 22nd when the first bowl games are typically played. Think about it: eight football games in one day, spread out from the early afternoon into the evening. It would be the greatest day of football ever created and would even rival the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA basketball tournament in its awesomeness.
The next Thursday or Friday, would be a good time to hold the quarterfinals. Once again, four different neutral locations could be used and fans would be glued to the television hoping that their brackets remain intact. The semifinals could be held on New Year's Day, the traditional bowl day, and the championship could be held four or five days later, right around the time the BCS title game is typically held.
The timeline would be consistent with the current postseason bowl calendar and the locations that normally hold bowl games would certainly jump at the chance to host a first-round game. Television ratings would improve and, most importantly, it would be exactly what the fans are looking for.
There is no reason why there still couldn't be bowl games for the teams that fail to qualify, sort of like the NIT for teams that miss out on the NCAA. Meanwhile, the four locations that currently host a BCS bowl could continue the practice of taking turns hosting the championship game while holding a semifinal or quarterfinal the other years.
I have a hard time believing that the NCAA would lose any revenue with a tournament system: The championship game remains intact and is held during the same time of year, New Year's remains a major college football day and locations that held lower-tier bowls in the past would get to host major teams in early round contests. Throw in profits from television and merchandise and it seems like an opportunity the NCAA would have a hard time passing up.
There would be a potential concern of an increase in injuries with additional games, but many teams already play up to 14 contests in the current system. Capping the regular season games at 11 would mean that schools would play a maximum of 15, possibly 16 if there is a conference championship game in there as well. Extending the season by one or two contests doesn't seem like too much of a strain and should not be enough to stop the NCAA from considering a change.
I'm ready to winter-proof my bracket sheet as long as Cinderella agrees to stop hibernating. It's time for the NCAA to make it happen.
Read More
Thank you, Reece Beekman
By Ben Istvan | 6 hours agoBeekman will leave Charlottesville as the program's all-time leader in steals.
Men’s basketball fills last scholarship, adds Kansas State transfer Dai Dai Ames
By Ben Istvan | 22 hours agoAmes will provide an offensive surge that the Cavaliers’ collective guard group lacked in 2023-24.
Baseball’s bullpen — previous despair and future repair
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayThe Cavaliers' struggles can be fixed by improved roster management and reliance on consistent relief pitchers.
