Mike Nemeth
The Bowl Champion Series (BCS) is under fire from fans, the media, college coaches, Congress, and even our new President. They worry that the two best teams in the country aren’t consistently selected by the polls and the BCS computers to play for the National Championship. At stake is prestige, a place in history, recruiting advantages, and boatloads of cash. The solution proposed most often is a playoff system to give more schools a shot at a title. However, the problem of team selection won’t go away with a playoff system, it will be exacerbated. The lack of a credible ranking system is the Achilles’ heel of the current BCS system. Cinderella’s Slipper reveals why the polls get it wrong, why the BCS computers can’t be expected to get it right, why traditional statistics aren’t useful for ranking teams, and why won/lost records are misleading. Cinderella’s Slipper introduces the performance metrics necessary for team ranking and explains the rating system that can accurately rank teams with similar records. When combined with NCAA sponsorship and an accurate ranking system, a playoff scheme will produce deserving champions and will restore public confidence in the college football National Championship process. 3
