(The annual playoff vs BCS debate begins ... now)

Tommy Tuberville, who just might be my favorite coach outside of the Big 10, took some jabs at the NCAA along with stating his case that the only way for an SEC school to become a part of the championship game would be through a playoff system.

He's probably right.  With OSU and USC at #1 and #2 in a lot of polls and the critical Harris poll, Auburn might be on the outside looking in for the second time in three years.  With 5 teams in the top 13, the SEC is loaded and is easily the best conference this year, if not most years, and the top teams will bludgeon each other before conference play is over.  I would go on a limb and say an undefeated SEC team this year would be the most deserving team for a BCS National Championship game ever, but will probably not be playing in Glendale, Arizona on January 8th.

This underscores the need for a playoff rather than a Bowl Championship Series.  We debated this on FanIQ back in June and both sides of the fence made some good arguments for and against a playoff determining the national champion.  Here's a plan I mentioned then, that would give us the greatest football weekend in the history of sports.

"Imagine this though. Don't shorten the season any, keep all the existing, smaller bowls as they are and have a 16-team playoff begin on New Year's Eve. 8 of the existing bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar, Cap One, Cotton, Gator, Outback) would be in on the new playoffs.

On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the Cap One, Cotton, Gator, and Outback bowls would host a first round game each day. Two games for each venue, played on the two days. The winners from each game would move on to one of the four other bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar) and play each other for Round 2.

Round 2 (one week later) would have the elite 8 playing in the four "BCS" bowls to determine the final Four.

Round 3 (semifinals, a week later) 2 of the 4 BCS bowls would host another game (this would rotate every year like the nat. champ game does now).

Championship - Another of the BCS bowls would host the National Championship game...rotated like the semifinals. The kicker here is that the timing would coincide with the week off between the NFL conference championships and the super bowl. That dead week where we have nothing to do but anticipate the Superbowl. Fill it with the National Championship game instead.

Or...even better, give the college guys an extra week of rest also and play the National Championship game the day before the Super Bowl and declare the entire weekend a national holiday. Tell your wives and kids that you'll see them on Monday and enjoy the greatest weekend of football ever.

Just a thought."