A Mid-Major College Football Championship?

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist

There will always be plenty of debate when it comes to crowning a national champion in college football. Some love the current BCS system while others despise it and offer a playoff format as a better solution. While the current bowl structure gives us college football almost every day from mid-December through mid-January, I propose a slightly different structure that would crown two different college football champions.

It’s a rather simple idea that involves the creation of a middle tier in college football. While the current system splits college teams into the Division I Championship Subdivision (i.e. Georgia Southern, Delaware, Appalachian State) and Football Bowl Subdivision (i.e. Florida, Michigan, Southern Cal), it only makes sense to create the Mid-Major Subdivision.

This tier of college football teams would help fill the gap between the two divisions and would include all non-BCS conferences in the current Bowl Championship Division. Therefore, under the current alignment the division would include teams from the Conference USA, IA Independents (minus Notre Dame of course), the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West, Sun Belt, and Western Athletic Conferences.

Taking a page out of the European soccer handbook, a system could even be implemented that would move teams/conferences up a tier or down a tier based on performance measures. Using the performance measures, if the Mountain West was just dominate for several years then the teams would be rewarded with a move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision. Additionally, if they struggled to beat the patsies, they’d move down to the Division I Championship Subdivision, or the third tier.

The system would be a win-win situation for teams, conferences, sponsors, television networks, the NCAA, and college football fans. It would mean that Boise State actually has a championship to play in if they go undefeated. It means that sports talk radio stations would be buzzing with yet another hot topic of who would win the Mid-Major Championship and why.

Another championship game would mean more revenue to college football with a larger bowl game (think Mid-Major National Championship vs. the Humanitarian Bowl) and a televised championship game during the holidays. Anyone want to watch TCU take on Utah in the MMC (Mid-Major Championship) after unwrapping presents and drinking eggnog with Grandma?

It only makes sense that there is something in the middle of a large void in college football. Almost 120 teams battle for one championship every year in the Football Bowl Subdivision, yet teams like Boise State, Utah, and TCU must rely on the floundering of other ‘better’ schools such as Florida, Texas, and Alabama. Boise State could go undefeated and still not reach the championship game while two 1-loss schools play in the BCS title game. While Boise’s schedule may be a little lighter, shouldn’t they be tested in a championship title game too?

The Division I Championship Subdivision has been a great success story over the past few decades with a playoff format of 16 teams concluding with a national championship game. In fact, the national championship game (as well as the semifinals in years past) has been more exciting than a few of the early season FBS bowl games. There’s more on the line in a playoff game. It somewhat resembles the do-or-die NFL playoff games. Teams seem to be playing a little harder when there’s something on the line in a playoff game in comparison to the Emerald Peanut Bowl featuring two 6-6 teams.

It’s an easy fix. Just like instant oatmeal, just add another championship and the sport will be rejuvenated. It gives the little guys something to play for and fans another game to TiVo. It gives me something else to argue about. A Mid-Major Championship…just makes sense.