What if the BCS had decided this year's Presidential election? Who would've won?
Hayden Bird '09
Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Sports
Barack Obama and John McCain have finally finished the marathon run of the
Presidential election and, unless you were on the other side of the moon for the last week, you'll know that Barack achieved victory. For the first time in a while, the result was beyond controversy, as Obama took the popular vote as well as the Electoral College. In finding a clear winner, America seems to have avoided a problem that our college football colleagues seem unable to do.
In entrusting the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) to determine their National Championship every year, college football opens itself up to furious debate. This is because we choose to let a mysteriously unexplainable process of polls and computer rankings determine who plays in the last and most important college football game of the year.
Now imagine if we employed a similar process in determing our 44th president. In this system, the popular vote is completely disregarded (whereas in our current sysem this only happens partially) and the sketchy 'polling' that TV networks love so much takes would take center stage.
As anyone who knows politics would attest to, the polls are useful for projections, but little else. However, in the BCS, they determine many team's rankings. Also, theres the whole vague "combination of computer statistics" that defines the rest of the National Championship picture.
Now, with all respect to BCS admirers, try and picture that ridiculous process determining who would be running for President? By this system, Obama, who would fall into the 'mid-major' category due to his relative obscurity prior to the campaign, wouldn't have even been given a chance.
In this sense, Obama is a bit like Boise State from 2006. Nobody believed in him early on, and he really didn't have a great strength of schedule to prove his legitimacy. Thankfully, America has more of a say in the Presidential election. We are actually able to see the matchup we want in the never-ending Republicans-Democrats struggle. Too bad college football, if ever there was a perfect example of how flawed your system is and how awesome it could be, this is it.
Presidential election and, unless you were on the other side of the moon for the last week, you'll know that Barack achieved victory. For the first time in a while, the result was beyond controversy, as Obama took the popular vote as well as the Electoral College. In finding a clear winner, America seems to have avoided a problem that our college football colleagues seem unable to do.
In entrusting the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) to determine their National Championship every year, college football opens itself up to furious debate. This is because we choose to let a mysteriously unexplainable process of polls and computer rankings determine who plays in the last and most important college football game of the year.
Now imagine if we employed a similar process in determing our 44th president. In this system, the popular vote is completely disregarded (whereas in our current sysem this only happens partially) and the sketchy 'polling' that TV networks love so much takes would take center stage.
As anyone who knows politics would attest to, the polls are useful for projections, but little else. However, in the BCS, they determine many team's rankings. Also, theres the whole vague "combination of computer statistics" that defines the rest of the National Championship picture.
Now, with all respect to BCS admirers, try and picture that ridiculous process determining who would be running for President? By this system, Obama, who would fall into the 'mid-major' category due to his relative obscurity prior to the campaign, wouldn't have even been given a chance.
In this sense, Obama is a bit like Boise State from 2006. Nobody believed in him early on, and he really didn't have a great strength of schedule to prove his legitimacy. Thankfully, America has more of a say in the Presidential election. We are actually able to see the matchup we want in the never-ending Republicans-Democrats struggle. Too bad college football, if ever there was a perfect example of how flawed your system is and how awesome it could be, this is it.
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