SMQ: What if college football had its own March Madness?

The competitive fairness of bringing March Madness into college football

One of the reasons why March Madness is so popular is its embrace of competitive chaos. The one-off knockout nature of the bracket is a great equalizer. On any given day, a heavy favorite can come up short. On any given day, an underdog can pull out that one shining moment that yields passage to the next round.

One of the biggest knocks against the Bowl Championship Series was the relative lack of access for mid-majors. The hoops through which non-AQ teams were required to jump just to get an opportunity were eventually loosened, but remained onerous.

Party crashers like Utah, Boise State, and TCU provided some of the most iconic storylines of the 16-year era of the BCS. Even so, the system was uniquely skewed to prevent Cinderella stories as much as possible. Expanded opportunities were created with the automatic bid for the top Group of Five conference, it must be admitted.

But it is a hollow bone that effectively relegates mid-major champions to a second-tier showcase without any real shot of making the Playoff field.

With 20 percent of the men’s Division I basketball field making the NCAA tournament, the equivalent would be a 24-team field in college football. It works at the FCS level, but even a 16-team playoff field would push revenues well past $1 billion per year.

It would also provide instant access to all 10 FBS conferences. Giving a guaranteed access point to one Group of Five school staved off antitrust litigation with the formation of the College Football Playoff. Any expansion would have to follow suit and provide more access to teams outside the power leagues.

One of the biggest knocks against an expanded field is the fear of cheapening the regular season. By linking conference titles to participation and providing access points for six more top-tier teams, it would offer even more storylines for what is already an enthusiastically followed regular season.