College football commander-in-chief?
Considering that this year Barack Obama defeated two of the great political brands in America ? the Clintons and John McCain ? won at least 349 electoral votes and, of course, shattered a racial barrier few thought possible, perhaps he doesn't need any advice.
Still, Mr. President, why the heck didn't you mention your support of a college football playoff sooner?
"I think it is about time that we had playoffs in college football,"? Obama said Monday on ESPN. "I'm fed up with these computer rankings and this and that and the other. Get eight teams ? the top eight teams right at the end. You got a playoff. Decide on a national champion."?
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Now, you're obviously a shrewd and intelligent politician. Not revealing this until the eve of the election was a huge oversight, though.
There are few topics in America that generate such widespread support as the abolishment of the BCS. Other than four conference commissioners, few favor the current foolishness over a playoff.
The anti-BCS people are passionate, too. They have detailed plans, websites and emotional anger due to past disasters. Go ask a Southern Cal fan about 2003. They'd march on Washington if they thought it would help.
There were millions of single-issue voters available on this. College football could've been a game changer in some of your tougher states.
Consider Alabama. Sen. McCain defeated you 61 percent to 39 percent.
All you had to do was get your name on the ballot with a couple of on-purpose typos. Forget "Obama."? Had you'd been listed as "Go Bama,"? you'd have locked up 50 percent of the vote.
The other 50 would've been easy. Just hold a rally at Toomer's Corner and, in your best Bill Clinton, emote about "feeling Auburn's pain"? in 2004 when the 13-0 Tigers got shut out of the title.
Mitt Romney won the Republican primary in Utah this year by the percentage score of 95-5. This could've made that look like a squeaker. We're thinking Georgia Tech over Cumberland, 222-0.
This is a true my enemy's enemy is my friend kind of issue, too. Talk about "a new spirit of patriotism."? Joe Paterno would as soon wear white sneakers and contact lenses as vote Democrat. Appeal to his hatred of the BCS though and who knows?
Sen. McCain has always been an intelligent, principled and fair-minded man, so it stands to reason he too is anti-BCS. It's unlikely he would've ceded the issue to you.
However, an attack ad could've featured footage of him supervising the coin toss at the Florida-Ohio State BCS debacle from January 2007. Add some haunting music, superimpose grainy head shots of Tom Hansen and Jim Delany and have a skeptical voice wonder why he was "palling around with sporting terrorists."?
All is fair in politics (and killing this horrible system), right?
Despite missing this opportunity, you won big on Tuesday. Still, 56 million people voted for Sen. McCain. The need for some kind of olive branch is needed and nothing would do the trick like extending it repeatedly across the hide of those BCS suits.
In case you didn't notice, a lot of those red states were in the SEC and Big 12. If you end this corrupt abomination, they'll let you drive the Sooner Schooner or play fetch with UGa VII.
The BCS is a central bureaucracy created to douse competitiveness and line the pockets of the rich and connected while defrauding the consumer of what is advertised. How American.
Testimonials are available. Southern California's Pete Carroll on the BCS: "I think it stinks."?
Florida's Urban Meyer: "You've got to blow it up."?
We could go on, from coast to coast, border to border, all creeds and school colors.
This is a non-partisan column (I declined preliminary offers to interview both candidates during the campaign since this is a place to go to get away from the election.) Now that it's over and we know how you feel though, we're holding you to it.
I'll even reach across the aisle and compromise on my support of a 16-team playoff to embrace your rudimentary eight-teamer.
Look, dealing with war and rebuilding the economy, those are difficult challenges. This is simple. It could be resolved in a week. And, since you're a politician and always eyeing the next election, it's worth noting that delivering a playoff would go a long way toward ensuring that second term you've already started talking about.
Who would vote against the man who freed us from the tyranny of the BCS?
Everyone says a playoff can't be done, that the entrenched interests are too powerful. No one even fathomed executive influence though. If Kennedy could demand a man on the moon, this should be a snap.
A suggestion for the inaugural address: "Mr. Delany, tear down this wall!"?
Yes We Can.
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