The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL those who believe if the bowls aren't incorporated into any playoff system, those in charge are doing the sport a disservice. "It's essential that you don't ruin the bowl system," Brandon said. "Not just the Rose Bowl, with which we have a very passionate, traditional connec- tion, but all of the bowls, particularly the major bowls," Brandon said. "If you created an outside-the-bowl-sys- tem playoff situation, you would very quickly start to diminish the impor- tance and the value of the bowl system. "That would be crazy. That would like Alabama last year gets access to the playoff. I'm not suggesting for a minute there shouldn't be some sort of at-large flexibility that this committee exercises. But there should be strong consideration that if you are the cham- pion of your conference, that means something, that it provides you with an opportunity. "Our players and our coaches are If the new postseason format had been in place in 2006, U-M might have been the No. 3 seed in a national playoff, rather than facing USC in the Rose Bowl. PHOTO BY WOLVERINE PHOTO State The winner of each contest would then have met to decide the national title. Had this arrangement already been No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 2 Oklahoma hurt the economic development con- tribution these bowls make to the local community. It would hurt the teams that want to travel to these bowls and see it as a great reward. It would hurt ticket sales. It would hurt viewership. It would be very damaging." Some strongly contend the bowl going to be fighting to win those cham- pionships, because that's what creates the energy on campus all fall, before we ever get to the bowl season." Once there, Brandon likes the mar- riage of the bowls and the playoffs. At the same time, he's protective of the Rose Bowl tradition involving the Big Ten and the Pac-12. He doesn't expect the Rose Bowl to system is antiquated, and needs to be scrapped or greatly scaled back. The man in charge of Michigan's athletic department strongly disagrees. "This bowl system works," Bran- in place for two decades, Michigan would have likely participated as a three-seed in 2006 after finishing the regular season ranked third; a four- seed in 2003 after finishing fourth in the polls; and as a No. 1 seed in 1997 after going 11-0 in the regular season, finishing its slate as the nation's top- ranked program. Here is a look at the potential match- ups those seasons, using the final regu- lar-season polls/BCS standings: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Florida State No. 2 Nebraska vs. No. 3 Tennessee 1997 No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Michigan No. 2 Southern Cal vs. No. 3 LSU 2003 No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 LSU No. 2 Florida vs. No. 3 Michigan 2006 BRANDON: KEEPING BOWLS INTACT IS PARAMOUNT fering in 2014, and those that follow, will involve traditional major bowls as sites for semifinal contests. In the mind of Michigan director of athletics David Brandon, it couldn't be any other way. Brandon stands firmly on the side of College football's initial playoff of- don insisted. "It works for the kids. It works for the coaches. It works for the programs. We shouldn't do anything that starts to undermine it or make it less important. One of my key compo- nents is, if we're going to have some kind of a mini-playoff, make sure it happens inside the bowl system." Also, Brandon cautioned, teams be involved as a playoff game every other year, or in that sort of set-up. "It would be more like every fifth year," Brandon said. "The only time the Rose Bowl would be drawn into the playoff picture — at least in the model that has been contemplated — would be if the Pac-12 or the Big Ten had either the No. 1- or No. 2-rated team in the country. That's when you'd see that game getting pulled to the Rose Bowl, and it would certainly change the matchup. "Other than that, most of the time, winning their conferences ought to mean something. He understands that there can be other very strong squads in the mix — like last year's national champion Alabama — but he'd like to see heavy emphasis placed on league title winners. College football continues to evolve, with conferences growing bigger all the time. Many expect four super con- ferences at some point, which would make it very simple to incorporate a champions format into the four-team playoff. Brandon isn't jumping that gun at we would have the Pac-12 champion playing the Big Ten champion. That's a great matchup and a great bowl game, and it's such an effective and impor- tant tradition and rivalry, when you see what the SEC did with the Big 12, it's a very similar thing. They're try- ing to reproduce that same kind of a showcase bowl. "It's a good idea. It has worked well for us, and it will work well for others." ❑ 2012 Football Schedule Date Opponent this juncture, but he's insistent that the in-conference toils in October and No- vember ought to carry a lot of weight with the playoff selection committee. "If you don't do that, you're going Sept. 1 vs. Alabama* Sept. 8 Air Force Sept. 15 UMass Oct. 13 Illinois to potentially diminish the importance of the regular season," he said. "You're going to diminish the importance of these conference rivalries and games. That would be a shame. "There are ways to make sure a team at Purdue Sept. 22 at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Time 8 p.m. Oct. 20 Michigan State Oct. 27 at Nebraska Nov. 3 at Minnesota Nov. 10 Northwestern Nov. 17 Iowa * at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas Nov. 24 at Ohio State 3:30 p.m. TBA 4 p.m. 8 p.m. TBA TBA TBA Noon AUGUST 2012 THE WOLVERINE 65