The RPI is the closest thing college basketball has to the BCS, but what if college hoops had bowl games, instead of tourney games?

JIM RUBERA

(Rubera writes for The Spop)

Respected and powerful people much smarter than myself have pushed for a college football tournament in lieu of the BCS system. They have all failed.  So, with the exception of my quick scenario at the end, I have no intention of wasting time writing out a convincing argument.  It’s all been said.  So instead, in honor of the greatness of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, I present you with a mockery of football by showing the schedule of basketball games that would happen if the BCS ran hoops as well.

No rounds.  No advancing.  Just a bunch of games with the championship matchup being the last one.  Here we go.  And yes, this is actually who would play by actual college standings and rankings.  Click here for a link to see how they determine the matchups for the bowls.

March 19

New Mexico Game: New Mexico vs. New Mexico St

R+L Carriers New Orleans Game: Southern Miss vs. Florida Atlantic

UDrove Humanitarian Game: Kent St. vs. Utah St.

Military Game: Maryland vs. Southern Methodist

March 22

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Game: Villanova vs. Marshall

March 23

Maaco Las Vegas Game: BYU vs. USC

March 24

SDCCU Poinsettia Game: Colorado St vs. Navy

March 25

Sheraton Hawaii Game: UTEP vs. Idaho

March 27

Little Caesars Pizza Game: Minnesota vs. Western Michigan

March 28

Advocare V100 Independence Game: Boston College vs. San Diego St.

March 29

Insight Game: Baylor vs. Michigan St.

Champs Sports Game: Florida St. vs. Louisville

March 30

Valero Alamo Game: Kansas St. vs. UCLA

Texas Game: Colorado vs. Illinois

March 31

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Game: UNLV vs. Tulsa

New Era Pinstripe Game: Cincinnati vs. Nebraska

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Game: Clemson vs. Tennessee

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Game: Missouri vs. USC

April 1

Meineke Car Care Game: Virginia Tech vs. St. John’s

Autozone Liberty Game: Memphis vs. West Virginia

Hyundai Sun Game: Washington vs. Syracuse

Chick-fil-A Game: North Carolina vs. Mississippi St.

April 2

TicketCity Game: Northwestern vs. UAB

Outback Game: Penn St. vs. Georgia

Gator Game: Vanderbilt vs. Michigan

Capital One Game: Wisconsin vs. Florida

April 3

Rose Game: Arizona vs. Purdue

Tostitos Fiesta Game: Texas vs. Connecticut

April 4

Discover Orange Game: Duke vs. Notre Dame

April 5

Allstate Sugar Game: Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh

April 7

GoDaddy.com Game: Arkansas St. vs. Miami (OH)

April 8

AT&T Cotton Game: Texas A&M vs. Alabama

April 9

BBVA Compass Game: Georgetown vs. Mississippi

April 11

Nike BCS Championship Game (I guarantee that’s what it would be called):  Ohio St. vs. Kansas

Lowlights:

• San Diego St., #6 in the country, playing in the Advocare V100 Independence Game against Boston College two weeks before the Championship Game.  Why?  Because even though they won their conference championship, the Mountain West does not merit an automatic BCS bid.  The three at large bids went to #3, #4, and #5 in the country.  In case you’re wondering, this past year in football #9 Michigan State had to play in the Sun Bowl and, of course, #10 Boise State had to play in the Las Vegas Bowl.
• Big game players on big time teams not being able to advance.  The two favorites for player of the year Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette will be watching the rest of the games on TV no matter what they do in their games.
• #20 Xavier not playing at all while #17 Arizona gets a featured BCS game.

Now just for fun, let’s see what my football makeover would look like.  12 teams in.  Top 4 get a bye.  Here’s how last year’s football playoff would have gone.

2010-2011 NCAA Football Championship Tournament

How awesome would that have been?  Some would say that’s too many games.  I say knock off one of the crappy non-conference games and nobody in the tournament would play in the Senior Bowl or the East/West Game.  They will have have the tournament to showcase themselves and if they get bounced early, they can play in those “All Star Games” if they choose.  So to win the championship, that would be one extra game for seeds 1-4 and two extra games for seeds 5-12.  I think the players, coaches, and institutions would make that sacrifice.

Enjoy the next three weeks and be thankful that one sport has it right.

Photo: Getty

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