College Football Really Needs a Playoff

The first BCS standings came out this week. One shouldn't put too much stock in the ratings right now, since most teams have five-or-so games remaining. Still, college football fans are entitled to critique this mathematically crude combination of two human polls and five computer polls that selects the teams that will play for a national championship. And keep in mind that the BCS formula has changed several times in the past eight years; whenever the formula's selections do not match human intuition, it is tweaked or replaced.

As for this year, I have questions and or criticisms about every BCS ranking besides #1. Actually, I've given the matter a lot of thought, and here's how I'd rank college football's best teams:

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. USC
4. Arkansas
4. Auburn
4. Boston College
4. California
4. Clemson
4. Florida
4. Georgia Tech
4. Louisville
4. Notre Dame
4. Rutgers
4. Tennessee
4. Texas
4. West Virginia

My 13 #4s are sorted by alphabetical order, because I don't feel that I have enough information to sort them otherwise. Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech and Tennessee beat California, but both of those defeats came in week 1 and Cal and Tech both look capable of beating anyone right now. Auburn beat Florida, but Florida beat Tennessee and Arkansas beat Auburn. The three Big East teams (West Virginia, Louisville, and Rutgers) remain undefeated, but none has enough quality wins to prove that they're better than any of the one-loss SEC teams that have been beating up on one another (Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, and Tennessee). And, for what it's worth, I considered adding Wake Forest and Wisconsin to the ranks of the #4s.