As many folks do over the holiday season, I watch football – all the football I can. As a football junkie, I enjoy the bowl games, but I wish NCAA Division I-A had a playoff system.

This season, we have two undefeated teams meeting for the National Championship, Texas and USC. I think it will be a good game, too close to call.

You would think that the number 3 team would meet number 4 and so on. That’s not the case. Number 3 takes on number 22. Why? Number 4 takes on number 5. Number 6 took on an unranked team. Why? Number 7 takes on number 21. Why?

I guess it’s the bowl backers and the conferences that have automatic bids for certain bowls that determine this. No matter, it is screwed up. The BCS is lucky this year that there was not a third undefeated team.

There are 28 bowl games. 56 teams get to play in a bowl. There are only around 119 NCAA Division I-A schools that play football, so almost half get a bowl bid. Ridiculous.

Give us a playoff system! Here is my plan:
1. All teams will play no more than 10 regular season games.
2. The playoffs start two weeks after the last game of the season.
3. Take the top 32 teams.
4. Use all the major polls (average) to determine the top 32 teams to make the playoffs.

The teams will still play in a “bowl” game each week and have the national championship around the first week of January. You would get better quality teams. Teams would also probably play at neutral sites, making the games more interesting.

For example in one poll, Fresno State is the 32nd team and their record is 8-4. No more 6-5 teams being in a bowl. With this playoff system, you would get the best teams and actually have a true national champion in Division I college football, like we have in basketball.

So, NCAA, bowl sponsors and teams – get on with it – you’ll still make your big bucks.

You are lucky this year, but what about next year?