People unclear on the concept

Brad Edwards (ESPN Insider), says that regardless of what happens this year, someone is going to be upset:

Either way, a team with a lot of clout would feel jilted by the system, inciting another major BCS controversy and even more cries for a playoff.

Although it's certainly not what the fans are looking for, the final three weeks of the season are really starting to take the shape of a playoff bracket. Saturday's Michigan-Ohio State game is essentially a national semifinal, with the winner earning a spot in the championship game. If USC beats Cal on Saturday, the following week's game between Notre Dame and USC could almost be like the other national semi. But if Cal beats USC, and the Trojans then beat the Irish, it's possible that the SEC Championship Game could serve as that other semifinal … if Florida and Arkansas are both there with 11-1 records.

Not only do I agree that what we have looks a lot like playoffs already but is a lot more fun, but I have to wonder whether the people who are going to be crying for a playoff actually watch college football. I know it's a cliché, but the whole "season a playoff" thing is true if the best teams agree to play each other, and never more so than this year.

Script it out: of twenty teams that have been considered very good this year (Arkansas, Auburn, Boise State, Boston College, Clemson, Cal, Florida, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Texas, USC, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Wisconsin), all of them but Boise State and Cal play at least two others on the list, and all except Boise State, Cal, Oklahoma, Texas, and the three Big East teams play at least three.

With a little judicious scheduling (I'm looking at you, Big East, Big XII, and Cal), we have a playoff system already. And this doesn't even include the conference championship games.

We've had two #1 vs. #2 match-ups through scheduling alone already, which was exactly what the BCS was designed to create.

We don't need a playoff, and we don't need the BCS. What we do need is more flexible scheduling, faster, and with an eye to creating the best match-ups. Next year, put Ohio State on USC's schedule, make Notre Dame play Florida, send Texas to Arkansas.