The BCS is just starting to get crazy and this weekend could potential provide just as many shake-ups as last Saturday. Oklahoma State was upset last Thursday by the Iowa State Seminoles which meant going into Saturday there were multiple teams that would look to move up in or into the top 5 in the BCS rankings. Oklahoma was looking to get back into the mix after being upset by Texas Tech a few weeks back, but they fell again Saturday and are now out of the running for the National Championship Game. Oregon, who had only one loss to the number one LSU Tigers heading into Saturday, lost their second game of the season dropping them out of the top 5 and killing any shot of a Championship appearance for them as well. Now Alabama, who like Oregon, before last week, has only one loss to top ranked LSU, has shot all the way back to number 2 in the BCS.

So now that the top 5 seems to have settled again we are heading into a weekend where the standings could be changed once again. The top ranked LSU Tigers will face off with top five Arkansas while number two Alabama also faces a ranked opponent in Auburn. Say both teams were to falter this Saturday that would leave the top 10 with only one unbeaten team, potentially. The Houston Cougars are having the best season in school history and have moved into the top 10. If they were the only undefeated team in the country at the end would they get a chance at the BCS Championship game? It’s unlikely; they would likely fall under the same scrutiny as Boise State in the past. If LSU wins, however, they will also seal their ticket to the SEC championship game where they will have to play the Georgia Bulldogs who are one of the hottest teams in the nation.

Now as many others I have stood strong on the idea that college football needs a playoff system to determine their yearly champion, but I can see the other side of the argument. Many of these big upsets throughout the season would have less of an impact if there was a playoff system in place. For instance Oklahoma State’s loss likely has taken a chance for them to play in the National Championship, but if there was, per say, an eight game playoff that game would have had little impact other than seeding. Oklahoma would have fallen from the 2 seed in the playoffs to the 4 seed. In the BCS however that one game is much more important. A non-BCS league would also cause many other games to lose importance. For instance, just like in the NFL, if a team was already locked into the playoffs they may take a game off at the end of their regular season. This is something they can’t currently do because if they lost they would drop in the rankings.

I would be remiss, however, not to explain my part of this argument and the easiest way to do so is to relate college football to the NFL playoffs. The Green Bay Packers last year got into the playoffs as a wildcard team; meaning they were only the sixth best team in the NFC. Therefore, they would not have had a chance at the National Championship game if you relate the BCS Championship with the NFC Championship game. However, the playoff system allowed them to make up for some shortcomings in the regular season where the battled many injuries and they went on to win the Super Bowl. Now in 2011 no one would argue that they aren’t one of the best teams in the league. So my though is why should a team like Oklahoma State lose a shot at a National Championship just because they didn’t play up to par in one game. Sure the BCS may be exciting and provide many fun to watch games during the season, but a playoff system just seems more fair.