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They were stretched all around, as far as the eye could see, at the BCS National Championship Game last night in Miami. The Florida Gators, and game MVP Tim Tebow, beat the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 to capture their second National Title in 3 years. Florida was also voted the AP National Champion in the poll released this morning.

Experts expected the game to be a shoot-out with two of the best offenses in the NCAA going head to head. Oklahoma did not score less than 35 points in any game this season en route to a 12-1 regular-season record and Big 12 championship. The Gators were also an offensive juggernaut, also finishing 12-1 and winning the SEC championship. It was Florida’s #4 ranked defense that made the difference.

Despite having the Heisman Trophy winner in Sam Bradford, Oklahoma was not able to put the points on the board that they are used to. They were stopped at the goal line twice in the first half, once on 4th down and once with an interception. Still, the game was neck and neck in the second half until Florida blocked an Oklahoma field goal attempt. After that play one could feel the momentum swing to Florida, and they ran away with the game. Tebow and Percy Harvin, who had missed a month with an injury and stayed in Florida over Christmas to rehab for the game, put the Sooners away.

When the NCAA adopted the Bowl Championship Series rankings to determine it’s national champion it was heralded as an incredible, groundbreaking decision. Previously, the national champion was decided by votes from sportswriters and coaches. There were 10 previous occasions where teams split the championship because of separate polls choosing different teams. The B.C.S. was supposed to take care of that problem with a sophisticated system, based on polls and computer rankings, that would pit the two best teams against each other for the championship.

Ten years later and the B.C.S. has failed to do what it had promised, provide a convincing champion every year. Many around the nation are calling for and end to the B.C.S altogether, or at the very least, a playoff involving the top 8 teams. In 2004, USC was left out of the B.C.S. Championship Game, somehow falling to #3 in the rankings. When favorite Oklahoma lost to LSU in the Sugar Bowl, LSU was crowned B.C.S. champion, but USC was voted the AP National Champion. The controversy that was supposed to be silenced by the B.C.S. roared again.

This season, there are undefeated, Division 1 teams while two 1 loss, Florida and Oklahoma teams play for the title. Alabama was ranked #1 until they lost their last game to now #1 Florida, while Oklahoma lost to 3rd rankedd. One would think Alabama would have the edge over Oklahoma, but a rematch would throw the world of college football into chaos. The only way to get a definitive answer would be to implement a playoff system.

Each Divison 1 team plays a couple lowly opponents every year. These games are laughers where the margins of victory are sometimes in the 70’s. Also, there is a gap of a month between a team’s last game and the Bowl Games. Cut out one regular season game, and start an eight-team playoff in mid-December. A three game playoff would only add one game to the schedules of the champion and runner-up, and a lot of credibility to the NCAA and eventual champion. Nobody can deny the winner of such a tournament. Those are the situations when true champions are revealed.