Look. We get it. No one likes the state of college football scheduling. No one likes defending their team’s practice of playing cupcakes. We’d all love to play Texas one week and then Miami the next (see my promotion / relegation daydream). Great for the fans, etc. etc.

But college football at the highest level is a multi-million dollar industry. No matter how much you stomp your feet and threaten to hold your breath, emotional appeals to shame don’t bring about real changes in that environment. You might get the occasional throwaway “safe” non-conference game, and then it’s right back to the diet of 1-AA teams. No one is going to risk a BCS payout because of – gasp! – shame and scorn in scheduling.

With all that is at stake, you’re going to have to come up with an actual, tangible incentive to reform scheduling. Instead of criticizing teams for “running away from competition and potential losses”, a more rational approach might examine why the current system provides incentives to do just that and disincentives for more aggressive scheduling.

I’ll give a hint. Why was Louisville a darkhorse national contender pick last year? Why is West Virginia a trendy pick this year? It’s not the offensive scheme. The system rewards records first and schedules much, much later. Fix. That. Problem.