MONROE - One of the biggest sports debates every year is who deserves to play in college football's BCS national championship game.
University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema voiced support for a plus-one, four-team playoff on Tuesday at the 59th annual Monroe Badger Days at the Ludlow Mansion. Bielema said he would like to see a system where the No. 4-ranked team plays the No. 1 team and the No. 2 plays No. 3, with the winners facing each other in a national championship game while maintaining every bowl game.
"If it's not broken then why fix it," Bielema said. "I have been a big fan of the plus-one system all along. That would be very, very exciting. The only way we can get to the big dance now is by winning our conference."
Big Ten administrators backed a plus-one system earlier this month that maintains the traditional bowl games including the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta Bowls. Under the plus-one system, the four bowls would be played on New Year's Day and then a computer or a selection committee would pick two teams to play in the national championship.
Proponents of a college playoff contend polls and computers should not determine a national champion. The NCAA Division II football playoffs include 24 teams and the Division III playoffs include 32 teams.
"It's impossible to do that in Division I," Bielema said. "It's impossible with the level our kids play and we want to maintain their safety."
Big Ten leaders want to preserve its alliance to the Rose Bowl. Commissioner Jim Delany earlier this month in Chicago said the Big Ten would like to include the bowls in any postseason format, with the championship game being bid out either to a current site or cities that aren't bowl hosts.
The BCS bowl system has been a financial boon for the Badgers and many other Big Ten schools. The Big Ten disperses the bowl payouts equally to all 12 schools. After Wisconsin lost to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl in 2009, the Badgers received a little more than $1.89 million based in bowl payouts. Over a six-year period that ended in 2009, UW has received more than $11.6 million from Big Ten bowl payouts.
Bielema contends the Big Ten bowl payouts are not the main reason the Badgers and the conference want to maintain the bowl games.
"As a player, assistant coach and head coach, I have always felt the bowl experience was important," he said.
Bielema also discussed Darlington alumnus Alex Erickson, who is a preferred walk-on for the Badgers. Erickson, who was a quarterback at Darlington, passed for more than 1,200 yards and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in leading the Redbirds to the Division 5 state semifinals as a senior in 2010.
Bielema, who was a walk-on at Iowa, enjoys the Badgers' history of finding productive walk-ons that can make an impact like Fennimore's Luke Swan and Jared Abbrederis.
Erickson passed on NCAA Division III football opportunities and turned down a chance to play basketball at UW-Stevens Point to go to school in Madison and pursue an opportunity to play football with the Badgers.
"The thing with him (Erickson) is he had to battle through a knee injury," Bielema said.
The Badgers can carry 120 on the roster and 105 are invited to camp.
"Every kid is just trying to get a spot on the roster," he said.
University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema voiced support for a plus-one, four-team playoff on Tuesday at the 59th annual Monroe Badger Days at the Ludlow Mansion. Bielema said he would like to see a system where the No. 4-ranked team plays the No. 1 team and the No. 2 plays No. 3, with the winners facing each other in a national championship game while maintaining every bowl game.
"If it's not broken then why fix it," Bielema said. "I have been a big fan of the plus-one system all along. That would be very, very exciting. The only way we can get to the big dance now is by winning our conference."
Big Ten administrators backed a plus-one system earlier this month that maintains the traditional bowl games including the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta Bowls. Under the plus-one system, the four bowls would be played on New Year's Day and then a computer or a selection committee would pick two teams to play in the national championship.
Proponents of a college playoff contend polls and computers should not determine a national champion. The NCAA Division II football playoffs include 24 teams and the Division III playoffs include 32 teams.
"It's impossible to do that in Division I," Bielema said. "It's impossible with the level our kids play and we want to maintain their safety."
Big Ten leaders want to preserve its alliance to the Rose Bowl. Commissioner Jim Delany earlier this month in Chicago said the Big Ten would like to include the bowls in any postseason format, with the championship game being bid out either to a current site or cities that aren't bowl hosts.
The BCS bowl system has been a financial boon for the Badgers and many other Big Ten schools. The Big Ten disperses the bowl payouts equally to all 12 schools. After Wisconsin lost to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl in 2009, the Badgers received a little more than $1.89 million based in bowl payouts. Over a six-year period that ended in 2009, UW has received more than $11.6 million from Big Ten bowl payouts.
Bielema contends the Big Ten bowl payouts are not the main reason the Badgers and the conference want to maintain the bowl games.
"As a player, assistant coach and head coach, I have always felt the bowl experience was important," he said.
Bielema also discussed Darlington alumnus Alex Erickson, who is a preferred walk-on for the Badgers. Erickson, who was a quarterback at Darlington, passed for more than 1,200 yards and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in leading the Redbirds to the Division 5 state semifinals as a senior in 2010.
Bielema, who was a walk-on at Iowa, enjoys the Badgers' history of finding productive walk-ons that can make an impact like Fennimore's Luke Swan and Jared Abbrederis.
Erickson passed on NCAA Division III football opportunities and turned down a chance to play basketball at UW-Stevens Point to go to school in Madison and pursue an opportunity to play football with the Badgers.
"The thing with him (Erickson) is he had to battle through a knee injury," Bielema said.
The Badgers can carry 120 on the roster and 105 are invited to camp.
"Every kid is just trying to get a spot on the roster," he said.
