By Bob Markus

A playoff or no playoff. That is today's question. Whether 'tis easier on the mind to suffer the doubts and chaos of the outrageous BCS system or, by opposing, end them. With sincere apologies to The Bard, Hamlet's problems seem trivial compared with the concerns of angst-ridden college football fans who long for a definitive answer to the apparently unsolvable puzzle: Who's number one?

The BCS (Bowl Championship Series) was supposed to give the definitive answer after years of relying on the wire service polls to determine the national champion. The BCS concept is to pit the No.1 and No.2 ranked teams in a national championship game after the major bowl games have been played. The trouble is, who decides which two teams should play for the title? As currently constituted the system relies on six computer polls and two human polls in a formula so complicated it would take a nuclear physicist, aided by a roomful of chimpanzees, six weeks to figure out.

Even then, the likelihood is that the BCS will get it wrong. Just ask Southern California. In 2003 The Trojans were ranked No. 1 in both human polls but were passed over for the championship game and Louisiana State, which had finished the regular season ranked No. 3, won the BCS version of the national championship by beating No. 2 Oklahoma. The Sooners had gotten into the title game despite not winning its conference championship, having suffered a 35-7 thrashing by Kansas State. Strength of schedule? Three of LSU's regular season victories were over Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, and Western Illinois. Although the LSU-Oklahoma game in the Sugar bowl had been designated by the BCS as the national championship game, the AP refused to go along and, rightly so, rewarded the Trojans for their 28-14 victory over No. 4 Michigan, by keeping them at No.1.

The following year there were three undefeated teams at year's end and it was Auburn that was the odd man out. Fittingly, USC, given the chance it had been denied the year before, wiped out Oklahoma in the national championship game.

At least, the BCS has tweaked its formula in recent years so it is no longer so dependent on strength of schedule in making its final rankings. Certainly, strength of schedule should be considered, but the BCS was relying on computers which already had taken scheduling into consideration and then applying the double whammy of a separate strength of schedule category.

Strength of schedule is no longer a separate component of the formula. However, some of the computers still ignore margin of victory as a criterion, thus judging a 56-20 Texas Tech whipping of seventh-ranked Oklahoma State of no greater value than Alabama's overtime squeeker over a 15th-ranked LSU playing with a quarterback who couldn't hit a barn door with a bazooka from three yards away.

It probably doesn't matter much if Texas Tech is ranked No.1 or No.2, since getting into the championship game is all that really counts. But don't count on the unbeaten Red Raiders to get there, anyway. They still have to play at Oklahoma, where they will be an underdog. A Sooner victory in that game would create a three-way tie atop the Big 12 South division, unarguably the strongest division in the country. If that should happen, the title game berth would go to the highest ranked of the three teams. Unless, of course, and this is the BCS's worst nightmare, a two-loss Missouri or, worse yet, a three-loss Kansas wins the Big 12 North and knocks off the Southern division champion in the Big 12 title game.

A little more certain is the probability that The Southeast Conference champion will play for the national title. But it's not all that certain that Alabama will be that team. Right now, most SEC observors feel that once-beaten Florida will take the measure of the unbeaten Crimson Tide. Florida still has what could be a tough game against South Carolina, led by former Gators coach Steve Spurrier. Even a second loss for Florida would not necessarily end their national title hopes, given the wide-spread notion that SEC football is the best in the country. And, of course, there is plenty of precedence that would give Alabama entre to the No.1 vs. No.2 game even if it loses its conference championship game.

As for other one-loss teams, Penn State has no shot after suffering its lone defeat Saturday on a last second field goal at Iowa. The Nittany Lions will have to pay the price for fellow Big Ten school Ohio State's blowout losses in the last two championship games. Southern Cal's chances are a little better, although the Trojans carry the stigma of playing in a Pacific Coast conference that is having a down year. There is also the fact that if Oregon State wins out, the Beavers, who handed USC its lone loss, will be the Pac 10 champion.

And so it is that the ground swell for an eight team playoff continues to grow. But that begs the question: Who's going to chose the eight teams? My own suggestion would be to take the champions of the six conferences currently associated with the BCS plus the two highest ranked teams not automatically chosen. Otherwise you are certain to hear from fans of several teams that barely fail to make the tournament, the pitiable cry: "We're No. eight"