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2 months ago: This undated image provided by the BCS shows Bill Hancock. BCS officials have selected Bill Hancock to become the first executive director of the postseason system. BCS coordinator and Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford announced Hancock's promotion from administrator to his new position on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/BCS)

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From the official BCS website :

Promotion from Administrator to Executive Director

Bowl Championship Series Coordinator John Swofford, on behalf of the BCS commissioners and the Notre Dame Director of Athletics, announced today that long-time college basketball and football executive Bill Hancock has been promoted to become the first-ever Executive Director of the BCS, effective immediately.

"Bill has been a tremendous asset to the BCS since beginning his involvement in 2005," said Swofford. "With the continued growth and interest in the BCS, it became evident to all of us that an Executive Director was necessary to coordinate what has become a full-time slate of daily responsibilities."

So one might ask "Who is Bill Hancock?"

Bill Hancock has been the man behind the scenes at the BCS since he was hired as the BCS Administrator in 2005.  He remains the only full time staff member of the BCS.  Prior to his work in football Bill Hancock also served as the first Director of the NCAA Basketball Final Four for 13 years staring in 1989.  He has authored "Riding with the Blue Moth" describing his wrestling with the tragic event that took him away from sports, until taking on a role with the BCS. Prior to working in sports administration he had success as a newspaper columnist.

This move promotes him to a more prominent place in the public eye.  He will be picking up much of the PR and legal responsibilities formerly placed upon the BCS Coordinator.  This will be added to his current responsibilities that include the daily operations required to maintain the BCS.  Based on his article "Another side to the BCS" he should perform his new responsibilities very well.

"I'm thrilled and humbled to move into this new role," Hancock said. "I love the special place college football occupies in our society and I am proud of the great benefits the BCS has brought to student-athletes, college football fans and others. It's an honor to be working on behalf of this wonderful game."

I have been learning about the BCS for over a year now and last March I was amazed by the ease with which I was able to contact Bill Hancock.  My impression could not have been further from the obstructionist persona the media paints the BCS officials with.  I am certain that Bill Hancock is the best man to lead the BCS forward.

I do have this one question ... BIll Hancock has clarified that the BCS is not an entity but an elaborate balance that allows for a national championship bowl game.  If the BCS is not an entity, then what exactly does he direct?

An even better question is this:

Who could run a proposed playoff better than the BCS?

Non-Option 1: Government

Some would call for government involvement to clean up the championship system.  While powerful enough to instigate a change I have to question whether government officials are more or less corrupt and partial than what is presumed to be the case in collegiate sports.  Case in point: the dissolution of the SWC.

In the mid 1980's the Big 8 wanted to expand by including Texas and Texas A&M.  Then governor Ann Richards used her position to not allow this move unless Texas Tech and Baylor, her Alma Mater, were included.

The Big 12 would not have included Baylor otherwise and the Big 12 then have had enough room to expand later.  TCU would have been a very prominent candidate at any time since these events transpired.  The best team in Texas this year would have been decided on the field, not in the BCS polls.

While government has the ability to force change, a forced change is almost never as solid as a change from within due to market pressures.

Non-Option 2: The NCAA

I have become convinced that If the BCS is said to be corrupt and self serving this is a direct transference from issues present within the NCAA.

The NCAA was formed to represent and protect the student athletes.  When the NCAA attempts to then operate and license championship games they begin to cloud their interests.  Who stands guard when the NCAA has to decide between the revenue of their championships and the needs of the athletes they represent?

Which system respects the exam schedules and class time of the student athletes more, the FBS Bowl system or any of the 88 NCAA tournaments?

The NCAA is good at protecting the student athletes when they are not financially tied to the games.  The NCAA should use the agreements in place with the BCS as a model to outsource other championships to reduce the conflict of interest this presents.

The Only Real Option: The BCS

Who is better qualified to design a championship system for a sport than the eleven conference commissioners who represent the teams in that sport and their personnel active in managing the scheduling and game logistics of league play?

Well, this is exactly who the BCS is.  And the BCS is nowhere near as unified as the caricature presented in the media.

The NCAA has abdicated their roll in providing definition for the bowl system as a whole.  By capriciously adding bowls annually they have diluted the pool to where the significance of the bowls have greatly diminished. 

My vision of college football would restore the bowl timing and tier structure to better define each bowl and enhance the marketing value of each.  Let the NCAA establish general guidelines for the bowls.  Let the BCS handle defining tiers and establishing consistent and long term protocol for handling changes in tiers as a result of performance.

Promoting Bill Hancock to Executive Director is a step in the right direction for an organization that needs to rise to the occasion to effectively manage and provide a vision for the bowl system as a whole.  The alternative is a stagnation of the bowl system and an eventual death of this historic pageantry and tradition.