It started with righteous ambitions. For the many college football fans who viewed the BCS as a deeply flawed method of choosing a national champion, the natural inclination was to root for the system’s many failures to be exposed. And what better way for that to happen than for it to be forced to make nearly impossible decisions in which controversy was bound to ensue, no matter the choice.
The strategy actually worked (it helped that there were also vast amounts of money to be made by switching to a playoff). The three undefeated power conference teams of 2004 and the subsequent exclusion of Auburn from the BCS championship game sparked former SEC commissioner Mike Slive to push for a playoff.