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No one seems to be able to fix the way we select presidential candidates in the primaries, and no one seems to be able to fix the way we select two teams for the final championship football game.

UF’s President Bernie Machen suggested changing the process last year. Now, this year the University of Georgia’s President Michael Adams is climbing aboard, demanding a change, also. In my opinion no one will be successful in changing the present system unless everyone steps back and takes a fresh look at the system itself.

The present system is flawed because it is built around bowls, which had very little to do originally with a fair championship system. The bowls, such as the Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta were developed by cities to bring crowds of shoppers to the host cities during the slack season following Christmas. The problem with this, as far as championships are concerned, is that January 1 occurs more than a month after most universities play their last football game. Teams that are highly tuned for competition the week before Thanksgiving are rusty by January 1.

The other problem is the excessive complexity imposed on the selection process. I say get rid of the computers. Then get rid of the vote by coaches, who have a tremendous conflict of interest in the process. Have a vote by sports writers only, allowing no sports writer to vote for a team in his or her own state.

Then have the sports writers select 16 teams for the final play-off, with all 16 playing the first Saturday of December, eight playing the second Saturday of December, four playing in the major bowls on January 1, two playing on the second Saturday of January and the championship game on the third Saturday of January.

If neither the NCAA nor university presidents are able to come to a sensible decision similar to this one, Congress should declare the entire BCS an illegal monopoly and give both groups one year to come back to a designated federal court with a plan that makes sense.

Year after year, controversy dogs the intercollegiate football championship process. And well it should, because the January First bowls are the tail that wags the dog. Don’t eliminate the major bowls, but use them intelligently as part of the 16-team playoff process.

This is Radio Ralph with a comment at mid-week for AM850.