NCAA Presidents Approve Four-Team College Football Playoff

The BCS Presidential Oversight Committee announced the new era in college football Tuesday night. (Alex Brandon)

June 26, 2012. A day that will be remembered for years to come in the annals of college football. For years and years, college football fans, experts, coaches, and players have cried out against the flaws and tyranny of the BCS. Many believed the answer to many of these problems would be a four-team playoff system. The BCS decided to explore that possibility this summer.

The first stage was for the 11 NCAA conference commissioners to meet and draw up a plan. They agreed upon a four-team playoff. The next stage was for Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick to pitch their proposed idea to the board of 12 college presidents who make up the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee. Less than three hours later, they agreed upon a radical change for college football.

The four-team playoff will begin in 2014 and continue through the 2025 season. The four teams will be chosen by a selection committee. The determining criteria that will be used will be win-loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and whether a team is a conference champion. The semifinal games will be rotated between six different bowl game sites. The semifinals will either be played on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. The national championship game will rotate among neutral sites. The title game will be played on "Championship Monday," the first Monday in January that is at least six days following the final semifinal game.

I fully support the direction in which college football is headed with this four-team playoff. The BCS had many blatant flaws. Is a four-team playoff going to solve everything? Of course not. There's always going to be someone complaining that they got left out. What this does do is leave the valuable traditions of college football in place. You still have the great regular season rivalries. There's still the bowl games to enjoy. But now there is a better way in place to determine who will be the national champion. This is what we all have been waiting for. I am excited to see how it turns out in reality, beginning in 2014.

Ryan Lochte Beats Michael Phelps in 400 IM Trial

Ryan Lochte swims during the men's 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. (Mark J. Terrill)

While all the hype seems to be building around Michael Phelps' return to the Olympics, Ryan Lochte is the one who keeps beating Phelps head-to-head. At last year's world championships, it was Lochte who won five gold medals and both head-to-head races against Phelps.

After setting the world record in the 400-meter individual medley at the 2008 Olympics, Phelps stated that he was done with the grueling event. Besides Phelps, no one knew whether he would stick to his word or try to win another medal in London. It turned out Phelps decided to give the race one last shot.

This set the stage for a showdown between Lochte, Phelps, and Tyler Clary. Clary had finished second behind Lochte in last year's world championship. The three men were battling for two spots in London in the race. Into the pool they went tonight with those very spots up for grabs. Phelps built the early lead on his best stroke, the butterfly leg. When they switched to breaststroke, Lochte took the lead and didn't look back. His lead held strong to the end, beating Phelps by about a half-body length. Clary finished a distant and disappointing third.

This means that we have at least one rematch between Lochte and Phelps in London to look forward to. Phelps is looking to add to his already record 14 gold medals. The very fact that he is even participating in this grueling race shows that he was regained motivation to finish his final Olympics strong. Lochte is looking to prove himself in London. He has shown himself to be dominant at the world championships, but this is the Olympics. Will Lochte be able to take the baton of dominance from Phelps and carry it on himself? We will find out in about one month's time.

Italy Advances Past England in Penalty Kicks

The Italians celebrate their much deserved victory over England. (Michael Sohn)

With the final semifinal spot on the line, England and Italy knew exactly what was expected of them. The two sides matched up well and often play very similar styles. Both are defensively minded with talent that can create offensive opportunities instantaneously.

The first fifteen minutes saw great action on both ends as the teams settled into the match. The Italians elected to make a slight tweak to their midfield alignment on the field. The result was really compete domination by the Azzurri (Italians).

Sure England had occasional opportunities off set pieces and nice runs, but they struggled to gain any sense of flow or rhythm for much of the game. The only thing that kept England in it was their goalkeeper, Joe Hart, and his helpful goal posts. Regulation ended with the first 0-0 scoreline of Euro 2012. But it definitely wasn't for a lack of opportunities. There continued to be quality chances in the extra half-hour of play, but nothing seemed to be able to find the net. Despite out shooting England 35-9, the Italians were forced to decide things with the English in a penalty shootout.

In the penalties, Mario Balotelli and Steven Gerrard both put home their sides' first attempt. The Italians second attempt by Riccardo Montolivo was shanked just wide of the post. Wayne Rooney calmly gave England the 2-1 advantage. Andrea Pirlo beautifully chipped in the equalizer for the Italians. With a chance to regain their edge, England's Ashley Cole saw his shot ricochet off the crossbar. Substitute Antonio Nocerino brought the advantage back to the Italians up 3-2. Ashley Cole tried to level things for England, but the quick instincts of Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon allowed him to make the huge save. With a chance to win it for the Italians, Alessandro Diamanti made no mistake, sealing the 4-2 penalty shootout victory.

The Azzurri were the better side from start to finish. Fortunately for them, they came out on top in the always chancy penalty shootout. While there were many standout out players, the man of the match has to be Andrea Pirlo. His ability to create in the midfield lead to many of the Italians' finest scoring opportunities. Additionally, his goal in the shootout was the one that proved to be the game changer. For England, it is another disappointing exit. They have been knocked out of Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup, and now Euro 2012 in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals. Italy will have to rest up and prepare quickly for their semifinal Thursday against Germany.