The problem is these aren't pros. They are students and for the most part still kids.
If Boise and Cinci want to be in the top 4 then make sure you play USC, Ohio State or Florida in the regular season.
Boise St. has tried for years - remember the testifying before Congress where the BCS Schools acknowledged Boise St.’s attempts to get bigger schools to play them? They get turned down every time, with the exception of more “local” schools, like Oregon and Oregon St. Even the big Conference folks admitted as much.
No BCS school wants to play Boise St. as a non-BCS Conference opponent because the risks are high and the rewards are little. The computer gives them nothing for their efforts, and the BCS-stacked polls aren't going to boost them for winning a non-BCS Conference game that isn't spelled “N-O-T-R-E D-A-M-E.” On the other hand, those same pollsters will destroy your chances if you lose or even have to BARELY squeeze out a win.
Even for the next four years of scheduling, Boise St. has been unable to lure anyone bigger than Oregon, BYU, or Utah into a game. This is not accidental - it is a purposeful effort by the individual schools in their own best interests, and by the BCS Conferences who do things to make sure the other schools aren't taken seriously (like post them against each other in the Fiesta Bowl to minimize the victory or either team).
[If Boise and Cinci want to be in the top 4 then make sure you play USC, Ohio State or Florida in the regular season.]
In that case, if USC, Ohio State and Florida want to remain in the top 4, then they need to play TCU, Boise and Cinci instead of Appalachian State, Florida International and all the other Podunk U’s that they use to pad their schedules.
No disrespect to any of these schools, but your argument is mute considering the teams these other guys play each year. And as Appalachian State showed two seasons ago against Michigan, anyone can beat anyone on any given day - let them play!
[The problem is these aren’t pros. They are students and for the most part still kids.]
Exactly, what does that have to do with this argument? That’s just a straw-man to the bigger issue.
Problem with that is that USC, Ohio State or Florida wouldn’t dream of playing any non-BCS teams. There’s nothing in it for them and lots of money to lose. If they play the non-BCS teams and lose, they lose presitge and money. So, sticking with the Bowl system is the safest thing for them. However, since they choose this path, their claims to a “National Championship” are rendered meaningless since they haven’t faced all of the best teams in the nation.