The BCS drama came and went Sunday afternoon, leaving Oklahoma fans happy, Texas fans angry and college football fans even more jaded.

Why must the nation's most beloved sport tease us so? Why is college football the only major American sport without a playoff system? Why do college presidents get to decide if there's a playoff system?

If the BCS system is here to stay, then let's put it to good use: Take the top 16 teams and seed them like an NCAA men's basketball tournament regional and watch mayhem unfold. As Austin American-Statesman columnist Cedric Golden noted in his Monday column, a college football playoff would "blow March Madness away in revenue and popularity."

That's unfathomable. And glorious. Here's what it might look like.

First Round

1. Alabama vs. 16. Georgia - What a first-round matchup. Natural rivals who have already played once this season. Georgia would get a chance at huge payback. Pick: Bama.

8. Penn State vs. 9. Boise State - Big 10 champ meets mid-major poster boy. Pick: Penn State.

5. USC vs. 12. Ball State - Could there be a bigger David vs. Goliath scenario? Pick: USC.

4. Florida vs. 13. Cincinnati - SEC East beast against the Big East champ. This one probably wouldn't be too entertaining. Pick: Florida.

6. Utah vs. 11. TCU - Here's another intraconference matchup that gives the loser the first time around a prime chance at redemption. This rematch would be fun. Pick: TCU.

3 .Texas vs. 14. Oklahoma State - See above. Pick: Texas.

7. Texas Tech vs. 10. Ohio State - Here's one the entire country would watch. A trendy, Big 12 offensive machine against an old-guard Big 10 power. This is the type of game you rarely see in the regular season, and think about how much more interesting it is as a playoff matchup than a bowl game. Pick: Texas Tech.

2. Oklahoma vs. 15. Georgia Tech - Two powerful offenses completely contrasting in style - OU's high-powered, balanced attack against the Ramblin' Wreck's triple-option - would create a lot of hype and anticipation. Pick: Oklahoma.

National Quarterfinals

1. Alabama vs. 8. Penn State - Throwback matchup of the year. Pick: Bama.

5. USC vs. 4. Florida - Epic second-round game. The type of game you plan your week around. Pick: Florida.

11. TCU vs. 3. Texas - All-Texas meeting as three of the final eight teams hail from the Lone Star State. All those East Texas TCU defenders would get their chance to chase Colt McCoy around. Pick: Texas.

7. Texas Tech vs. 2. Oklahoma - Another rematch that would generate serious pre-game talk. Could Tech stay on the field with OU this time? Was the first time an anomaly? What would Mike Leach have up his sleeve? Pick: Oklahoma.

National Semifinals

1. Alabama vs. 4. Florida - Look familiar? Pick: Florida.

3. Texas vs. 2. Oklahoma - The biggest rematch of them all. Pick: Texas.

National Championship

4. Florida vs. 3. Texas - The national title game we should be seeing this year. Pick: Florida.

This week's picks

OK, back to real life (I know, I'm disappointed, too). No. 4 Florida 31, No. 1 Alabama 20; No. 2 Oklahoma 63, No. 20 Missouri 28.

(Gabriel D. Brooks covers sports for the Longview News-Journal. E-mail: gbrooks@longview-news.com).