Realizing you're not the best and implement President-Elect Barack Obama's plan to resolve The BCS fiasco

I had lived in North Carolina for a few months. It's known as one of the meccas for basketball. One day, a fellow classmate who was a little taller and stronger than me elected to play a one-on-one game during recess. Both of us had good range from the outside and made our shots. As the game progressed, he proved to be too much in all facets: silky smooth dribbling, rebounding, defense, and post up positioning. Chip was an outstanding basketball player and great guy. I was humbled, and this was the first time I just conceded that there's someone else out there who is better.

When living on the border of Michigan and Indiana, also two great states for producing great basketball competition, I wasn't really challenged. There was another guy my age named Andre who could dribble behind his back that left all of us marveling at his flashy abilities. My height proved to be too much for Andre though. However, this didn't take away the fact he was a better ball handler and distributor. My move to North Carolina and aging into adolescence was a stark reminder that my peers began to physically mature at a rapid rate.

My days of competitive basketball and tennis continued. I was humbled to play around a core of guys that won two straight championships and undefeated seasons. On this team, I was the sixth man to come off the bench. I was grounded once again, knowing those five guys out there ahead of me are just better. This didn't mean there weren't days when one struggled and the other had to carry the load. Essentially, sports provided me life lessons that continue today.

I want to be a great creative writer. Reading earlier works, I'm never going to surpass the works of those who transformed generations and still do to this day. One writer stands out to me -- Henry David Thoreau. During his time, reading was a luxury and considered entertainment. Today, it seems how many cool, trendy pictures posted on a Facebook page are most sought after. Thoreau was a voracious reader with a fastidious eye for nature. His writings were beautifully crafted and yes, I had to have a Dictionary resting next to me. He reminded me I will never reach that literary level. This still doesn't mean I'm going to quit, because I know my work speaks to how we interact today opposed to those in the 19th century. I'm not writing with the intent that my work will one day reach a broad audience and continued to be read long after my time here is gone. We move on. And so, I can accept my accomplishments or lack thereof will collect dust and wither away over time.

Barack Obama wants to see an eight-team playoff for The Bowl-shit Championship Series

My friends and I are passionate about college football. This is pretty much the first topic for discussion. Which team looks to be the best out of them all? Who matches up best for the national title game? Which conference fields the best overall teams top to bottom? And so on.

College football offers what the National Football League doesn't. Every week is a playoff game. Basically, if a team loses one game, its hopes for a national championship greatly diminish. These programs have some of the most loyal fans as well. I'm just tired of hearing my dad say, "They're rebuilding" when it comes to Nebraska's program the last several years since a drubbing to arguably the best college team ever, the 2001 Miami Hurricanes.

The college game, for the most part, provides you with players who don't have all the distractions of lucrative salaries, endorsements, and answering to franchise front office shenanigans. They take the field each week, knowing for many of them, it could be one of their last games. This is where the intensity greatly surpasses your average NFL game. At the end of the season though, we're all left with that same lingering question, "What if that one team who didn't get to play in the National Championship played the National Champion?" We won't know the answer to that.

Bowl games are really inconsequential. Only one truly matters. Sure, seniors and others still gear up and play hard, but it's really for pride and nothing more. I think Obama made a great point when saying we should have an eight-team playoff. Now, will this solve all the controversy? No. You'll still have a few teams who fans believe will be left out. However, if handled correctly, it could leave little doubt. Here's how I believe it should be handled.

Make the bowl games count. All the teams who qualify for BCS bowls play against each other. The winners of these games and those like your Utahs, Boise States, and Ball States this season who still finish undefeated should advance to a tournament format. Simply pit the highest ranked team, which is currently Alabama, and have them play the lowest which would be a Ball State-like team. The interest and intrigue will still be there. With this system, the human bias and questions on who has the toughest schedule subsides. You truly have the best team who stands out in the end. Then again, this is all hypothetical and more than likely, we'll be talking about this for years to come. It's whether fan interest and active participation can trump big Bowl contracts and endorsements that flow into these programs' athletic departments.