Part of the reason Big Ten teams are snubbed by the BCS each year is the conference's lack of a true champion -- a champion decided by the best two teams duking it out on the field.

I realize the conference's odd number of teams makes dividing the conference into an east and west division a problem, but the solution to this is easy.

The NCAA should force Notre Dame to join the Big Ten. This would eliminate the Golden Domers' unfair ability to schedule inferior teams and then clamor for a major bowl game. Their football tradition would fit in with those of the other Big Ten teams and make for incredible matchups almost every week.

Who would not want to see Notre Dame play Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State on a yearly or biennial basis? It would be much better than being subjected to watching Notre Dame pummel Army and Navy every year because of some Faustian television deal.

The NCAA requiring every conference to play a championship game would be the first step towards the much-requested playoff system, and eliminate many hypothetical arguments that currently fill online message boards across the land.

For instance, how can Ohio State be considered the No. 2 team when they aren't even the undisputed best team in the Big Ten?

Is there anyone who watches college football that truly believes that an Iowa vs. Ohio State game would be a bad thing? Or, how electric would this campus be if, after losing to Iowa early in the season, the Lions had run the table and earned a rematch?

A championship game would also give two Big Ten teams one more game against a (probably) high-ranked opponent to impress the football nation. The guaranteed national exposure a Big Ten championship would have would help recruiting conference-wide and also increase TV revenue.