Monday, December 04, 2006

BCS Gets It Right Again - Mostly

Well, at least the BCS (bowl controversy series) got the championship game right this year. After all, that's what they strive for with the current system (a matchup between #1 and #2 for all the CFB marble). But, the system is nowhere near a shining example of fair process. Our founding fathers and the Delcaration of Independence have nothing to fear on that front. The real good news here is that with the announcement of the BCS title game yesterday, college basketball and March Madness, where games are actually settled on the court instead of on servers or through ballots, is getting closer and closer. Nothing beats the excitement, frenzy, and sheer unadulterated competition of 'one and done' which CBB offers. And, thank God for Bowl Games.

Turning back to the BCS for a moment, Florida is the right choice THIS YEAR. Sorry to all of the MAZE and BLUE fans in Ann Arbor and across the nation, but win your conference first before lobbying for a place in the championship game. Otherwise, subjective arguments and hypothetical 'what if' scenarios are all you have to back-up your claim. Your title hopes were taken out of your hands when you lost to Ohio State in Columbus (on the field). Florida did it by playing the most difficult schedule in the nation this year. Oh, and the GATORS won the SEC last time I checked. And, in so doing, they are more worthy to lose to the BUCKEYES in Glendale. I could go on about the greatness of the SEC, SOS, 12 wins by Florida, who beat whom / where, no rematches, etc....I won't. For the 2nd year in a row, the BCS has given us the 'right' TITLE-game matchup.

Actually, the real BCS 'losers' this year are Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Oklahoma received the short-end of the shaft multiple times this year starting in Eugene back in September. They somehow found a way to shore-up their defense and continued to win. Then, they lost the best back in the nation and continued to keep the victory machine rolling with back-ups. The SOONERS only real loss of the season was to a very game TEXAS squad at the RED-RIVER SHOOTOUT. We should be having an expanded BCS discussion right now about who's more worthy to lose to Ohio State: Michigan, Florida, or Oklahoma? At least the SOONERS won their conference last time I checked. But hey, both Michigan and Oklahoma should shut up, display their 'talents' on the field, and be grateful they're not WISCONSIN.

Speaking of the BADGERS, it's like Deja Vu all over again (BERA). Remember Nebraska in 2001 when they went to the ROSE BOWL over Oregon only to get spanked ultimately by MIAMI and Larry Coker's squad? The HUSKERS weren't worthy back then, and the IRISH aren't worthy of a BCS bid now. 80% of the ESPN SPORTSNATION agrees. Come on, we all know this is about just one thing: cha-ching ($$$). I don't blame the SUGAR BOWL for wanting Notre Dame over WISCONSIN. It's probably true that TV ratings and advertising dollars will be slightly (assumption here) higher than with a BADGER/TIGER matchup. But in terms of at-large selections, nothing could be further from fair process. The BADGERS went 11-1 on the year to finish AHEAD of Notre DAME in the final BCS ranking. They beat the likes of Minnesota, Purdue, Penn State, and Iowa (all bowl teams this year). It wasn't their fault the BIG-10 was 'down' this year. What was the best Notre Dame win? Georgia Tech, Penn State, Purdue, or UCLA.

The BCS needs to abolish the 'rule' about no more than 2 teams from any given conference can play in the BCS the same year. What a bunch of *&(&*@#! And, they need to add a clause about winning your conference first before being eligible for the TITLE GAME. I was thinking about going as far as proposing 'no at-large teams' in the BIG GAME. But, that's probably too exclusive to non-BCS conferences (Notre Dame, Boise State, etc...). Remember, the difference between the BCS and other bowl games is HUGE! It's about national recognition, money, recruiting, satisfying alumni, and much much more. The time for a play-off has come. See an earlier BLOG entry below on how I fixed the BCS last year (and what that would mean for this year's games). But for now, enjoy 32 games of mediocrity (Fiutak ranks them all 1-32).

At least the Heisman race should go as predicted (Troy Smith). With over 2500 passing yards, 30 TD's verus 5 INT's, and a 67% completion percentage there is no doubt. Oh, and I did I mention he led the BUCKEYES to Glendale? At least there's no controversy here.

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