Today’s BCS Thoughts
Well, it has been a few days since the BCS selections were announced, and I have a few things I would like to throw out there.
Thought #1:
we all know the arguments for and against the BCS. The two biggest reasons for not moving to a playoff right away are the money the bowls generate, and the perceived “tradition” of the college football bowls. These are both faulty arguments. The money would be inordinate in a college football playoff. If you think the BCS generates a lot of cash, imagine what a couple of extra weeks and a playoff would do for revenue! As for the tradition of the Bowls…Ha! Tradition? TRADITION? Are you telling me that there is a long and storied history behind such games as the Music City Bowl, or the Poinsettia Bowl? The bowls that have been around for a long time no longer have festive or fruity names like Hall of Fame or Citrus, supplanting them with Outback and Capital One. Heck, even the corporate-sponsored bowls have changed so often that you can’t keep them straight?
Quick quiz: What is the current name of the original Blockbuster Bowl?
Answer: The Champs Sports Bowl
Extra Credit: One point for each of the four names it had in between.
Thought #2:
My dear readers all now by now how I feel the B(C)S has treated the Wisconsin Badgers. So I ask you this. What would have happened if Michigan had beaten Ohio State? Now I realize that because the Badgers scheduled a Division 1-AA team (Western Illinois), that they technically only have 10 wins according to the tie breaker system, and thus, would have lost out to OSU. However, from a practical perspective, you would have had two 11-1 Big Ten teams tied for 2nd place in the conference, that didn’t play each other and only lost to the #1 team in the nation. I understand this is an exercise in futility for Wisconsin fans, but I think it is an important point to make. It is part of the overall problem with the system; that things are not decided on the field, where they should be.
Thought #3:
This one is of the negative, pessimistic variety. It is one that no one wants to talk about. What if Wisconsin loses to Arkansas? Would this nullify all of the arguments we have been making about how it is unfair for Wisconsin to be excluded? I think not, but it sure gives it a lot less credence. We have seen this happen time and again; where teams that feel they have gotten the BCScrew under-perform in their bowl game. Remember when Wisconsin beat UCLA in the 1999 Rose Bowl? UCLA had been ranked at the top all year, but then lost to Miami in the makeup game at the end of the year. They felt that the timing of the game caused them to lose out on a chance for a national championship. The game originally had been scheduled for the beginning of the season, but was delayed until the end due to a hurricane. The loss at the beginning of the year would have been far less damaging to their chances, which is another problem built into the system. Thus, when UCLA “slipped” down into the Rose Bowl, they were less motivated, and ultimately got beat by an underrated Wisconsin team (if you can be underrated at #6 or whatever they were). We shall see. Arkansas is by no means a slouch of a team. And I am sure Bielema will have his Badgers more than ready to play. I just hope that should they suffer the loss that the arguments we have been making for their inclusion in the BCS are not dismissed.
So there you have it. My BCS thoughts for today. When all is said and done, the Bowls are still a lot of fun to watch, even if they don’t always provide a true NCAA Division 1 Football Champion.