The BCS gets what it wants (again)
12/04/2007
Stalter Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
They did it. The BCS voters lucked out again.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will play the LSU Tigers in this year’s national championship game and despite the expected griping from some college football fans, it’s not a bad matchup.
For one, both programs boast exceptional defenses. Ohio State has the top-ranked defense in the nation, allowing just over 225 yards a game while surrendering only 15 touchdowns on the year. Likewise, LSU is ranked third and has the third-best pass defense in all of college football.
Possibly the most intriguing matchup will be the Tigers’ 12th best rushing offense versus the Buckeyes’ third-best run defense. The individual matchups are outstanding as well, with one of the best battles being OSU running back Chris “Beanie” Wells taking on LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.
No, this shouldn’t be a bad game at all. It’s understandable if most southern states don’t want to see Ohio State play for another title after getting ripped by Florida last year, but this year’s championship should be closer.
The problem is that the BCS got what they wanted again this year. Had previously #1 ranked Missouri and #2 West Virginia both won this past weekend, the outcry for a playoff system would have been at an all-time high. If college football weren’t so popular, I’d venture to say that many people wouldn’t have even tuned in to see a Mizzo-WVU matchup. Neither the Tigers nor Mountaineers won last weekend, however, so now college football fans get Ohio State-LSU, which by all accounts, could be worse. Much worse.
However, what if Missouri still lost to Oklahoma, but West Virginia beat Pitt? Imagine the outcry from SEC fans if the title game was Ohio State-West Virginia, two teams that don’t have to play a conference championship and, for the most part, have weak schedules. I think I can hear SEC fans jumping off their rooftops now.
We’re not going to see an eight-, 12- or 16-game playoff system anytime soon, if ever. So the BCS needed a reason to keep saying, “See, we’re still producing a top matchup. Ohio State-LSU is pretty good and you got to see all the great regular season action, too. The system works.”
The worst thing that could happen for fans who want a playoff system is for the regular season to produce elimination games. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened over the last two weeks when Missouri beat Kansas, Oklahoma knocked off Missouri, and Pittsburgh topped West Virginia. Had Tennessee also defeated LSU this past weekend, the BCS would have produced another elimination game. Again, all of this gives the BCS a reason to say, “The system works.”
But nobody is buying it. We still want a playoff system. We still want to see what a team like Hawaii or Boise State could do in a 12-team playoff. We’d love to see a MAC team like Central Michigan at least get the chance to play a top seed like Ohio State or LSU. We’re not falling for the idea that the regular season is the playoffs, because it’s not.
The major argument for folks who enjoy the current college football system is that if there were a playoff at the end of the year, the regular season takes on less meaning. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t watch a lick of college basketball until March Madness rolls around. To me, the college basketball regular season is somewhat meaningless and is just an appetizer for March Madness. So, people do have a legitimate gripe that the college football regular season would take a hit.
The thing that those people have to remember, however, is that football is king in this country. People will watch regular season games no matter what the stakes are. Do fans still tune into Michigan-Appalachian State? Regionally, they do and after a year filled with upsets, they will tune in even more now. And so what if the regular season isn’t as big as the playoffs? Fans would still be thrilled and for once, there wouldn’t be a mythical national champion crowned.
Give the fans what we want. The BCS would still make money by having Tostitos sponsor the #10 Hawaii vs. #5 Virginia Tech matchup and really, what’s more important than money to the BCS? (Side note: My mouth is watering at the possibility of watching VA Tech’s defense try to stop Colt Brennan and Hawaii’s offense in the Tostitos’ #10 vs. #5 matchup).
But I digress. We’re not going to get a playoff system anytime soon. Not when everything keeps falling into place for the BCS like it did again this year.
College Football Regular Season Wrap Up
Here are some quick-hit thoughts about the season that was in college football:
- It’s good to see a program like Illinois turn in a solid season. The Big 10 needs more competition at the top for Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State. Hopefully this year was just a stepping-stone for Ron Zook’s Illini.
- With so many coaching vacancies popping up around the country, Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly should be a name people keep an eye on. Kelly won multiple Division II national titles at Grand Valley State, then turned around and won a MAC Championship at Central Michigan and now has made the Bearcats perennial Big East contenders. It might not be next year, but he will move on to a bigger conference soon.
- Kevin Smith of Central Florida is the best running back nobody is talking about. He led the nation in total rushing yards (2,448), touchdowns (29) and yards-per-game (188.31). He doesn’t have a ton of speed, but he has such a fluid running style and might be a Heisman Trophy candidate next year.
- Louisville had a rough year, but I still think Brian Brohm should be the first quarterback taken in next April’s draft. Everything you read about the kid is positive -- that he’s a hard worker, humble and loves playing football. That’s not to say Matt Ryan, Colt Brennan and Andre Woodson don’t have those intangibles, but Brohm looks like a nice, safe pick.
- Arkansas’ Darren McFadden is unbelievable, but the Heisman should go to Florida’s Tim Tebow. Quarterbacks just don’t produce 20 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns in a single season.
- Cal’s DeSean Jackson is the next Devin Hester.
- If LSU’s Glenn Dorsey didn’t play defensive tackle, he would be the first player taken in the NFL draft. Still, he’ll likely get chosen in the top five, which is remarkable considering most NFL teams don’t spend high draft picks on defensive tackles.
- Other than their five-game winning streak in the middle of the season, I was really disappointed in Texas this year. I thought they’d contend all season.
- Even though they were eventually knocked out of title contention, it was great to watch Missouri and Kansas make a run this year. College football needs some new blood.
- Arizona cornerback Antoine Cason is going to be a stud in the NFL. Some team would be wise to snatch him up in the middle of the first round.
- He had a rough outing against LSU in the SEC Championship game, but Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge is going to make a run for the Heisman next year. He delivers a great ball and has NFL-zip on his passes, but he just needs to cut down on the mistakes.
- Complain all you want about them being a “phony” #1, but Ohio State deserves a ton of praise for playing in back to back national championships. Nobody thought they had a shot at the start of the year and other than a slip up against Illinois at home, the job Jim Tressel has done there is remarkable.
Aside from the recent national championship appearances, the main difference between Michigan and Ohio State is the current mindset of each program. The Buckeyes are playing for national championships every year, while the Wolverines are still competing for Big 10 titles. It’s time for UM to start thinking bigger and therefore, their next coach shouldn’t be a “Michigan man.” Bo Schembechler wasn’t a “Michigan Man” and he turned out to be the best head coach the program has ever had. Look out of state and spend some money on your next head coach, Michigan, because your rival Ohio State is way ahead of you in the world of college football.
Questions or comments? Send them to astalter@bullz-eye.com.