I was a little disappointed, but not surprised to hear that LSU had jumped past Georgia in the BCS rankings today, and will play in the title game against Ohio State. I expected it. I was hoping for something else. It is a sad thing to have a year where so many teams can legitimately lay claim to a spot in the title game... a year when so many fans from around the nation will be disappointed. Only a very small percentage of fans are celebrating today, and that is a shame. Normally, the announcement of the bowl matchups is cause for great joy for numerous fans, but this is not one of those years.
The greatest irony surrounding the controversy this year is simple. Those who hate the BCS got exactly what they wanted, and will complain the loudest about the results. Those who love the BCS got exactly what they feared most, and will most earnestly defend the outcome. What a strange world it is.
At the core of the great debate over the crowning of a national champion for college football lies a philosophical disagreement over what constitutes a champion. On the one hand, we have the tradition of voting for a winner based on performance over an entire season. Every game counts. The quality of play and the worthiness of your opponent are factored in to the decision. It is out of this tradition that the BCS was born. On the other hand, we have the example of other sports in which the outcome is settled on the field. Period. Both positions have a certain allure that is hard to overlook. Both sides have valid points and great passion in arguing their case. But the ultimate fate of the most controversial coronation ceremony in sports will not ultimately be decided on the merits of the two sides, carefully examined and judiciously weighed. It will be decided the same way this year's selection process was decided. It will hinge on emotion.
While considering the results of the selection process, it is hard to escape the conclusion that LSU was annointed by a group of folks who so deeply desired to see them in the championship game that they left reason out of the process when they made their final desperate goal line push as the clock expired to propel their chosen team across the goal line and into the championship game. I believe that several teams had very strong cases for going to the title game, but only one could win. So how do we decide who that is? Apparently it has to do with the allignment of the stars, how the shrimpers are doing in Louisiana, and the Coriolis Effect (that's what makes the water in the toilet spin when it goes down the drain.) Apparently it has a lot to do with the Coriolis Effect. How appropriate on so many levels.
First came all the spin. Even as the results were announced, we were told something to the effect that due to Mars being in retrograde, and shrimp being particularly abundant this season in Louisiana, that the season long struggle to reach the BCS championship game had just gone down the toilet for so many fine teams. I would have felt better if we had been told something about tie-breakers, and why an embarrassing loss against an unranked team early in the season is less significant than a heart-breaker against a valiant and worthy opponent late in the season. But instead we got a lot of the typical mumbo-jumbo about polls, momentum, computer models, and so on. As the Scarecrow in Oz once observed, "I may not have any brains, but who is that man behind the curtain?" Ok... so I paraphrased that one a little.
After this year's debacle, I think the only hope for the BCS is a little transparency. They need to come out and say, "Well, we had to choose SOMEONE! We did the best we could. We sure wish we could have chosen them all." Well, maybe they should leave off that last part. A playoff would have nicely covered that, wouldn't it! As it is, I expect nothing more than irrelevent and nebulous political speech by the BCS elite. And that will be the beginning of the end. Failing to answer the questions surrounding this year's confusing and controversial results will mark the beginning of the death march for the BCS system.
The end result will be a quick and disappointing ride down the toilet for the entire BCS system. Y'all enjoy that Coriolis Effect now, ya hear?
Ireivy Guerra
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Great blog, but I dont hear any death bells yet. Unless the bells have money that is..
Tracy00214-Is back!
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LOL... you have a great point Tracy. I hate to admit it, but the money may speak louder than everyone else combined.
True Patriot
Johnstown , CO
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It always has, and money is power. One day I vow to be rich and powerful!
Lol, but Kraft would never sell the team..;)
Tracy00214-Is back!
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My Collio effect was stopped up by all the money the bowls flush every year
A throwdowner named…
Princeton , LA
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Well, I am sure you would do a great job with the Patriots! But barring that, I guess we will be ok with Bob Kraft staying in control! : )
True Patriot
Johnstown , CO
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Nice one David! You crack me up! LOL!
True Patriot
Johnstown , CO
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I do think that LSU was the most deserving team- and I have defended that veiwpoint- I also have a blog out there that defines my thoughts on how a playoff should go
and my tourney group is going to play it out.
http://www.fannation.com/groups/show/7645
Look for the details on Tounrney IX there is a link to my blog as well
I would personally rank Ohio State below Oklahoma and USC at this point and think Georgia would smoke teams 5-10
Pray for Hawaii they may get rolled more than the Fins vs the Pats
A throwdowner named…
Princeton , LA
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I thought you did a great job defending that. I voted for you on the throwdown to that point as well. At this point, I would stand with the BCS decision on both teams, but I would probably stand behind whichever two teams they put forward. The problem is that there were so many good teams that had a decent case. I hate to see them left out. On the other hand, there is no one who was left out of the title game who has a more solid stake, either. Every contender fumbled the ball on the way to the big game (Except Hawaii) and in the end has little real complaint. They should have taken care of business on the field.
True Patriot
Johnstown , CO
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"At this point, I would stand with the BCS decision on both teams, but I would probably stand behind whichever two teams they put forward. The problem is that there were so many good teams that had a decent case. I hate to see them left out. On the other hand, there is no one who was left out of the title game who has a more solid stake, either."
This is a complete 180 from your blog-a-nure regarding the BCS.
..and another.."And that will be the beginning of the end. Failing to answer the questions surrounding this year's confusing and controversial results will mark the beginning of the death march for the BCS system."
You're smoking and not sharing. If you cared to pay attention to anything whatsoever you would understand how the system works. Instead you ramble incoherent garbage that shows you know nothing of which you speak. Save it, and I want my 5 minutes back. What a joke! LSU needs no supporting testimony to anyone for their BCS championship game bid...that is, outside of your wavelength. You have no idea of what you speak. Make no backup information for your position available, due to lacking one Im sure. Quit wasting everyones time. OSU and LSU..the only choices that make sense in a very unsettling season. I suppose some other 2 loss teams like USC and Oklahoma would be more preferential to you? Well you offer no support for your position and just ramble on for some sort of self guided relevance attempt while bashing the BCS..and offering no concrete solutions or reasoning for your feeble position. The end.
Gator80
Vero Beach , FL
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Well thanks for that Gator. My personal feelings about the teams and my personal feelings about the BCS are not totally linked. I have been a BCS booster for years, and will continue to be if the BCS keeps going, but I think the end of the line is in sight. Can you really say that you feel justice was fully served for everyone with this outcome? I find the case that LSU clearly won the title berth to be a weak one. A good case can be made for several teams. Some folks are definitely going to feel that their teams did not get the chance they deserved.
While I have always supported the BCS, loving the tradition of the bowl games that I grew up with, and loving that it makes this sport unique in how it crowns it champions, I still feel that this is a bad year. If the outcome is simply to keep blindly defending the system instead of just admitting that it doesn't always work right, I believe that we are headed for major change.
Why is it not ok to say that when you factor in strength of schedule, some conferences are favored? Why is it not okay to say that one team won because the voters felt that it was their turn? Are we not human? Can we not fall short of perfection? The point is that the system is insufficient to satisfy everyone in a year like this where clear contenders are poorly defined. I was not trying to advocate for any particular team, though I think that launching LSU from where they were in the polls, over several other contending teams into the number 2 spot begs criticism. I think it would have caused less controversy to simply let Georgia advance, and let the chips fall where they may.
By the way, you make some good points, though the disparaging personal remarks diffuse your agument somewhat. I think you would do better to stay on point. By the way, if I smoked, I would be glad to share. ; )
True Patriot
Johnstown , CO
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