ThreeStrikesandOut

Funny.  When the University of Florida President went to the SEC Conference before the season and tried to push the idea of a plus-one playoff game to determine a national champion, he received 0 support.  None.  Zilch.  Nada.  Now suddenly University of Georgia president Micheal Adams has come to Jesus and is pushing an eight-team playoff.  Could this have anything to do with Georgia’s failure to make it into the BCS Championship?  Could this have anything to do with Georgia believing that they are the best team?  Could this be ridiculous?  Absolutely.  Sorry guys, I don’t care how hot you were at the end of the season, you did not win your own division.  Period.  Doesn’t matter that it’s not a rule. It’s common sense.  And beating the daylights out of Hawaii didn’t impress me either.  That was like a day off.  Vanderbilt could have beat Hawaii by two touchdowns.  Look, I want a playoff to, but it’s not going to happen until there’s a full-scale boycott by fans or maybe a riot. 

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For the second straight year the curse of the sweater vest rears it’s ugly head and the Ohio State Buckeyes go down to defeat to an SEC team in the BCS Championship; 38-24, to the LSU Tigers and their on again-off again coach Les Miles.  For the second year in a row the Buckeyes looked much slower than their SEC counterpart and after jumping out to a 10-0 lead, gave up 31 straight points to lose in convincing fashion.

Tonight’s loss will hopefully mean that no matter what cupcakes Ohio State beats next year; that there is no way in the world that they will be invited back to the BCS Championship.  Seriously, it makes everyone uncomfortable watching them get beaten like they have the last two years, unless you’re a sadist or a Michigan fan.  Wait, that’s the same thing.

Kansas and their coach were both living large tonight, as the Jayhawks defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Orange Bowl, by a score of 24-21.

This was an entertaining game, but it was the afterthought of the bowl season to me.  I still think that Missouri belonged in the BCS over Kansas, and if there was a more boring team to watch this year than Virginia Tech, I don’t know whose colors they wear.  It was good, however; to not see a repeat of the Hawaii/Georgia game and Kansas played their hearts out to make sure that the Jayhawks would finally be known for something besides basketball and being the home of Dorothy Gale.  Kansas may not see this high-profile a game again for awhile, as they had the right amount of luck, scheduling, and love from the BCS Bowl selectors to get to a BCS.  Next year, the schedule will be tougher, expectations will be higher, and the second act will be criticized much harder than the first.

There was no doubt that West Virginia came to play tonight. It looked like the two teams were wearing the wrong uniforms, as WV looked like the Oklahoma teams of old; seemingly scoring at will on the Sooners, who for the second year in a row ran into a buzzsaw and lost 48-28. Pat White was sensational and Noel Devine blew up the Okie defense in relief of a hurt Steve Slaton. Mountaineer defensive star Owen Schmitt broke down into tears after the victory and it was touching to see a man that could kill me break down, while talking about how much he loved his team and the state of West Virginia. In a bowl season that has lacked any kind of real story, this West Virginia victory is great for not only West Virginia, but for college football as a whole. Except for Oklahoma, that is.

At least the parade was nice.

But if you asked any member of the Illinois team they might tell you that the parade never ended and that they were underneath it.  The Illini were beaten, mauled, and embarrassed by the USC Trojans by a score of 49-17.

Yawn.  Did anyone really expect anything different?  USC is probably the best team in the country and Illinois had as much business in the Rose Bowl as I would on the NBA All-Star Team (even though I can totally jump for a white guy).  Illinois made a good run late in the second half and early in the third quarter, but the only pro football team in California had nothing to do with it and proceeded to dismantle the Illinois defense with frightful efficiency.  While I’m writing this, Hawaii is currently getting it’s head handed to it by the Georgia Bulldogs and the worst bowl season in recent memory keeps marching on.  At least these games would be worth it if there was the possibility of a Georgia/USC match-up.

But there isn’t and the talking heads continue to insist that there is no need for a playoff, that it’s great to watch these blowouts, that all this controversy is good for college football.  Saying that this controversy is good for college football is akin to saying that a medical malpractice suit is good for a doctor’s reputation.  Sure it’s news, but it’s publicity that you could do without.