- Rose Bowl, with a #5 vs. #10 match-up is an amazing game.
- Fiesta Bowl, with a #3 vs. #4 match-up is an amazing game.
- Sugar Bowl, with two almost Top-10 teams, is a terribly sloppy game but is still a close one.
- Orange Bowl, with the two lowest ranked teams to go to the BCS has the one of the worst games of all time.
The story I learned, when top teams other top teams on the big stage, the games are good and the ratings are better. If West Virginia and Virginia Tech can’t sell the tickets, then who can?
The BCS must change in order to survive. Somehow, some way, it will change because ratings AND attendance are wayy down on bowl games, and has been so progressively.
Sorry for the lack of posting, despite it being Bowl Season. I’ve been enjoying the holidays and I really haven’t been on the computer much lately. First, I just want to say how awesome it was watching Kellen Moore win his 50th game and. And it was awesome last night watching Baylor and Washington light up the score board. Even though these games are like exhibitions, they’re still fun to watch. Okay, so now for the big game predictions:
- Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma State over Stanford.
I’ve been supporting OK State all season, and I don’t plan on stopping now. This is an intriguing 3 vs. 4 matchup. It’ll be interesting to see how Luck performs as he prepares for the upcoming draft. Having the Heisman snatched from him 2 years in a row, I’ll expect him to play angry.
- Rose Bowl - Oregon over Wisconsin
I have Oregon because of the depth and the speed. I really thought they had what it took to beat Auburn last year, and I thought they had what it took to go back to the NC game this season, but fell short in week 1. I think they’ve adjusted as the season went on. But, we’ve also seen in the past that when teams have time to prepare for them, they don’t do so well (Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, Boise State). This one will be a lot of fun.
- Sugar Bowl - Virginia Tech over Michigan
I don’t even know if I’ll be watching this game or not to be honest. It’s just a prime example that the BCS needs to be reformed. But pertaining to the matchup itself, I think VT will get it done. In big time BCS games, coaching is extremely important and Beamer has been here before, where Hoke has not.
- Orange Bowl - Clemson over West Virginia
I think that the few weeks off will give Clemson some time to recharge and focus on this game. To say the least, West Virginia has underperformed despite the talent they have. They’ll be looking to finish up their time in the Big East with a big win, but Clemson has too much to play for, since conference championships and BCS bids aren’t something they achieve every other year. They’ll have to make the most of this rare opportunity.
- National Championship Game - Alabama over LSU
They should have won the first meeting. I know that LSU has all the momentum in the world going into this game, but I think Alabama is better defensively. I think that Jordan Jefferson has made more and more mistakes as the season has gone on, and unless he plays his absolute best, he’s going to have trouble. The uncertainty at the QB position is enough for me to take Bama in this one. Maybe, just maybe, they can hit a field goal or two.
- BCS National Championship - Alabama vs. Oklahoma State
- Rose Bowl - Wisconsin vs. Stanford
- Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma vs. Oregon
- Sugar Bowl - LSU vs. Boise State
- Orange Bowl - Clemson vs. Cincinnati
- National Championship - Alabama vs. Oklahoma
- Rose Bowl - Wisconsin vs. Stanford
- Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
- Sugar Bowl - Boise State vs. LSU
- Orange Bowl - Clemson vs. West Virginia
Let’s think about this. Given the fact that Ohio State has a ton of stuff going on right now that needs to be sorted, could it be that Michigan State should have been the sole winners of the Big Ten conference? Because if you take OSU out of the equation, then it would have been between Wisconsin and Michigan State. MSU beat Wisconsin to give them their only loss in the conference. So does that mean the team that drew the short straw in the BCS qualifying should have had an automatic trip to the Rose Bowl? Well, that might just have been the case if OSU had gotten caught before the bowl season began. Just something I thought about today… It might be too late to give them a Rose Bowl bid, but I think they should give them the conference after the Ohio State dust settles.
The famous quote from Jim Delany, the commissioner of the Big Ten, this offseason is this:
“We gave up the Rose Bowl, the SEC gave up access to the Sugar Bowl, others were included but they never had access to any of this before. You have to understand who brought what to the table. Who’s continuing to give and who’s continuing to get.”
Issue #1: You bring nothing to the table but money. Money is what got you where you are.
Issue #2: You gave up the Rose Bowl? The Rose Bowl is not yours to give up. And who cares about the Sugar Bowl? Seriously. This year, those games were nothing but a pat on the back to the winners. Thanks for the access to your precious bowls, but when it comes down to it, they don’t mean anything more than the other bowls.
Issue #3: what exactly are you giving? One of the 10 slots to a BCS game? Okay, whatever. 8 of those 10 slots are basically worthless. Only one BCS Title game really matters. Everyone knows that. And for those who’s “continuing to get,” what is that mean? Ask TCU what they got from that Rose Bowl victory. Proof that they deserved to be there? But still not good enough to truly prove their talent in the big game? They got nothing. Last year, Boise got nothing. Before them, Utah got nothing. I don’t know what you think you’re giving up, but please, can we cut the crap already?
Fellow football blogger College Football Insight created a post with his post-season solution for college football. While any well, thought-out plan is better than the system in place, I can’t help but think about something mentioned in “Death to the BCS.” I can’t find the exact quote (I’ve been searching for an hour) but somewhere in there, they mention how one of the biggest reasons a playoff system isn’t in place is due to massive disagreements between those who want playoffs. Some want a “plus one” game, others want a 4 team, an 8 team, 12, 16, etc. The selection process also varies as much as the bracket possibilities. So, what can be done about this? The key is unity. The more disagreement there is on the issue, the more watered-down the idea becomes. Anyone that wants a playoff system must push the system created in “Death to the BCS.” I know some of their ideas are strange (like having EVERY championship game played at the Rose Bowl) but their system is sound, their theories are well defended, and it has the attention. If a movement is going to happen, then it is extremely important for everyone to be on the same page, otherwise the ideas will scatter in the wind.
“Love or hate the NCAA, you have to give it this. As best we can tell, the NCAA takes the massive billions it has earned from March Madness and turns the money back to the schools and the organization of championships in every other sport, every other level. Big-time football excluded, of course.
Contrast that with the BCS, where the massive sums go to the Orange, Rose, Sugar and Fiesta bowls, and they dole out money that isn’t helping the Connecticut football team, much less the Central Oklahoma softball team.”
This article is amazing. Doesn’t say much we don’t already know, but I very much enjoyed it as a piece of journalism. They give much praise to “Death to the BCS.”
- National Championship - Oregon over Auburn
- Fiesta Bowl - Connecticut over Oklahoma
- Sugar Bowl - Arkansas over Ohio State
- Orange Bowl - Virginia Tech over Stanford
- Rose Bowl - Wisconsin over TCU
National Championship - Auburn vs. Oregon
Rose Bowl - Wisconsin vs. TCU
Fiesta Bowl - Nebraska/Oklahoma vs. Stanford
Orange Bowl - Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech
Sugar Bowl - Arkansas vs. UCONN/West Virginia
This is Simply Football, and these
are my thoughts about college football.
