So, it’s been almost a week, and I have to say that I’m coming out differently on the whole National Championship game issue.
Now, to get it out of the way; before you stop reading this column on account of the sports writing heresy of not hating the BCS it may sound like I’m about to commit, I do NOT care for the vaunted, historical, Grand Ole’ Bowl Championship Series. I absolutely believe that a playoff would be more exciting for the fans, and there seems to have been some pretty reasonable analysis done to prove that it would be profitable for the universities as well.
However, I’m having a hard time with the reactions I’ve seen so far to the end of this BCS season.
Michael Weinreb referred to this season in a Grantland piece, saying, “It is not a stretch to say that this was the darkest and most unpalatable season in college football history.” All Brian Phillips could say was, “What the Hell?” And the seemingly always upset about something Dan Wetzel of Yahoo called the game, simply, “Awful,” and referred to it as a “byproduct” of a “universally loathed” system.
Back up.
First of all, I get it if you didn’t enjoy watching the game. I disagree, but that is certainly a matter of opinion. Not to get all “football purist” up in your faces, because I’m not, but I actually enjoyed watching a game that I can’t call anything other than historic. I’ve watched a pretty good number of football games over the course of my short life, and there are a few that I’ll remember forever. As a bay area product, born at the tale end of the 80s-90s 49er dynasty, until 2010’s Giants, none of those memories had anything to do with the teams playing in the contest. They have everything to do with amazing performances, for good or for disappointing.
I’ll remember Steve McNair’s amazing drive and Mike Jones’ tackle and Kevin Dyson’s reach. I’ll remember Kenny Lofton driving it to the warning track and Darin Erstad crushing a young man’s dreams. I’ll remember Jordan and Pippen holding Stockton and Malone to 55 points. And I’ll remember Alabama playing like they had 22 on the field on D. All. Night. Long
Honestly, after a bowl season during which nobody could stop complaining about poor defense, why can’t anybody appreciate the culmination of a season for ‘Bama that has GOT to be included in the Rushmore of great college defensive performances in history.
However, if you didn’t like the game, I can at least see your point.
But second of all, and this is my main point (did you forget that I started that rant with a first of all? Please try to keep up), how can we say that this game was further proof of what’s wrong with the BCS? Like I said, I wish things were different, and I would be there at Wetzel’s party if there ever does come a “Death to the BCS.” But I’m sorry, haters. The outcome of this game only proved the BCS right yet again. It’s frustrating the way that keeps happening, and I feel that, but hear me out.
So, everybody’s problem with the rematch was that, basically, it had already been done, LSU won, and it wasn’t fair not to give somebody like Oklahoma State or Boise State, or whomever a shot at the title. Some people added that the first meeting had been so boring that nobody wanted to watch that happen again. That they matched these two teams again up was just more proof that the SEC runs things and blah blah corporate greed and blah blah corruption and blah blah we are the 99%.
Now, although I disagree with those arguments, and, in fact agree completely with the Championship matchup (different story), at the very least, I get the complaints. But here’s what I don’t get:
Nobody had a problem with LSU being in the game, right?
Because now that everyone’s coming down hating on this game and hating on this matchup and using the “ugliness” and “boringness” and “general suckiness” (paraphrasing here) of this game as more proof that the BCS sucks, and that OK State or Boise State or Stanford or Oregon or whomever should have got a shot and that the whole system needs to go up in flames… are we saying then that ‘Bama shouldn’t have been involved in this game?
I mean, isn’t that the only alternative? Are we saying that we should have had the chance to see the Cowboys play the TIDE for the championship? Because I don’t think there can be any argument (and I haven’t really seen any, to be fair) that the Crimson Tide don’t deserve the title. Not after that kind of dominant performance. Not after beating everyone else on their extremely heavy schedule (6 ranked teams, including LSU twice) and then (insert frequently repeated impressing defensive stat from Monday here) against a team that nobody on THEIR very heavy schedule (LSU played 9 ranked teams, including two then-number 3’s, and a number 2 twice) could touch.
No. Alabama absolutely deserved the title. So whom would the Cowboys or the Broncos or the Cardinal be replacing in this game? Because we agree that LSU deserved to be there, right? Is it that we don’t think that LSU could handle a playoff against a Stanford team that lost to Oregon (by a lot), took three OTs to beat a hobbled USC, and lost to the Cowboys? And if in fact they tripped up and lost, somehow, do we think that Stanford deserves to be there more than LSU? Are we upset because OK State (who only beat three ranked opponents, none of the them in the top 5, and LOST to a very, very unranked program by twice the difference of the first Tide/Tigers game) didn’t get a shot at the title through ‘Bama? You get a shot! Don't lose to Iowa State!
And even with a playoff, it’s still all BCS conferences in the running, here! We’re not giving Boise State a chance just ‘cause they’re cute! You don’t think you could have found something else to complain about if we had a plus one? Have you spoken to Oregon lately?
Ok, calming down. Listen, in reality, I am in favor of at least a one round playoff system. I think it would be more fun. But unless the BCS cohort get collectively struck by lightning and suddenly decide to stop doing exactly what they want to do and instead respond to the will of the general public- something they’ve had a firm policy against for a decade and a half now- they’ve got a pretty darn good argument here that the system continues to work.
Because if everybody agrees that LSU deserved to play for the championship after an EXTREMELY impressive undefeated season- and they’d better, because… come on- and everybody agrees that Alabama manhandled them en route to ABSOLUTELY deserving that extremely delicate-looking crystal football, then the BCS just did a pretty freaking flawless job of determining the best team in college football this year. Again.
Sorry, Wetzel.
