(Ir)religiosity

So what was it?  I felt like I didn’t pay as much attention to the commercials this year.  But outside of the movie trailers I have to go with the Doritos spot.  It got an actual, out loud laugh out of me the first time.

What was your favorite ad?

In case you don’t know, I hate the BCS. With a passion. But I’ll play the game. I considered doing a full list of all my bowl predictions, but that would’ve taken more time and study than I’d like. That’s what ESPN is for. So, without further adieu here are my picks for the four BCS bowls and the national championship.

The Rose Bowl – Illinois v. USC:
USC is, in my opinion the best team in the country right now. I think they could handily beat both teams playing for the national championship. True, they stumbled earlier this season, but they also had some key injuries that contributed to their losses. They’ll be fully healthy for “the granddaddy of ‘em all” and will be looking to catapult themselves to the top of next year’s pre-season rankings (even though I think pre-season rankings are asinine). I know Illinois did beat a highly respectable ranked team, indeed a team that is now playing for the national championship, but it’s a long time since they’ve played against anyone other than their scout teams. Their quality win, their strength of schedule, and their talent just aren’t enough to beat Pete Carroll’s Trojans. I’m taking USC over Illinois 38-10.

The Sugar Bowl – Hawaii v. Georgia:
Let me just say that I’m glad the WAC is finally getting some respect. Even though it was really painful for me last year. Although Georgia failed to play for and win the SEC championship and even though Hawaii isn’t part of a BCS conference, at the end of the regular season I think both of these teams had a legitimate argument for why they should play for the national championship. This should be a interesting game. It should be a good game. And really, for me, it’s a toss up. Georgia played very well at the end of the season in the toughest conference in the country. Hawaii may not have really played anyone, but they proved their for real in that comeback against Washington. But I’m not sure that’s enough. It’ll be close, but I’m taking the Bulldogs over the Warriors 31-27.

The Fiesta Bowl – Oklahoma v. West Virginia:
This might be the best bowl match-up this year. Even better than the national championship. And no, I’m not saying that just because I’m a die-hard OU fan. I really believe it. Oklahoma and West Virginia are both very solid teams with lots of talent and lots of weapons. Both teams will be fully healthy. Oklahoma has the edge here for several reasons, their well-balanced, highly talented offense and aggressive run-defense notwithstanding. First, the Sooners ended the regular season on high note, winning their conference, knocking of the #1 team in the country, and playing better than they have all year. Conversely, the Mountaineers lost a heart-breaker to their unranked rival Pitt. Then, they lost their head coach. Now, I doubt that will affect them very much, but it will play a role. A BCS bowl game against a solid top 5 opponent is likely not the first game you’d like to have with a brand new head coach. Third, the Sooners were horribly embarrassed in the Fiesta Bowl last year against Boise State. Don’t think Bob Stoops will let his team forget it. They’ll be looking to redeem themselves. But like I said, this is a great match-up and it should be an exciting game. I’m going with Oklahoma over West Virginia 35-21.

The Orange Bowl – Virginia Tech v. Kansas:
If the Fiesta Bowl has the best match-up of the BCS, then the Orange Bowl may have the worst. Although they won the ACC championship against Boston College, Virginia Tech has flirted with mediocrity all season in one of the NCAA’s weaker conferences. They were throttled by LSU early on never really proved to be all that impressive. Kansas has a similar and yet different story. They remained undefeated for most of the regular season in the mostly weak Big 12-North. But when tested with a ranked opponent, they broke. Now, I’m not saying any of that to negate or diminish what Mark Mangino and his staff have done at KU this season; indeed, it is truly remarkable. Kansas is usually only mentioned as a contender in basketball, now they have proved their worth on the gridiron as well. But not quite good enough. Like I said, they lost to the noteworthy opponent they played. This one is a true toss up. It could go either way. For good measure, I’ll remain loyal to the Big 12. Kansas over Virginia Tech 28-21.

The BCS National Championship – Ohio State v. LSU:
I don’t think either of these teams deserve to be playing in this game nor do I think they’re the top 2 teams in the country. If the NCAA had some sort of playoff system– which would level the playing field, allowing every team in the league to have a shot at the title–I doubt either team would survive through to the end. Ohio State has played virtually no one of any consequence, beating only one ranked team (and a very weak and volatile one at that) and losing to an unranked team. LSU, while they won the toughest conference championship in the nation, has been playing with fire since the beginning of the season and now stand only a hair’s breadth from being a four loss team. To say they’ve been very fortunate is a gross understatement. I imagine Ohio State will be looking to avenge the debacle that was last year’s blowout against Florida, but I still give the edge here to LSU, since they survived the toughest conference and especially since Ohio State has had such an easy schedule not to mention the fact that they are an embarrassing 0-8 against SEC teams in bowl games. If anything maybe the football gods will smile on Les Miles and his troops yet again. LSU 24 Ohio State 17.

~bh ><>

The final BCS rankings to wrap up this crazy and exciting season came out yesterday and proved to be just as crazy as the season itself. After Missouri lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship and West Virginia was stunned by Pitt on Saturday, an inactive, one loss Ohio State team moved up to number one and because they won the SEC championship, a two loss LSU team jumped all the way up from number 7 to number 2 to play for the national title. Ohio State, since the Big Ten doesn’t have a championship game, hasn’t played a game in two week, but still moved up due to the work of other teams.

Similarly, other teams like Kansas and Hawaii who either have one loss or are undefeated where all but snubbed in the BCS. Not to mention the host of other two loss teams who could legitimately make a their case for playing in New Orleans in January (Georgia, and especially USC, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech who all won their conference championships just like LSU).

I’ve said all that to say, I think our system, like many American systems, is broken, if not biased. The BCS is comprised of several components. Two human polls (the Harris Interactive Poll and the USA Today Coaches poll) and 6 computers that crunch all the numbers based on a particular formula that is supposed to take certain things into account (strength of schedule, quality wins, etc.). I read an article a few years ago about how this is done, but I didn’t really understand it all. It would be interesting this year to know exactly how that is worked out because the top 5 BCS teams according to the computer average this year were, #1 Virginia Tech, #2 LSU, #3 Ohio State, #4 Missouri, #5 Kansas, with Georgia and Oklahoma tied for #6, which seems really odd. Personally, I don’t like the computer component at all. They don’t watch the games—it’s more than numbers.

Several things need to be done I think, in order make the system more fair and impartial. First, the preseason polls need to either be done away with altogether or not taken so seriously. I tend to think they need to be done away with. Right now, in a sense they determine the season. A preseason top 5 team (Michigan, for example) that loses to an unranked opponent can jump back into the mix very easily while an unranked team who beats a ranked team (or several) has a much harder time working their way up. The poll just carries too much weight. It’s biased toward big name “tradition” schools and is really basically guesswork in the preseason anyway.

Second, I think every conference should either have a championship game or not have one. Period. As it is now, some teams have an advantage with the extra game and some don’t. Some, like Ohio State, have the advantage of not have the extra game. You don’t play for two weeks and while other teams get the extra games, then you slide in the back door to the national championship. I think that’s unfair. A team shouldn’t be rewarded for not playing.

If every division/conference had a championship game, it would make a playoff much more feasible and more fair to other teams and conferences, giving the little guys a little love. As it is now, we have around a month before the national championship. That’s plenty of time to have the conference champions duke it out. And you wouldn’t even have to do away with all the bowls. All the runner-ups could get in line and play in the other bowls while the top 2 play for the national championship.

Third, I think the idea of having certain BCS conferences is pretty bogus and biased toward bigger schools. Isn’t the point of having a division I championship so that there is an overall champion? How can their be an overall champion if some conferences are given the advantage and others are completely left out? Doesn’t sound like a true national championship to me. Follow the money trail. Most of the BCS conference have strong “affiliations” with certain bowls. Go figure. I think if we’re going to have a national championship every team and every conference should be on the same playing field. The better teams will naturally rise to the top and if these bigger schools are as good as we all think they will too.

None of this will ever happen though. Some conferences would have the excuse of having a hard time figuring out how to do the championship game because not every conference is as big as the SEC or the Big 12 and not every conference is split into North/South or East/West. The main reason , I think is that all the advertisers, sponsors, and BCS conference commissioners would be really worried about making their money. As it is now, the use that latent month to promote and advertise. They think a playoff would ruin that. Like many things in the US, if you follow the money trail you’re sure to find the reinforcement for the status quo. I also think that some dislike the idea of a more impartial system because they’re afraid of who might end up in the national championship game. (i.e. a Boise State, Hawaii, or some other teams from a non-BCS conference) and in that respect I think the whole system is biased toward the big name “tradition” schools.

But that’s just me, what do I know?

~bh ><>