Did the Bowls get it right?
Bowl season always comes with a bit of controversy. In 2009 the controversy swirled around who should play for the national championship. Texas, Alabama, Boise State, TCU, and Cincinnati all finished the regular season undefeated. Instead of a playoff to determine who the champion should be, the decision was left up to a computer to pit Texas vs. Alabama in a title game. It can be argued that TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State did not play the schedule that the two teams in the BCS title game played, and they’d mostly be correct. But why do we leave it up to a computer to decide? At the end of last season we finished with two teams, Boise State and Alabama. How does an undefeated team, in any sport, not win a championship? Mystery to me.
This year was no different in terms of controversy. Computers and rankings aside, there are a couple of small annoyances for me in the bowls this year. 8-4 Temple will not be playing in a bowl game. A team the Owls defeated, Connecticut, will be playing in the Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma for what will be a large pay day for the Huskies. Connecticut won the Big East title with a 5-2 conference record and gained automatic qualifying status. Temple finished third in the East division of the MAC and they will be sitting at home. Temple beat UConn 30-16 in Philadelphia earlier in the season. Does this not scream… stupidity? UConn does not deserve a spot in one of the big games. Don’t even try to question me, you will be wrong. This does not reflect well upon the BCS and its talking heads that think it’s the greatest system in the world. The system did not work in this case. UConn will play Oklahoma. University of Phoenix Stadium will likely be filled with Sooner crimson. UConn and its fans will have to travel across the country to watch the Huskies, who started FBS football in the year 2000 after moving up from FCS.
Despite my gripes with the above, and the fact that an undefeated TCU team will not get to show the world if it’s a legitimate contender for the BCS championship, there are some very good bowl matchups this year. I, for one, am excited about watching Boise State vs. Utah. Boise State deserves a better game than a trip to Las Vegas, but that’s another story for another time. The Boise faithful will undoubtedly fill Sam Boyd Stadium and then some. The game was more enticing before Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn went down with season ending surgery. I predict an angry Boise State rolls in this one.
Another interesting matchup could found in Shreveport, LA where Air Force and Georgia Tech will face off to see who has the better triple option attack. For those that love the option this is a great game. Arizona and Oklahoma State have the potential to bring the fireworks when they face off in the Alamo Bowl.
The best non-BCS matchup of the season is provided by Alabama vs. Michigan State. Michigan State feels it should have been included in the BCS party, sporting an 11-1 record, the same as Ohio State and Wisconsin. Alabama’s shot at a BCS berth was ruined when they blew a 24 point lead to Auburn. Now the two BCS castoffs will face each other in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. And last, another intriguing match up features LSU and Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Two teams who had nice seasons in their respective conference who will face off here.
Happy Bowl Season, everyone. Be sure to join our bowl pick’em league. A link and directions can be found in the forum.
