Bowlin'

I haven't been much for talking college football this season, for two reasons. One is the train wreck that plays in the uniforms of the Syracuse Orange(men), and the second is that Iowa's season hasn't been as promising as it could have been, with really crummy losses to N'western and Iowa State. I definitely don't mind that they're playing Florida in the Outback Bowl again, though. I include this link mainly as a taunt for certain Gator friends of mine, and to explain the "again" part of the last sentence.

The real reason I have for returning to this slightly sore subject is to commiserate with all those Nittany Lions fans out there. Penn State has the 3rd best team in the country, according to the rankings anyway, and their reward for coming out of nowhere to win the Big 11 10 title? A matchup with 4-loss afterthought Florida State. And the "buildup" for this game? Why, it's Joe Pa versus Bobby Bowden! Who wouldn't want to watch a game with two coaches in their 70s staring across the field at each other?

I keep hearing the BCS apologists talk about how, under the old system, we wouldn't have gotten to see USC v. Texas, and that's certainly true. What they're not talking about, though, is how we also wouldn't have had to see Penn State v. Florida State, or Georgia v. West Virginia, neither of which is a particularly compelling matchup.

For that matter, they're also not talking about how a playoff would not only presumably result in the same game, with the added benefit of making sure that #'s 1 and 2 weren't there just because they happened to go undefeated in their respectively mediocre conferences. I don't necessarily disagree with USC and Texas being there this year, but I would have liked to see either or both have to get through the grind of the SEC conference schedule unscathed.

Granted, Tommy Tuberville can tell you that even that's no guarantee. As little business as I think Congress has in sticking its nose in BCS business, there's a little part of me that's pleased that they're doing so. There's still too little of college football being won and lost on the field for my tastes.

That's all.

Update: Well, there's a surprise. A(BCS)PN offers the following insight:

The other common complaint is the BCS doesn't create compelling matchups beyond the title game. Well, it all worked out for this season. Even before a bowl game is played, the BCS can declare victory.

and it does so in an article that barely even mentions one of its "compelling" matchups, and proceeds to ignore the late-season tailspin that Bobby Legend's team endured. Oh well.