Any way you look at it Week 14 of the 2013 College Football season was one of the best weekends in recent memory. So many things to discuss but, first: I went 5-3 straight up (now at 87-40 for the season) and 4-4 against the spread (achingly close to .500 at 62-63-1). There were a couple of games that hurt me (Auburn, USC) and some games I got close to right (Duke). Despite all of that the Iron Bowl ending, the ending to "The Game" and just a very strong scheduled weekend all the way around made not winning A-OK with me.
Without further ado:
1. - The Iron Bowl - With all of the talk surrounding the dominance of 'Bama and Saban's advantages I too will admit to being sucked in. I probably should have picked 'Bama to win, but not cover. Rivalry games are like that from time to time. And what an ending.
2. - The Game - I have to admit, I've been more pessimistic about this game since Rich Rod took over and bathed Michigan in an inglorious series of losing seasons. That said, I'm extremely proud of the team for sucking it up and putting up a (literal, at times) fight. I don't blame Hoke for the decision to go for two, I think it was the right call, I do blame Al Borges for a terrible play call that resulted in an INT. My hope next year is that Hoke stays but is forced to make changes at coordinator.
3. - Rice - Congratulations to the Owls who will host Marshall in the C-USA championship game. I've stated all year that they would be in the running for this, and they have a good team that is capable of knocking off Marshall, but will need some good bounces to do so.
4. - Duke - How about the Dukies? Not only did they win the closest thing they have to a football rivalry game (Duke/NC is really a basketball rival) but they win the ACC Coastal Division and have a date with Florida State for the Championship. The thought is that Florida State will roll to victory, but I've a feeling the Blue Devils might be able to keep it a little closer (in losing) than the experts think. David Cutcliffe for coach of the year.
5. - UCLA/USC - I'm a little surprised that UCLA came out and dominated USC as they did. I thought the Trojans were starting to roll and would win. You can't say enough about the resilience of the UCLA Bruins or the toughness of USC this year. Ed Orgeron should be the USC head coach next season, but I've a feeling the Trojan brain trust is going to mess this up.
6. - Missouri - Coming into this season aTm was given all the hype as a potential participant in the SEC Championship game while Missouri was an afterthought. Big mistake. Last year's Mizzou team faced a ton of injuries akin to what Georgia faced this year. They were a good team, with a good offense that played solid defense as well. Compare that to aTm which has suddenly lost the public spotlight due to their seeming inability to make a tackle. Add into that the weaker side of the SEC and Mizzou is much better positioned than aTm to continue its winning ways.
And finally......
7. - The B(C)S - There's so much to say about this that I'm not sure where to start. Let's start here: If anything this final year has the potential to illustrate just how terrible the system has been from the start. Open to politicking and manipulation it was no better than the former polling system in determining a champion, and in many ways much, much worse. We got a peek at just how much worse in 2011 when Nick Saban manipulated his ballot to push his team into the Championship game. And this season there's room for even more chicanery. It's also led to fewer inter-conference games, which has led to the belief that the SEC has a far greater gap over the remaining conferences than I think they really do.
Of course, we're still a LONG way from knowing anything for certain, but if FSU and OSU remain undefeated then that should be your B(C)S Championship game, no Miracle at Jordan Hare if and's or but's about it. If Auburn wanted in, they should have beaten South Carolina, period.
That's not to say that the proposed "fix" of a 4 team playoff would be any better. Looking at this year, who would be #4? And before you default to "Bama" think about if Mizzou beats Auburn, if Michigan State beats Ohio State, and then there' Okie State and the eventual PAC12 champion to consider. There are a lot of theories as to how to determine the champion but the only one that makes sense is an 16 team playoff with every conference champion and 5 at-large bids. Yes, you can make the argument that the C-USA, MAC, Sun Belt, Mountain West and Amway champions don't deserve to be there, but you can also make a case that the Big Twen and B1G champions don't either. This year, with Florida State, is one of the few years that the ACC Champion has obviously been worthy of inclusion, and there have been years that the PAC12 wasn't worthy either. And while it's easy to look at the SEC every year and say they're the best in the land, this was not always the case and won't always be the case in the future. While there's little chance the lesser conferences will win, there's zero chance right now that they will. Using the same logic March Madness would be a tussle between the major conferences every year and most of the public would have no idea that Butler, Gonzaga and VCU even exist.
What keeps the smaller conferences out of the B(C)S is money pure and simple. There's no other way to honestly state it. The idea that, by including the small schools in a playoff system, you're somehow going to reduce that pot of money is ridiculous. The television and advertising revenues alone would ensure profitability. Actual butts in the seats has very little to do with it. All of the hyperbole regarding students missing classes is just so much gibberish spoken in a world where reality is excused for some fantasyland argument making. While many feel the B(C)S controversy has been a good thing for College Football, I can assure you it hasn't. Television ratings for the non-championship bowls have been plummeting as the public just doesn't care. Were these games part of a win-or-go-home playoff system however suddenly the public would care, and that's the best thing about it. Always has been, always will be.
Top 5
1. Florida State
2. Ohio State
3. Auburn
4. Alabama
5. Missouri
Championship week is coming. Then, in a changeup, I'll do a bowl Pick 'em based on the lines. After my rough year I'm going to need a good bowl season to pull into plus .500 territory.
