RELAX EVERYBODY, LET ME CLARIFY MY POINT
I'm getting some emails that make it sound like I wanted LSU replaced in the BCS title game with Oklahoma State or Stanford, that's not the case at all. The Tigers were undefeated, they had already beaten Alabama, they deserved to be in this game. They just picked a terrible time to play their worst game of the year. My rant is more about the process & the media spin than either team being qualified to be there. I'm complaining for a playoff, even if it's just 4 teams. I'm just tired of voters who don't see one-quarter of the college football I do deciding who should play for the national title & then hyping the hell out of it, right or wrong.
I'm complaining about the media that said last night no one else deserved a shot, LSU had already beaten Oregon, so they shouldn't even be considered. Guys, LSU had already beaten Bama too remember? If you put the top-4 teams in a bracket & we wind up with LSU vs. Bama, then O.K., so be it. But to just say no else is worthy of playing for the national title is absurd. What makes NCAA March Madness so great, what makes it a TV ratings bonanza & a huge cash cow for colleges, is the playoff system that does not rely on voters who haven't seen that many games decide who's going to play for the national title. I understand football can't have a 64, 32 or even a 16-team field in a playoff system. But 8 is workable & 4 shouldn't even be questioned, it's an easy fix & a major boost for TV ratings which equates to major income the universities desperately need. Tell me a first round bracket of Stanford vs LSU & Okie State vs Alabama wouldn't generate some big TV numbers, building to a true national championship game. That's all I'm saying. Yes I mocked LSU's pitiful offensive showing but more than that, I'm mocking the way the media twists the facts to fit their agenda, which is "SEC good, everybody else....not worthy." We know best, even tho we've only seen 37 college games all season. We trust our media brethren, they wouldn't steer us wrong.
The media loves to dismiss, why so quick to disqualify so many top-10 teams because they aren't from the "Power-15?" I define the Power-15 as programs who start out the season ranked in the top-25. But many of these teams have no business being there. Ohio State, Penn State, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M & Notre Dame were all ranked in the top-25 before the season began. They're there almost every season regardless of what their team is really like, the media puts them there by reputation alone. So was Georgia by the way.
The past three years, Boise State opened their season by beating Oregon(who then won 10-straight) Virginia Tech(who then won 10-straight) & Georgia(who then won 10-straight) & the wins were almost universally dismissed because their opponents were "middle of the pack" or "looking at a down year." Plus their last two are constantly referred to as "neutral sites." Playing Va Tech in Washington D.C. isn't a neutral sight nor is playing Georgia in Atlanta. But these victories are explained away quickly. Georgia won 10-straight, all rather convincingly & led LSU at the half in the SEC Championship game. But when Boise lit them up in Atlanta's Georgia Dome, it was a B.S. win. This post is not about Boise State, it's about how teams are falsely promoted or unfairly dismissed, wrecking their post season chances at a good bowl(is there such a thing?) or a shot at the title. That's what I'm talking about, the political process that leads to horrible bowl matchups that are based on revenue, not on football. The worst offender is the BCS fighting a playoff system at every turn that gives us lackluster games like the one we watched last night.
Maybe Stanford would've beaten LSU, you can refute that, but just because you think it, doesn't make it so. Here's the problem, we'll never know. I said last night & I'll say it again, if Bama played like they did last night, they'd be national champs, but no way would Bama throw back-to-back shutouts & if LSU played like they did last night, Stanford would've beaten them. Sorry, I honestly believe that. The 250+ college football games I watch every year tells me there's more to this than a coaches vote cast by a secretary or a media guy's vote based on what another media guy says.
I've always preferred college football to the NFL, but the NFL does it right. We've seen two #6 seeds win the Super Bowl in the past few years. Are you going to tell me Green Bay wasn't the best team in pro football at the end of the season? If we had the media deciding, they wouldn't have even been considered for the Super Bowl. Win every week or go home, plus no layoffs of 40+ days between games.
**UPDATE @ 11:10 AM CT
The overnight ratings bore out the dire predictions of some who said a rematch wouldn't be good for ratings. It wasn't, the overnights say the viewership was down 14% from last year's Oregon-Auburn BCS title game. That's a fairly significant drop.
I'm complaining about the media that said last night no one else deserved a shot, LSU had already beaten Oregon, so they shouldn't even be considered. Guys, LSU had already beaten Bama too remember? If you put the top-4 teams in a bracket & we wind up with LSU vs. Bama, then O.K., so be it. But to just say no else is worthy of playing for the national title is absurd. What makes NCAA March Madness so great, what makes it a TV ratings bonanza & a huge cash cow for colleges, is the playoff system that does not rely on voters who haven't seen that many games decide who's going to play for the national title. I understand football can't have a 64, 32 or even a 16-team field in a playoff system. But 8 is workable & 4 shouldn't even be questioned, it's an easy fix & a major boost for TV ratings which equates to major income the universities desperately need. Tell me a first round bracket of Stanford vs LSU & Okie State vs Alabama wouldn't generate some big TV numbers, building to a true national championship game. That's all I'm saying. Yes I mocked LSU's pitiful offensive showing but more than that, I'm mocking the way the media twists the facts to fit their agenda, which is "SEC good, everybody else....not worthy." We know best, even tho we've only seen 37 college games all season. We trust our media brethren, they wouldn't steer us wrong.
The media loves to dismiss, why so quick to disqualify so many top-10 teams because they aren't from the "Power-15?" I define the Power-15 as programs who start out the season ranked in the top-25. But many of these teams have no business being there. Ohio State, Penn State, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M & Notre Dame were all ranked in the top-25 before the season began. They're there almost every season regardless of what their team is really like, the media puts them there by reputation alone. So was Georgia by the way.
The past three years, Boise State opened their season by beating Oregon(who then won 10-straight) Virginia Tech(who then won 10-straight) & Georgia(who then won 10-straight) & the wins were almost universally dismissed because their opponents were "middle of the pack" or "looking at a down year." Plus their last two are constantly referred to as "neutral sites." Playing Va Tech in Washington D.C. isn't a neutral sight nor is playing Georgia in Atlanta. But these victories are explained away quickly. Georgia won 10-straight, all rather convincingly & led LSU at the half in the SEC Championship game. But when Boise lit them up in Atlanta's Georgia Dome, it was a B.S. win. This post is not about Boise State, it's about how teams are falsely promoted or unfairly dismissed, wrecking their post season chances at a good bowl(is there such a thing?) or a shot at the title. That's what I'm talking about, the political process that leads to horrible bowl matchups that are based on revenue, not on football. The worst offender is the BCS fighting a playoff system at every turn that gives us lackluster games like the one we watched last night.
Maybe Stanford would've beaten LSU, you can refute that, but just because you think it, doesn't make it so. Here's the problem, we'll never know. I said last night & I'll say it again, if Bama played like they did last night, they'd be national champs, but no way would Bama throw back-to-back shutouts & if LSU played like they did last night, Stanford would've beaten them. Sorry, I honestly believe that. The 250+ college football games I watch every year tells me there's more to this than a coaches vote cast by a secretary or a media guy's vote based on what another media guy says.
I've always preferred college football to the NFL, but the NFL does it right. We've seen two #6 seeds win the Super Bowl in the past few years. Are you going to tell me Green Bay wasn't the best team in pro football at the end of the season? If we had the media deciding, they wouldn't have even been considered for the Super Bowl. Win every week or go home, plus no layoffs of 40+ days between games.
**UPDATE @ 11:10 AM CT
The overnight ratings bore out the dire predictions of some who said a rematch wouldn't be good for ratings. It wasn't, the overnights say the viewership was down 14% from last year's Oregon-Auburn BCS title game. That's a fairly significant drop.
Rich,
Love your blog. But I have to say I'm glad you wrote the 2nd post this morning making yourself more clear. I thought the first post was somewhat misguided but the second one set the record straight. I really agree with everything you wrote in this post.
Keep up the good work & don't let Scott Pioli off the hook.
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Rich,
Please do not let Scott Pioli off the hook now that he has a new scapegoat(Romeo).
I went to a watch party last night and even before half no one was actually watching the game, but then we're in the gamer/fantasy generation too.
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I'm the one who got my wife onto your picks, thanks for being so good at it.
I completely agree with your call for a 4-team playoff system. The game last night was crap to watch but we're not going to get a garuntee every time of a competitive contest.
Your right, the media, mostly ESPN, really hyped this game, of course they televised it so no real mystery as to why they hyped.
That's the problem, too much conflict of interest within the media.
I know you claim to be a Mizzou guy, but from time to time I think maybe your a closet Boise Stater.
Like reading your stuff every morning on my break & thanks for the video game.
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