Ineligible Man Downfield

Courtesy of scooter1727 from Webshots.com

The dominance in college basketball surely belongs to the east this year.  If you don’t believe me, check out the Elite 8 teams for yourself:

Big East Conference:  Louisville, Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Villanova

I guess you can say the seeding was correct as the top three seeds in the tournament are still alive and are expected make it to the Final Four.  However, there’s more to this eastern dominance:

Big Ten:  Michigan State

ACC:  North Carolina

Both these teams are traditional basketball powers and they both reside in the east.

Big 12:  Missouri, Oklahoma

Luckily, the Midwest has some representation in the Elite 8, but that’s as far west you go.  Gone completely off the map are the UCLAs and USCs.  The teams that made it to the Sweet 16 were actually Arizona (normally thought of as a powerhouse, but were not expected to make it this year) and Gonzaga (from the WCC).  Is the committee conspiring against the West?
Continue reading

Utah believes it deserves the number one spot after going undefeated this season, with a cherry on top upending of Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl.  So does Southern Cal after their declawing of Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl (What is a Nittany Lion anyway?).  With Oklahoma failing again so “soon” in a BCS game (2007 Fiesta Bowl), Florida chomps on its second championship in three years with the Texas Longhorns believing it had deserved to play in BCS title game. To the contrary the Longhorns did play sloppily against the Buckeyes,  “bucking” the argument against Texas.  All of these teams believe that they earned a number one, and I absolutely agree with them.

However, with the money that is tied into these bowls , especially BCS bowls to the tune of 18 million or so (and in Utah’s case only 9 million because they are not a BCS school), this system will probably stay in place unless a certain lawsuit derails the system.  I will not go into the specific arguments questioning if the BCS or FBS is doing college football any good.  I know you all have your own opinions.  At the very least it produces the intended result, a championship title, however its attempt is anything but logical.  It is like smoke and mirrors of the WWF (whoops sorry animals, I’m stuck in the 80’s), er I mean WWE.  The principles of the FBS/BCS system abruptly departs from our capitalistic nature and hard work ethic.  The system aligns itself more similarly to communistic tendencies, allowing the “big boys” to gain the “big bucks” while leaving little guys on the roadside penniless.  Actually in college football, no one is really dirt poor; to even have a team in the FBS requires a certain amount of money for sure.

The argument I am setting up here, one that agrees with most “normal” people (my assumption), is that we should have a playoff system set up to determine who truly is the national champion.  Every other sport that I know of has some sort of playoff.  You prove that you are worthy of a title by leaving your best on the field of play and end up the “last man standing” (like the failed Bruce Willis movie).  A win or a loss is the deciding factor for the national championship.  Not this poll ranking system that subjectively sets teams up for the championship game.  Until then, we have a BCS title with no realistic national champion.

That  is why I have dedicated this post to the following title today:  FBS + BCS = BS.  Truly, I believe the college football is “genius” in its mathematical prowess and naming scheme.  The BCS and FBS at the end of the day is BS.  Maybe this was their intent all along.  The BCS equates to Bull Crap Series and when you add it to Full of BS,  the only logical conclusion one can make is BS.  There you go FBS, you concocted a BCS series that ends up in your demise.  What BS?!  Over and out.