BCS Got It Right, Florida Deserves To Play Ohio State

Last week, I was dead set on writing this week's article about the great tradition of the Army-Navy game and all the emotion that is involved in the great event. I have been fortunate to attend the game five or six times and it is by far the greatest sporting event I have ever been to. The game this year was better than it has been in recent history, but Navy once again pulled it out 26-14. However, after the final weekend of the college football regular season wound down, and the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, shock and uncertainty filled the sport. Pete Carroll and the mighty Trojans were a lock to face Ohio State in the BCS title game with a win over struggling rival UCLA. Many figured the game was a mere formality and USC would make its third straight championship game appearance. However the passion of a rivalry must never be undervalued as UCLA came out fast and pressured USC quarterback John David Booty all day. In the end the Bruins held on for a 13-9 victory and sent the BCS into controversy once again. The general consensus if USC lost was that Michigan would move up to the No. 2 spot since they were No.3 in the BCS. However, to ensure a berth in the title game they needed a loss from Florida in the SEC Championship game against Arkansas. Florida was still holding hope that if they could defeat the Razorbacks they could leapfrog Michigan and make it to the title game. With an impressive 38-28 win over a very tough Arkansas team, the Gators and Wolverines played the waiting game until Sunday night to see who would face the Buckeyes. With some campaigning by Florida coach Urban Meyer and a more conservative attitude from Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, the voters in the Harris Poll and Coaches Poll weighed the two teams to decide who was worthy. Then the final BCS ranking came out late Sunday night and it was the Florida Gators who would be facing off against the Buckeyes in what will be the first-ever meeting between these two perennial powerhouses. And you know what? The voters and computers made the right decision. Florida did play well in the SEC Championship, but the real reasons why they leapfrogged Michigan in the standings was two-fold. The sentiment that people did not want to see rematch and also the idea that in order to play in the title game, you should have to be a conference champion were major factor. Of course Michigan was not a champion as Ohio State made sure of that. Both teams had a legitimate argument for a chance to play in the title game, but in the end the right match-up was given to us. Michigan was then sent to the Rose Bowl to face a disappointed USC team. So we got a new match-up full of intrigue and analysis and now they won't play the game for another month. That is blatantly ridiculous. If a playoff system was in place, teams could play at the end of a regular season when they are at the top of their game. This way the championship would truly be decided on the field. The country would embrace this system and there has been a steady push for a playoff system for quite sometime. Every BCS controversy just pushes that conversation a little further and a change could be seen hopefully within the next five years. A system that fits the presidents and teams of the universities will be tough to come by, but hopefully cooler minds will prevail and a solution will be formulated. The rest of the BCS games on the slate provide some excitement and interesting match-ups. As mentioned previously, the Rose Bowl will feature USC and Michigan, which is a classic. The Fiesta Bowl will feature "BCS buster" Boise State against a surprise Oklahoma team that has battled through several injuries. The Broncos will be looking to clinch an upset against a Sooner team that has become a constant in the BCS over the last five years. The Orange Bowl will be the "Cinderella story" and ACC Champs, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons against the Big East Champs, the Louisville Cardinals. And for the Sugar Bowl, the LSU Tigers will be playing in front of what is essentially a home crowd against the undeserving Notre Dame Fighting Irish who made it to the BCS because of their name, not their production. These bowls, along with many other exciting match-ups during the bowl season, will certainly quench any football fans thirst. Starting Dec. 19 there will virtually be a game on everyday giving you all the football you can handle. The Florida Gators earned the right to play for the national title and voters who changed their vote and realized that they played in the toughest conference in the country should be commended. The championship will be a great game and will ultimately come down to the wire, as both teams possess the speed, offensive firepower and defensive continuity to match-up well against one another.