The Little Big Men.
This is the year where the bluebloods of college football don't go home to Christmas with a smile on their face. This is the year where the national media, no matter how many temper tantrums they've thrown, will be forced to write positive articles about the "little brothers" that "don't deserve the college football spotlight."
They thought this was the year of destiny for smaller programs. Boise State seemed to be leading the charge, but it turns out, they truly don't matter. And they don't at all.
While these are not "smaller programs" by any real, tangible measurement, the national media considers them smaller than their more traditional counterparts.
The Year of the Little Big Men:
- Texas A&M over Texas: Having a respectable season wasn't enough for the Aggies. They finished tied for the Big 12 South title and beat Texas on Thanksgiving night when it was possible for most of the world to watch.
- Wisconsin will go to the Rose Bowl: Why is this significant? Well, it's not like Ohio State had a down year. They have the same record. It's just that Wisconsin has impressed the voters enough to put them ahead of the silver headed nuts of the Big 10. And don't tell me "Wisconsin won the head to head. That's why!" Those kind of facts hasn't stopped voters in the past.
- TCU will go to the Rose Bowl: Want a mid major busting the BCS? Well, it's been done before. And the blueblood men behind the pencils and ballots have always helped the mid majors play in absolutely meaningless BCS games. But not this year. This year, it seems like the cards have fallen for TCU to play in the "Grandaddy of Them All." Which is especially relevant because most "Grandaddies" are going to be looking for the traditional Pac 10 vs. Big 10 matchup. (Which would usually be Ohio State or Michigan vs. USC)
- Oregon/Auburn are on a one track street to the BCSCG. If both win next week, they're in. What's important is that both of these teams have suffered from "blueblood screwover" in the past. 2001, Oregon should have gone. Instead, Nebraska remained ranked high enough to get in. 2004, Auburn was undefeated and while it may have been difficult to justify removing USC or Oklahoma from the top 2, Auburn was undefeated in the toughest conference in the land and should have played.
- Auburn over Alabama: Alabama's #1 motto when Auburn wins the Iron Bowl: "You can only beat us when we're down." Well, Alabama was UP 24-0, and they lost. Alabama was preseason #1 and only lost 2 rather close games. Alabama has all the talent in the world. No excuses this time.
- Notre Dame over USC: It's hard to believe USC won 11 straight, but that streak has ended. While Notre Dame is by all means considered "blue blood," they've struggled their way to the pit of mediocrity. This win - at USC - is a huge step for their program to get back to the annoying "blueblood" status.
- Florida State over Florida: Florida gets no excuses. They had all the tools in place this year to keep winning and keep dominating. Florida State has a new coach. Florida, the state, has a new Captain for the next 365 days.
- The Academies: All three are bowl eligible. Hasn't happened in 15 years, and I don't think all three have ever gone to bowl games in the same year.
There are some bluebloods still hanging around, and I'm not trying to say the programs I mentioned are inferior in any way. This has to do with reputation and subjectivity plaguing college football.
Tim Brando has been riding a very tall horse in his defense of Boise State. He's had a lot of good points, but he was supporting the wrong program. Boise State (all apologies) is truly a nobody until they become part of a real conference or go independent.
Brando should have been supporting the Oregon's, Auburn's, Stanford's, and Wisconsin's.
Because we all know, if the results had been slightly different and Oklahoma and Ohio State had been undefeated, Oregon and Auburn would be SCREAMING about the BCS system right now. And no one with any power to change the polls would care.
Auburn...
- The most resilient team in the history of college football.
- This win wasn't just a great comeback. What the world doesn't understand is that this game is so packed with intense emotions that giving up one big play can feel like the end of the world. One 20 yard run, and tears start to swell in your eyes. One missed tackle, one bad turnover, one muffed punt - those kind of mistakes make you kick windows out of your house.
- To go down 21-0 while having -2 yards of offense...my God I can't even think about it. It was one of the worst feelings I've ever felt. It felt worse than the night my mother told me my grandfather had passed away. Honestly.
- But this team was able to overcome those emotions. This team was able to put together a new gameplan and introduce new wrinkles against one of the most talented teams with one of the best head coaches in the land.
- I have never been more proud to say I'm an Auburn fan. This is a golden era in Auburn's history even if it only lasts for a season.
- Now for the bad...
- We have to stop putting together horrible gameplans during the week.
- Ted Roof, while praised for his in game adjustments, has had some of the worst pregame strategies of all time. Alabama has started with a spread formation almost every game of the year. You know they want to set up the run with the pass. Why did they have wide open receivers all 1st half?
- I just can't accept that it's talent anymore. This is the same defense we had last year. In fact, I think overall may be a little worse. Our saving grace is having Warren Sapp Nick Fairley disrupting the line of scrimmage.
Alabama...
- That was one of those games that makes you really question the heart and desire of your coaching staff.
- How do you allow a team to come back when you have two running backs that are almost unstoppable once they get into rhythm? You're at home. You have an incredible defense. You have a clutch possession receiver. You just can't lose when you have that kind of a lead.
- This will be an interesting offseason for Alabama. The bowl game is going to be meaningless unless a blueblood just so happens to fall into your lap. You know Nick Saban's name will at least come up in the coaching search circus. You know a few recruits will question their commitment to Alabama if Arkansas and Auburn both win BCS games.
Ohio State...
- I asked this question at the start of the season: Is it any fun being an Ohio State fan?
- Your #1 rival...what you claim to be the biggest rivalry in the nation...is terrible. You've blown them out quite a few times recently, and you have a 7? 8? game winning streak?
- You play a bunch of scrubs and you schedule one good OOC opponent each year. That's commendable, but your schedule is much like USC's a few years ago. USC countered the weak Pac 10 by schedule two or three BCS eligible OOC opponents.
- You try to spice things up by wearing throwback uniforms, but honestly, you just looked like Mega Man out there.
- Your coach hasn't had any controversies. No trash talk. Nothing to add excitement to the program.
- It's just old fashioned/get it done football. It gets you 10 or 11 wins each year. But do you really care?
LSU...
- You can't get lucky every game. You have to actually have a solid football team to win every game.
- Gary Crowton must go. Besides having a weak quarterback, LSU has 21 guys that are capable of winning a national championship. That is one extremely talented football team.
****I must have hit a wrong button when I first tried to post this. We were really late for church. Luckily, this is what was still saved from my original post this morning.
Just a quick additions of what I went into before it somehow disappeared:
- Florida State is back. They'll be a fly in the ointment since the ACC is so weak, and they will have a good shot at going undefeated if they can find a QB to replace Ponder some time in the next 2 years.
- Florida and Texas suck.
- Hey USC! The NCAA did actually hammer your ass into mediocrity.
- South Carolina looks really good right now.
- The SEC championship game is next week, and it's even more important than the Iron Bowl.
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