The Ultimate College Football Article

Pittsburgh 13, #2 West Virginia

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the season-ending finale to what has been by far the nuttiest season of sports. Period.

What's this do for the BCS? Simple, right?

Ohio State is in. For the second year in a row.

My question, Sporting News, is this: Who should play them?

Georgia? They couldn't even win their division, much less their conference.

Kansas? Same difference as Georgia.

Virginia Tech? They should be a one-loss team, but a stunning defensive meltdown in the last 6:11 against BC changed that. They avenged it by soundly beating the Eagles, 30-16, in the ACC Championship.

LSU? Two losses in 3-OT isn't that much against them. And they found a way to beat my Vols in the SEC Championship without their starting quarterback.

USC? They took care of business, wiping out a UCLA team that's not all there for the Pac-10 crown.

Oklahoma? That 38-17 victory over #1 Mizz is a nice feather in the cap. With Sam Bradford in, the Sooners are almost unstoppable. And the defense is finding a way to sustain itself, even against a QB like Chase Daniels. Graham Harrell knows something, though...

Hawaii? They're starting to rub off on me. Undefeated, unstoppable offense, and a fast enough defense to maybe cause some problems.

The vote is yours.

Part 2

That +1 system is looking really, really good right now. Look, college football greedy b(#*&$#s, it's not so bad. You still afraid to knock a few bowls off the radar, like the 6-6 vs. 6-6 match-ups? Check some TV ratings. Then, come to your senses.

And implement a +1 system. Nobody is going to be satisfied with the result this year. Nobody. The BCS is only going to end this year on a sour note; I just illustrated why above. Who are really the most deserving teams in the nation to play in the BCS title game? That's where the mini-playoff comes in. Look, one more game, played Saturday week after the final BCS bowl, would be ample enough.

Imagine, if you will, what could result with a +1 system:

USC defeats Ohio State in the Rose
Georgia beats Virginia Tech in the Sugar
Oklahoma takes down Hawaii in the Fiesta
West Virginia feels better after dominating LSU

So, out of USC, Georgia, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, who would you take in a title game? The answer becomes easier. Georgia didn't win its division, and WVU's late loss would place them low enough in the polls to make it a clear-cut choice.

BCS National Title Game: Oklahoma vs. USC

So easy, and fairly definitive for an ending to this college football season. And yet, we're stuck, being unfulfilled fans of a sport that refuses to listen to common sense.

Part III

Time for some looks at the season:

Biggest Shocker: Stanford over USC
-Honorable Mention: Appalachian State over Michigan

Stanford has, for years, been the epitome of suckage on the football field. USC was on a roll; Vegas had the line on this one at 41 points. FORTY-ONE POINTS! And thanks to a terrible game from the Trojans, the Cardinal pulled it off in the closing seconds.

Biggest fall from grace: Oregon
-Honorable Mention: Kentucky, South Carolina, Arizona State, South Florida, Cincinnati

This was an easy one to pick out, considering what's happened since the fall of Heisman candidate Dennis Dixon. Going scoreless against UCLA, and then falling 38-31 in OT to Oregon State? Not the finish the once-#2 (how many teams fit THAT bill) Ducks were looking for. And now, their bowl isn't even going to be so great. That's a shame.

Most entertaining team: West Virginia
-Honorable Mention: Hawaii, Oregon (pre-Dixon injury), Texas Tech

Of course you saw this coming. Offense sells tickets for a reason, and I can't think of a better spread offense then the one with the Mountaineers. Is there any other team in the nation with two legitimate Heisman candidates? Although Steve Slaton hasn't been so hot this year, he's still ridiculously talented. And you know about Pat White.

Most under appreciated Heisman candidate: Sam Bradford
-Honorable Mention: Pat White

After tonight's performance, I don't see a reason why he shouldn't get it. I mean, just look at the impact he has on the team: The Sooners lose Bradford, they lose to Texas Tech. That offense is amazing with him, one of the top in the nation, and for just a freshman?!?! Really? That's amazing. He's just as good as Tebow. Not that this'll sway any votes.

For further proof, let's compare a few numbers, shall we?

QB rating: 182.23 > 177.85 (Bradford wins)
Completion percentage: 70.2% > 68.5% (Bradford wins)
Yards per attempt: 9.88 > 9.47 (Tebow wins)
Yards thrown for: 3,132 > 2670 (Tebow wins)
TD-INT ratio: 32/7 = 28/6 (roughly the same percentage)

That's just the passing numbers. Which, of course, is where the difference comes into play. While I'm not knocking the voters when they undoubtedly will select Tim Tebow as the greatest player in the nation for the 2007 college football season, I honestly think at the least Sam Bradford deserves to watch him receive it live in New York.

Just a thought: If Florida establishes a good RB, will Tebow be as effective, if not more so?

Part Four

My Top 10 teams:

Ohio State
Oklahoma
USC
Virginia Tech
LSU
Georgia
Hawaii
Missouri
West Virginia
Kansas

And so, this concluded what I hope has been an entertaining read for you. Please, leave comments, share your thoughts, and let the debates continue. Enjoy your weekend!