BCS creates strange bedfellows
We all know the BCS is a terrible way to pick a national title. Hell, Urban Meyer and UF's President Bernie Machen are still lobbying for a play-off even though it worked out for the Gators this year.
But what's more disturbing is the strange bedfellows this system creates. Lloyd Carr is upset because the coach of his most hated rival abstained from voting. Let me get this straight, this is a system in which you NEED your mortal enemy to vote for you?
Everybody knows that BCS title contenders need to root for their opponents so that their schedule will stronger in the beauty pageant. A Florida win against Florida State would have looked more impressive to the voters if FSU weren't having a down year in a bad conference.
Ron Zook voted the school that fired him number 2 ahead of fellow Big 10 contender Michigan. Strange bedfellows.
What's more, now that Michigan is in the Rose Bowl and on the outside looking in on the National Championship game, their fans will undoubtedly be rooting for OSU to win in a romp just so they can say "I told you so." Wow!
But my co-blogger, Mergz, thinks Michigan should be rooting for Florida:
The funny thing about all the bitching and moaning of the Michigan fans, and how we don't deserve to play OSU, is that Michigan now NEEDS Florida to win.I don't know if a split title is realistic for Michigan but I do know this: regardless of who they are rooting for and why, it's strange bedfellows.
If we get crushed by Ohio State, as many of them seem to hope, it is game over - Ohio State undisputed National Champ.
If we beat Ohio State, and they beat USC convincingly, there just might be a split title.
I have been a fan of Michigan for some time. In 1994-1995 I spent 8 weeks in Ann Arbor at the U of M Hospital getting treatment for a rare disease. And I hate USC. I believe that USC is largely a product of a weak conference that doesn't play any defense and a media suck job that just keeps on giving. But I'll be rooting for USC in the Rose Bowl, because all this Michigan whining is making me sick.
Strange bedfellows, indeed.
Mentioned in Austin Murphy's book 
5 comments:
Its the Michigan fan again, thanks for responding to my other post, I appreciate it. I know this is a blog for Florida fans, so I won't bother you guys anymore after this post, but I must respond so bear with me. First of all, how can you argue that Michigan fans aren't entitled to whine a little bit? Florida fans are doing just as much whining about whiny Michigan fans, don't pretend like you wouldn't be whining if you were the team that got snubbed. Until we go to a playoff, teams that get snubbed have a right to whine. You guys seem to think think that Herbsteit is somehow Michigan's champion in the nationwide press. Michigan fans hate Herbstreit, he has a history of making lewd gestures towards umich fans at games, and he really pissed off the Michigan nation with his Breaston comments (which besides being inappropriate, were untrue). I don't know why he's so passionately committed to Michigan at #2, maybe Danielson was right. As for Gary, the campaigning might have gone a little far during the 4th quarter, but there was tons of media hype during the week of "The Game" as well. I thought Wisconsin LSU deserved at least a push, Central Mich was better than your non BCS conference foes (they won the MAC and should have beaten BC, not that it matters), and I didn't think Vanderbilt should have been a push either, although you did play them on the road. Regardless, he contradicts himself just like all the national pundits, earlier in the year he said Texas shouldn't be below 2 because they only lost to the #1 team, even though they got walloped at home. Michigan's offense did not play a perfect game in Columbus. Chad missed Mario after his perfect double move, and the offense sputtered for most of the rest of the 1st half. Michigan has a good offense, people just don't realize because it only scores as much as it needs to (in ND we had to make a statement, which I gather you all enjoyed too). As for the defense, its performance was disappointing, but I don't think its overrated. Just look at where some of these players will go in the draft. OSU had a perfect gameplan, quick developing routes before our front four could get pressure, and Troy Smith was incredibly accurate, he still gives me nightmares, the upside to our snubbing is that I never have to see us play him again. Once they spread us out, it made us vulnerable to those two big runs. On Beanie's TD, Chris Graham missed an easy tackle. I also think English got out gameplanned in his first big game as D coord. The safety blitz on 3rd and 15 on OSU's first drive was a terrible call. I think the Gators also have a great D, and hope they can learn from Michigan's mistakes. One big advantage will be better safety play, especially Reggie Nelson, one of my favorite players in the country. He could get into Robiskie and Hartline's heads when they're running over the middle. I don't think the score was closer than the game really was at all. The final TD certainly wouldn't have been meaningless had we gotten the onside kick. The more meaningless thing to me is the application of the helmet to helmet rule when a QB is flushed outside the pocket and the contact is completely incidental (Crable had his shoulders down as he should have, he's like 6'5" and Troy Smith is 5'11", it was a fluke, not a mental lapse). We would have had the ball with a chance to take the lead, it was a great game, and you have to admit the teams looked more impressive that Florida and Arkansas in the somewhat fluky SEC championship game. But like I said before, Florida is deserving, and I hope they win. The offense has to be better than its been, but the defense can definitely fare better than Michigan's did. I think once the controversy subsides, you'll be rooting for Michigan in the Rose Bowl. As for Lloyd's complaints about Urban Meyer, he was referring to campaigning as a general matter, not accusing Meyer of lying, I can respect that. I don't see a pro-Michigan national bias, during the 2000 season when everything was focused on the Florida teams I felt like there was a Southern bias. The only team that I truly feel recieves unfair national attention is Notre Dame. Luckily Michigan kept that from getting out of hand this year. Glad you got to enjoy Ann Arbor, even if it was for treatment. I hope you were here when it was warm, cause right now it is frickin' freezing, its just killing me. Anyway, thanks for letting me blog along, good luck in Glendale, and Go Blue!
I just don't think you'd be whining if UM dropped to say number 4 after losing to OSU (what normally happens when you take loss). The reason you didn't is because of the irrational exhuberance of the voters (at the urging of the ESPN/ABC cabal) in the aftermath of an offensive shoot-out.
Florida lost and was set back a few notches. They climbed their way all the way to number 4. Did they leapfrog Michigan? Yes. But you have to admit that if precedent had been followed it would not have been necessary because Michigan would have already been below Florida.
I mean of all things you are trying to justify a team with a one game losing streak getting in the MNC game.
BTW December, January and February are the months I was in Ann Arbor. Those are the warm months, right?
I don't think there is any way that Michigan would find themselves #1 if UF beat Ohio State. Obviously their only shot is the AP voters since the Coaches and Harris are part of the BCS. If UF beats OSU while being such an overwhelming underdog it would completely shake the foundation of the pundits who have already crowned this OSU team as National Champs. The ONLY possible way I could see that happen was if Michigan were to crush USC by a HUGE margin and UF win either by a controversial call or after OSU was gutted by some key injuries. Barring that . . . . the obvious argument would be that UF beat the Buckeyes and Michigan didn't. And I imagine that the lovefest for the SEC would be at a pretty high level.
I suppose its possible but . . . . highly improbable.
To the first poster (Michigan Fan)-
Good post.
Whining a bit is what this whole stupid system has reduced all of us to.
The crazy thing about this is I bear Michigan no ill will. Any hard feelings I have are recent - fanned by the media and the pundits. If teams like ours were able to meet on the field, we could settle it there, like it should be settled, instead of this endless and, ultimately, pointless, debate.
Michigan is a great team. Florida is a great team. With one loss each, and the stupid system we have, someone was going to get screwed.
Stick it to USC.
I use to be a Florida fan as I thought they played in a tough conference and played tough non-conference games.
However after a timeline review I realize that The SEC is WAY SUB .500 in non-conference top 25 games. Other than Vandy noone playing a top 25 on the road. Further back last years bowl games showing the SEC going 3-3 and their top 2 teams both losing when they where heavy favorites to win.
ALL THAT WHINNIG by Urban Cryer has mad me sick and I will laugh when he feels like crying after losing to OSU 38-10.
Ox
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