Through the Looking Glass

The discussions surrounding the “national championship” is college football's approach to the totally unreal, as otherwise thoughtful people bend the limits of logic with their descriptions of who the “champion” was at one time or another.

As I was driving home today Evan Cohen on 760 AM in the Palm Beaches was ruining an otherwise excellent point concerning the probable match ups for the BCS title game in January. Cohen was pointing out that the four teams most likely to compete – Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas all have “national champion” winning coaches. Cohen compared the four contending coaches to the one coach who had, according to Cohen, won two “national championships” – Pete Carroll of USC.

According to Cohen, whichever coach won the BCS title this year deserved to be mentioned at the same level of Carroll. However, the part of the discussion that aroused my ire about the preposterous system in college football is Cohen’s easy reference’s to Carroll’s “two” national titles at USC.

Let’s follow this line of thinking, and tell me where it comes up wanting.

Urban Meyer – 2006 “National Championship”
Mack Brown – 2005 “National Championship”
Nick Saban – 2003 “National Championship”
Bobby Stoops – 2000 “National Championship”,

And,

Pete Carroll – 2003 and 2004 “National Championships”

Something look wrong there?

Cohen, without a hint of the logical absurdity of it all, spent the better part of my drive contending that Saban was in line to tie Carroll for “National Championships”, never the once mentioning that one of those was one in the same, that of 2003.

Put one way, the only coach who truly stands to “tie” Carroll is Saban, as they already share a “national title”. The other three would exceed Carroll as winners of – presumably – sole “national titles”.

Put another way – the logical way – Carroll has either won 3 “national titles”, or he has won 1 and a half. Either each “title” – the AP and the BCS – counts as one each (for 3), or the “split” really counts as a half. (In much the same way, Meyer has either won one (2006) or two (the AP and BCS in 2006)).

What drives me nuts is the easy ability to “suspend disbelief” when it comes to discussing national championships in college football. How in the name of simple common sense can two teams share that which purportedly represents a whole? In no other sport would such an irrational conclusion be so casually tolerated. Could two “World Champions” in the NFL in a single season be so easily discussed without the audience thinking the commentators were insane?

As Henry said earlier, my championship is this weekend – the SEC. The rest is just fantasy.