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Sporting News, The, Dec 6, 2004 by Matt Hayes

Lee Corso is yapping so fast, his malapropisms are actually beginning to make sense. On the next channel, another analyst yells that it's time to blow up the BCS and start over. Click the remote again on this deliciously discombobulating college football weekend, and we find yet another talking head stating, with certainty, that this is the beginning of the end for the BCS.

Enough already. Enough of this carping and complaining and posturing and pontificating. We all knew the rules from Day 1, but now, because the Big East blows and unbeaten Utah and Boise State have accomplished the unthinkable, the end of college football is near.

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You say Pittsburgh doesn't deserve a $14 million BCS bowl; I say look at the sweet irony of Panthers coach Walt Harris. The man who rebuilt the sad sack of a program has been forced unfairly to fight for his job all season. When does Pitt give Harris his pink slip--before or after it cashes that fat bowl paycheck?

You say Utah doesn't deserve a BCS bid because it plays in the weak Mountain West Conference; I say, is the Big 12 really that much better? North Division champion Colorado, the best of a sorry lot, wouldn't win the Mountain West--or Conference USA or the MAC or, heaven forbid, the WAC. After Oklahoma, does anyone really scare you in the Big 12?

You say it would be a travesty for one-loss Texas to be left out of the BCS; I say, whom have the Longhorns beaten? Against Oklahoma, their biggest test of the season, the 'Shorties failed to score a point. Had Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones not suddenly morphed into Clint Stoerner three months ago and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, Texas would have lost to a sub-.500 SEC team.

You say Miami, which has lost to two teams (North Carolina, Clemson) that have 10 losses combined, doesn't deserve a BCS spot; I say bathe in the rejuvenation of Virginia Tech. Some idiot in this space said Tech had hit the ceiling under coach Frank Beamer, and now the young and fun Hokies are one win away from winning the new ACC. And to think, the hoity-toity ACC originally didn't want the lunch pailers from southwestern Virginia.

You say either Auburn or Oklahoma will get hosed by the system; I say, why is Southern California everyone's No. 1? Had Cal wideout Jonathan Makonnen not slipped on a slant pattern in the closing seconds against USC, he would have caught quarterback Aaron Rodgers' dart and we'd be talking about how the unbeaten Bears are getting screwed by the BCS because they play in the weak Pac-10 and because of an East Coast bias and because ... blah, blah, blah.

Get it yet? This BCS contraption is what it is: a jumbled mess complete with a detailed syllabus before class begins in August. It reads, "Just win." You're a non-BCS team, and you want in the party? Win every game. A BCS team not named Notre Dame? Win your conference. And for two lucky teams, we have an at-large bid waiting behind Door No. 3 if everything breaks your way.

Everyone else, please report to your nearest useless bowl game.

Why are we so incensed by this madness? It's simply more of the same playing out year after year. USC was the best team in the nation last year and didn't play in the BCS national title game. Nebraska lost its regular season finale in 2001 by a gazillion points, didn't even qualify for its conference championship game and still played in the BCS national title game. One-loss Florida State lost to one-loss Miami in 2000, yet somehow won the right to play in the national title game ahead of the Canes.

Want to blame someone? Look no further than your television set. As long as networks continue feeding the goat with millions of dollars, the presidents of the BCS schools won't abandon their sweet setup.

ABC took the first stand against the system last week, bagging out of the series because it wasn't going to pay for future Fiesta Bowl matchups of Utah-Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, FOX immediately jumped on the product and signed a deal through 2010. All involved hailed the agreement as groundbreaking.

And Lee Corso still is yapping.

Ready to go bowling? Check for the latest updates on games and matchups at msn.foxsports.com, keywords: college football.

INSIDE DISH

What does it say for Georgia's quarterback situation next season that coach Mark Richt pulled heralded backup D.J. Shockley and reinserted injured starter David Greene (broken thumb) in crunch time against rival Georgia Tech? Shockley has been in the system for four years, and many believed he was as talented as Greene. Forget about that; Shockley showed he's still not close to that level and will be pushed next season by junior-to-be Joe Tereshinski--who made big strides during spring and fall drills.

This from Texas C Jason Glynn: "Right now, I couldn't say any one team is better than us."

A quick preview of the Cotton Bowl game between Texas and Georgia: The Bulldogs will load the line of scrimmage and slow RB Cedric Benson, forcing the Longhorns' second tailback, QB Vince Young, to throw. Does the name Jammal Lord mean anything to the Georgia secondary? * Florida will make a run at Utah coach Urban Meyer this week. If the Gators can't land their No. 1 candidate, Plan B includes Boise State coach Dan Hawkins-who also could be interviewed this week-Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis and Louisville coach Bobby Petrino. Davis and Petrino still are coaching, which precludes them from speaking to Florida officials under A.D. Jeremy Foley's search plan. * Arizona State senior QB Andrew Walter will miss the Sun Devils' bowl game with a separated throwing shoulder. Of more concern: Waiter's status for the NFL draft. Some teams could shy away from Walter, a potential first-round selection, because of the injury. Without surgery, Walter will be out at least two months. With surgery, his shoulder would be immobilized for three weeks, followed by four to six months of rehabilitation. Walter says he is leaning toward having surgery. * Tennessee's problems the past two weeks have been the defense-not the play of third-string QB Rick Clausen, who has thrown for 538 yards and four touchdowns in wins against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The UT defense, meanwhile, has given up 743 yards--532 yards passing--and 57 points. The Vols will play more zone against Auburn in the SEC championship game to protect freshman CBs Roshaun Fellows and Jonathan Hefney. * Boise State still has a chance at a BCS spot, but it will take an unlikely circumstance and some funky BCS math. The Broncos, who have won 22 straight and 35 of 36, need favored Cal to lose this weekend at Southern Miss. BSU also needs to stay ahead of Georgia in the BCS poll, which means the computer rankings likely will have to give the Broncos a boost during an open week. If the Broncos keep Georgia behind them, Cal loses and everyone moves up a spot, the two at-large bids will go to Utah and Boise State. Texas, at No. 4 in the BCS ratings in this scenario, would be the odd team out because there would be two qualifying non-BCS teams.

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Sporting News, The, Dec 6, 2004 by Matt Hayes

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