In just one year, Brady Hoke and his staff have brought Michigan back into the national picture. This was a team that had been crawling back toward relevance for three years under Rich Rodriguez, a team that has been anemic on defense, a team struggling to succeed in its conference, a team who hadn't beaten a ranked opponent since 2008. Now the same team with virtually the same players is going to a BCS bowl?! I don't know what kind of Kool-aid Coach Hoke has everyone drinking, but pass that over!Now before we get too high on Hoke, let's remember that the Wolverines had an easy schedule this year and only went 1 for 2 against ranked opponents. The defense still had its issues and the offense had problems with execution at times. And before anyone starts setting the bar too high for Hoke next year or using words like "Undefeated" or "National Championship" remember that Michigan opens the 2012 season against Alabama in Arlington, Texas (that's right, Jerry World) and plays a total of 6 games away from the Big House including at Notre Dame, at Nebraska, and at Ohio State.
So for now, let's just focus on enjoying this year's bowl season and making those picks!
New Mexico Bowl
Wyoming (8-4)
vs.
Temple (8-4)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Utah State (7-5)
vs.
Ohio (9-4)
New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4)
vs.
San Diego State (8-4)
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
FIU (8-4)
vs.
Marshall (6-6)
Poinsettia Bowl
TCU (10-2)
vs.
Louisiana Tech (8-4)
MAACO Bowl
Boise State (11-1)
vs.
Arizona State (6-6)
Hawai'i Bowl
Southern Miss (11-2)
vs.
Nevada (7-5)
Independence Bowl
Missouri (7-5)
vs.
North Carolina (7-5)
Little Caesars Bowl
Western Michigan (7-5)
vs.
Purdue (6-6)
Belk Bowl
Louisville (7-5)
vs.
N. C. State (7-5)
Military Bowl
Toledo (8-4)
vs.
Air Force (7-5)
Holiday Bowl
Texas (7-5)
vs.
California (7-5)
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State (8-4)
vs.
Notre Dame (9-3)
Alamo Bowl
Baylor (9-3)
vs.
Washington (7-5)
Armed Forces Bowl
Tulsa (8-4)
vs.
BYU (9-3)
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers (8-4)
vs.
Iowa State (6-6)
Music City Bowl
Wake Forest (6-6)
vs.
Mississippi State (6-6)
Insight Bowl
Iowa (7-5)
vs.
Oklahoma (9-3)
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Northwestern (6-6)
vs.
Texas A&M (6-6)
Sun Bowl
Georgia Tech (8-4)
vs.
Utah (7-5)
Liberty Bowl
Vanderbilt (6-6)
vs.
Cincinnati (9-3)
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
UCLA (6-7)
vs.
Illinois (6-6)
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia (8-4)
vs.
Auburn (7-5)
TicketCity Bowl
Penn State (9-3)
vs.
Houston (12-1)
Outback Bowl
Georgia (10-3)
vs.
Michigan State (10-3)
Capital One Bowl
Nebraska (9-3)
vs.
South Carolina (10-2)
Gator Bowl
Ohio State (6-6)
vs.
Florida (6-6)
Rose Bowl
Wisconsin (11-2)
vs.
Oregon (11-2)
Fiesta Bowl
Stanford (11-1)
vs.
Oklahoma State (11-1)
Sugar Bowl
Michigan (10-2)
vs.
Virginia Tech (10-2)
Orange Bowl
West Virginia (9-3)
vs.
Clemson (10-3)
Cotton Bowl
Arkansas (10-2)
vs.
Kansas State (10-2)
BBVA Compass Bowl
Pittsburgh (6-6)
vs.
SMU (7-5)
GoDaddy.com Bowl
Arkansas State (10-2)
vs.
Northern Illinois (10-3)
BCS Championship Game
Alabama (11-1)
vs.
LSU (13-0)
5 comments:
We need a playoff to give the Okie States of this world the opportunity to either show that they don't belong in the NCG or prove that they have what it takes.
Also, I'm sick of the SEC hypocrisy. Go back to the potential OSU-UM re-match from the 2006 season. Traitors like Gary Danielson pushed Florida so hard when Lloyd and Big Blue were home in their living rooms and couldn't say word one about legitimacy and a 3 pt loss to #1 OSU.
SEC-ers were talking - "Michigan had their chance". Now the shoe is on the other foot. Didn't Bama have their chance?
I'm not going to complain since the Tide was a very good team and OK St stumbled against the Cyclones, but some 4-6 team playoff is necessary. I don't want 16 teams. Let the regular season mean something, use conference championships to influence the seeding and the choice (thus, at large teams should be considered), and give the best of the best a shot and let the fans see the games.
Actually, Danielson's 6 team playoff with the top 2 teams getting a bye isn't a bad option. In his system only conference champs can get the bye, but at least a deserving at large team or another conference champ can get into the mix.
University Presidents be dam**d. Get rid of the dinosaurs and instead infuse better, less corrupt thinking into the dialogue.
Doctor L
Now that I live in a house that doesn't even get ESPN, it's amazing how much of this college football stuff seeks to grab my attention without me even trying. Everything from this whole BCS national championship debacle, to Lee "Eff It" Corso, to now the introduction of the bowl match ups. The first two are pretty well worn out, so I'd much rather talk about the last one since there are some exciting games and as always some difficult picks upcoming.
How about the what's hot and what's not of bowl games?
NOT:
National Championship game: for all the reasons given by Dr L, and the fact that the first meeting between these two teams was close but a clunker. Since I don't get ESPN anyway, I won't be going out of my way for this.
Maaco and Poinsetta Bowls: with Boise St. and TCU awaiting potential BCS bids, everyone deserved better than Arizona St. (losers of 4 straight, 3 of which were against the bottom feeders of the PAC 12) and Louisiana Tech (winners of the WAC, stands for Weak and Awful Conference). I like both Boise St. and TCU, so heaven forbid they should justify the bowl committee and make these games close.
Orange Bowl: I understand why both Clemson and West Virginia get to be here, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. With all the discussion of which conferences are the best, the ACC and Big East just aren't close.
Gator Bowl: speaking of 2006, here's a classic rematch of our national championship contenders, Ohio St. and Florida, only this time it will be more like the table top version.
HOT: I could just list all the BCS bowl (minus the Orange), but I want to highlight what intrigues me the most.
Fiesta Bowl: 2 legitimate national championship hopefuls in Oklahoma St. and Stanford now get to duke it out all by themselves, and the SEC can only watch. I really want to watch this game too.
Outback and Capital One Bowls: these will feature Michigan St. vs Georgia and Nebraska vs South Carolina, all of which are decent teams that were hoping for something better not long ago. It should be a good battle between the upper middle class of the Big 10 and SEC.
Cotton Bowl: There's something about good teams playing angry. Arkansas and Kansas St. are two top 10 caliber teams that think they had something to prove on a bigger stage than this. Hopefully they ignore the stage and give us a really good game.
Sugar Bowl: What could be more intriguing than Hoke vs the Hokies in a BCS bowl? Especially only 1 year removed from the embarrassment under Rich Rod. This time it will be against a Virginia Tech team I didn't think should be here. Hopefully that means a Michigan win and a program that continues to flourish under a real coach.
The last comment was brought to you anonymously by Grant.
Well, I'm always looking for a forum to argue against a playoff, and I guess this is it.
I think they should do away with the BCS and go back to the way it was. In that case, LSU would play in the Sugar Bowl and if they won, they would be national champs. They already beat Bama, they shouldn't have to play them again. And all the other teams had their chance and lost (be it to LSU, to Iowa State, etc). I don't think LSU should have to survive a playoff when they were the only team to survive the season.
Now the obvious flaw of the no-playoff, no-BCS system is when you have multiple unbeatens. But why do we need a definitive "national champion". Why can't teams take pride in winning all they play, winning their conference, winning the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl or Renu Contact Lenses Bowl or whatever the case may be? And if two teams make a claim to a national title, so be it. Take 1997. If Michigan and Nebraska had played, one of them would have lost. I personally think Nebraska would win, but I'd rather have a split title than no title at all (which is possible had we played). And what about those years where as New Year's Day progressed, #1 went down in the Cotton Bowl, and #2 went down in the Rose, and #3 lost in the Sugar while #4 was winning in the Orange. The national title would be based on four games and the day would be spectacular! Now we just watch the SEC trash the B1G and hope ours is the B1G team that somehow pulls the huge upset.
While I'm at it, bring back ties (great for strategy) and get rid of conference championship games. They're wildly exciting, but what happens when the great Michigan-Ohio State game is marred some year by neither team caring because they're saving themselves for the rematch the next week? And super-conferences, don't get me started!
Sorry for rambling. Mark, try this for a tiebreaker. Over under, Denard Robinson plays of 20+ yards/Nebraska first downs against SC.
One other thought, hack away about fifteen bowl games and make teams actually earn them by say, winning 7 of 12 games and achieving at least mediocrity.
Out.
-Atruebluehusker
National Championships should be determined on the field, not by sportswriters nor by coaches that were so focused on their own teams that they often don't see the other teams they vote for even play. Even split national championships aren't the cure because there have been tier one undefeated teams that haven't had the chance to play for the national championship and weren't awarded a share either (e.g, Auburn 2004, Penn State, 1994). We don't even have to talk about tier two teams that were all but locked out of the opportunity to get a sniff at a national championship by the conferences that conspired together and founded the BCS.
While I like the idea of the BCS trying to determine a winner in a #1 vs. #2 match up, it doesn't go far enough because it isn't always clear who is #2 or #3, etc., esp. with muliple one loss teams.
I agree that this year wasn't the ideal year for a playoff since LSU has clearly earned the legitimacy to be called #1. If they lose to Alabama, it will be an anti-climactical end to the college football season to have anyone except LSU win it (except in Tuscaloosa).
However, having a playoff this year would give us meaningful games and deserving teams (OK St, Stanford, Oregon, perhaps Boise St.) and would have given college football a decent run up to a national championship game that would have generated more overall excitement than "Re-match Bowl in the Bayou" can by itself.
Doctor L
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