Monday, November 22, 2004
Missed Opportunity
What Utah QB Alex Smith said when interviewed by ESPN after beating BYU [paraphrased from my memory]: "This is just great. This is all we were hoping for. Now we've got a chance to go play with the big boys--this is all we wanted."
What he should have said: "This is just great. I think we've proved we're one of the best teams in the country. You know, it's nice the fans are wearing sombreros and throwing tortillas, but I don't think we belong in the Fiesta Bowl. We should be playing for the national championship in the Orange Bowl. We've had a more successful season than USC or Oklahoma or Auburn. We should be Number One and playing for the championship. If the system keeps us out, it's unfair."
What he should have said: "This is just great. I think we've proved we're one of the best teams in the country. You know, it's nice the fans are wearing sombreros and throwing tortillas, but I don't think we belong in the Fiesta Bowl. We should be playing for the national championship in the Orange Bowl. We've had a more successful season than USC or Oklahoma or Auburn. We should be Number One and playing for the championship. If the system keeps us out, it's unfair."
Comments:
He could have said that but he'd be lying. Utah isn't the best team and isn't close to it. When they run through the PAC-10, Big12, Big10 or SEC undefeated then they can say they deserve a shot at the championship. Don't point out the A&M game as a argument for Utah. That was the first game of the season (i.e. exhibition game). Utah would struggle greatly against A&M now.
With that said, the BCS sucks and there should be an 8 team playoff system.
With that said, the BCS sucks and there should be an 8 team playoff system.
I don't believe Utah is #1, either. But Smith should have said that they are. He played right into the BCS's evil hands by admitting that all he wanted was "a chance to play with the big boys." That implies that simply because Utah is not from a BCS conference, they are by definition not a "big boy." The foremost of the BCS's many evils is the discrimination and segregation of the conferences. There are teams from the MWC, WAC, C-USA, MAC and even Sun Belt that are better than other teams from the BCS conferences.
I favor a 16-team playoff because I think all conferences should be included. You take 11 conference champions and 5 at-large teams (they could be chosen with a BCS-like formula), seed them according to the formula, and let 'em go. The championship team only plays 4 extra games. Cut the regular season if you have to.
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I favor a 16-team playoff because I think all conferences should be included. You take 11 conference champions and 5 at-large teams (they could be chosen with a BCS-like formula), seed them according to the formula, and let 'em go. The championship team only plays 4 extra games. Cut the regular season if you have to.
