Barack Obama can potentially end the war in Iraq. He can cool the Iranians’ heels. He can return the U.S. from Third World economic status overseas. Yet our president-elect cannot change college football. It won’t let him. John Swofford, coordinator of the inane Bowl Championship Series, pretty much told the next leader of the free world to throw his ideas in the Potomac.
ESPN can get millions of people to stop watching their children and watch poker instead. It can spend $125 million a year to televise four bowl games. Yet it refuses to change a format that’s more unpopular than the man Obama is replacing.
So sorry, folks. “A Time for Change” apparently is only for American leadership. The BCS feels its leadership is doing just fine. Only one problem. If we had an election and the BCS was the incumbent, the red states, the blue states, Iran, Iraq and some of the more educated regions of Papua New Guinea would vote for some form of a playoff system to determine a national champion.
We are stuck through 2014 with a system that has a success rate equivalent of the Wyoming quarterbacks’ completion percentage. I voted for Obama, but I had no idea he felt the way we all did about the BCS, too.
He raised many of his supporters’ already high hopes when he said on “60 Minutes” on Sunday night: “If you’ve got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there’s no clear decisive winner. We should have a playoff system. . . . So I’m going to throw my weight around a little bit.”
Before Obama even got off the chair, Swofford treated him like he was Lou from Littleton.
Swofford said in a statement, “For now, our constituencies — and I know he understands constituencies — have settled on the current BCS system, which the majority believe is the best system yet to determine a national champion while also maintaining the college football regular season as the best and most meaningful in sports.”
Sorry, Barack. Go end the war. It’s easier than ending the BCS mess.
I had more hope when ESPN signed on Tuesday. If anyone can change the system, television can. It hands piles of money to the universities and know a cash machine when it sees one. An eight-team playoff or a Plus-One format, in which one extra game is held between the top two teams after all the current bowl games are played, would put a men’s tennis program in every university.
Fox Sports didn’t have the guts to make suggestions. I thought ESPN would when it signed on from January 2011 to 2014. Nope.
In a nationwide conference call Tuesday, ESPN president George Bodenheimer said: “The format is a decision for university presidents and conferences. We’re here to support and televise the format that they select in their best interest.”
Luckily for the BCS, which uses a three-pronged rating system to determine the national title game’s pairings, it’s headed for a perfect storm. No. 1 Alabama is playing No. 4 Florida in the SEC championship game, with the winner likely advancing to the BCS title game against the Big 12 champion, which should be No. 2 Texas Tech, No. 3 Texas or No. 5 Oklahoma.
But what if the storm becomes a hurricane and topples all the cards the BCS had laid out all nice and neat? What if Florida loses at Florida State on Nov. 29 and then beats Alabama? What if Texas Tech loses at Oklahoma on Saturday? You could have Alabama, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, USC and Penn State all with one loss.
Ah, Mr. Swofford? Hostile fans in three time zones on Line One.
“We have playoffs in every sport in the world except college football,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said Wednesday on the SEC’s conference call. “How can we be right and everybody else wrong?”
I prefer a Plus-One. I like the do- or-die element of the regular season, and Plus-One ensures you won’t have an unbeaten team left out like Auburn in 2004 or a dominating one-loss USC team in 2003.
Obama’s idea to cut back the regular season won’t work, but his dialogue, however powerless, is good to hear. I voted for him because he could unite this world. He’ll get presidents of foreign countries to listen to him.
Here’s hoping the presidents of American universities listen, too.
Borges solid replacement for Long
It’s not clear which frustrated Rocky Long more at New Mexico: his sputtering offense or the empty seats. Whichever, his surprise resignation Monday left some questions to be answered in Albuquerque.
Few people want to see a 4-8 team play, but the Lobos haven’t sold out a game since archrival New Mexico State showed up last year when New Mexico went 9-4. After averaging 38,341 fans in 2005, the Lobos have averaged 28,633 in 2006, then 29,673 and 29,712 this season.
“I believe Coach Long, the assistant coaches and the players wanted it more than the collective community at large,” Brigham Young coach Bronco Mendenhall, Long’s former defensive coordinator, said on the Mountain West conference call Tuesday. “I probably just made some enemies by saying that.”
Here’s hoping New Mexico takes a look at Al Borges.
As offensive coordinator at Auburn, the Tigers were 41-9 in his four years and led the Southeastern Conference in scoring in 2004, when it went 13-0, and 2005 when Borges was named offensive coordinator of the year.
Borges resigned under pressure before the Tigers’ bowl game last year when the offense sputtered.
But have you seen Auburn’s offense since he left? Borges is still in Auburn, where his wife, Nikki, is assistant athletic director.
John Henderson, The Denver Post
Games of the Week
Showdown time again
Texas Tech at Oklahoma. Another elimination game for both schools, with Tech’s No. 2 offense vs. Oklahoma’s No. 4 — and Texas suddenly pulling for old OU. Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, right, can put their teams on the inside track for the South Division title and also put themselves in line for the Heisman Trophy.
Big 12: Kansas State at Iowa State. By default, because it’s the only other Big 12 game this week. Loser finishes last in the North Division.
Mountain West: BYU at Utah. The winner comes down to who has the ball for the final play: Utah’s Brian Johnson or the Cougars’ Max Hall. This is the game everyone in the MWC has waited for since the first day of practice. The Utes have an edge with better defense and special teams.
Colorado Connections
DeWitty a devilish talent
Noted as Arizona State’s best pass-blocking fullback, Shaun DeWitty has rushed for 187 yards in the past three games, including 110 yards Nov. 1 against Oregon State in just the second start of his career. It was the first 100-yard rushing game by a Sun Devil this season. The junior from Doherty High School ranks third on the team with 265 yards this season. DeWitty’s career has been littered with injuries, and he redshirted last season. With two games to go, his 54-yard run against the Beavers is ASU’s longest play from scrimmage in 2008.
Gabe Knapton, Wyoming: Second on the team in tackles (83), he is one of five Coloradans who start on defense. The redshirt freshman linebacker from Mead has started every game this season.
