Did Texas Do Enough?

The Texas Longhorns, likely the team most betrayed by the BCS system this year as they fell short of making the Big XII and National Championship games only because of the computers and formulas of the BCS, faced the Ohio State Buckeyes last night in yet another classic Fiesta Bowl. (How is it that the Fiesta Bowl seems to always get the best games year after year? This game, the infamous Oklahoma-Boise State game two years ago, the thrilling Miami-Ohio State national title game in 2002, etc.) Here are a few thoughts on the game and its ramifications.

Coming into the game, the Longhorns were an 8.5 point favorite (I took them to cover figuring they had much more to play for) and were looking to make a statement and argument for a portion of the title. Instead it took a late rally to survive the Buckeyes with a 24-21 win. Is this the statement they needed to make? Absolutely not. The Buckeyes showed much more than anyone outside of the greater Columbus area expected, but the fact that the Texas offense generated just 24 points after claiming all along that they were the best offense in the country was telling. Yes the Buckeyes had a strong defense all year, but there was little doubt that their defensive numbers were inflated, at least somewhat, by playing in the weak Big Ten conference. For Colt McCoy and crew to muster just 24 points (despite going over 400 yards offense) will be very damning, especially in the era of running up the score. Voters seem to be much more impressed by lopsided, poor-sportsmanship demonstrating blow-outs than they are quality games.

So how would my top five be shaping up right now? I'd have to put Texas in the number 5 spot, despite their 12-1 mark in the rough Big XII. At number 4, simply do to the fact that there are still tons of questions about how they'd do against the other top teams, I'd put the Utah Utes. Yes, they're the only unbeaten team and defeated four top-25 teams this year, but I still don't know that they'd beat any of the top 3 on a neutral field. At number 3 I'll go with the loser of the Oklahoma-Florida game on Thursday. Sure, that team will have 2 losses, but the teams that have defeated them (Texas for OU and a much stronger than expected Ole Miss team for Florida) are both top-10 caliber teams in my mind. Of course, this is assuming a close title game. A blowout and the loser drops to number 5 instantly.

At number 2 I'd have to put the USC Trojans. This team has the best defense I can remember seeing since I've started following college football. This squad is absolutely loaded with pro talent on both sides of the ball, and if not for a hiccup on a short week (remember, their loss against Oregon State was on a Thursday night and on the road), they'd probably be the clear #1. Obviously at number 1 will be the winner of the national championship game. As much as everyone likes to complain about how things have shaken out, I fully believe that both of these teams (OU and Florida) are as deserving of the title shot and the winner will have the best win on their resume in a postseason game of any of the top 5.

It's sad what college football has allowed itself to become: a beauty contest. (I'd say a popularity contest, but I think Texas is more popular than Oklahoma and yet the Longhorns got shafted worse than anyone else.) Teams are again expected to run up the score on inferior opponents (which also removes any motivation to schedule decent non-conference opponents because a close game hurts both teams) and causes poor sportsmanship to be accepted and even praised. Look at the Sooners this year: they mercilessly ran up the score against Missouri in the conference title game in order to get to the 60 point plateau for a record-setting fifth straight game, and they were roundly applauded for this lack of class. If the conference commissioners truly believe that constant criticism and venom toward their sport is good for the game, then by all means they should continue the BCS system. If not... well, I guess the "if not" is never going to happen.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the blog, please post below or I can be reached at chrisf884@gmail.com. Thanks for reading.