End the BCS mess, and set up a playoff; Current system casts a legitimacy cloud
Once again this year, the Bowl Championship Series - which is supposed to yield an undisputed national champion in college football - had some issues. It's time to abandon this ridiculous system and institute a college football playoff.
The BCS determines the two teams to play in its title game by some arcane mixture of polls, computer rankings, coin flips and, we're pretty sure, a Magic 8-Ball. But only rarely is there any consensus on whether the best two teams got in.
This year was particularly bad, with at least three additional teams making strong arguments they deserved a spot in the title game.
Here in Ann Arbor, we feel comfortable raising the issue this year because, well, the Wolverines weren't really part of the equation. But the maize and blue has had its share of BCS frustration, too. Only two years ago, Michigan just barely missed out on a chance to play for the championship and avenge its only loss, to Ohio State. That year, a last-minute change in the rankings let a one-loss Florida team squeeze past the Wolverines and into the title game.
The system is a mess. A playoff involving the top eight teams in the country would be a great improvement. There would still be arguments about who would constitute that eight, but there really shouldn't be any doubt that the winner of a three-round tournament would be a legitimate national champion.
There are serious concerns to this; these are still college students, after all, with academic pressures and young bodies that take a lot of punishment. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez hasn't said much about the system since coming here, but former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr long ago went on record as favoring a playoff system - and he certainly had his players' best interests in mind. Even President-elect Barack Obama has said it's a good idea.
There are also some practical issues. The biggest things standing in the way of change are the large amount of money being made under the current system and the long-term television contracts that go along with it. But contracts could be renegotiated, and money is simply not a good enough reason to avoid the change.
Sports wouldn't be sports without winning and losing. The trouble with the BCS is that it leaves the nominal winner open to accusations of not really deserving the championship, and it leaves those with legitimate claims to play for the title never knowing how good they really were.
This is hardly one of the bigger problems facing the country right now, but it's a bad situation that could be fixed. Wouldn't it be nice to think that the Wolverines' next national championship would be completely undisputed?
(c)2008 Michigan Live LLC
Jordan Hill switches commitment to Penn State
CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News
Steel-High defensive tackle Jordan Hill has accepted a scholarship offer to play at Penn State. Hill initially gave a verbal commitment to Rutgers.
Jordan Hill always had a deep passion for Penn State's football program.
The Steel-High two-way lineman didn't get any offers from the Nittany Lions during early stages of the recruiting process, though.
Following a splendid senior season, Penn State quickly jumped on board and recently extended Hill a long awaited scholarship offer.
And Hill has accepted, he told The Patriot-News Saturday afternoon.
After initially giving Rutgers a verbal commitment last summer, Hill has changed planes and plans to land in State College this fall as a member of the Nittany Lions.
Following a senior season where he helped lead Steel-High to a second consecutive PIAA Class A championship and earned Associated Press Class A Co-Player of the Year honors, Hill's recruiting heated up once again.
The 6-2, 288-pound Hill visited Pittsburgh shortly after the state title game, and was always in contact with Rutgers.
Just before the Nittany Lions coaching staff departed for the Rose Bowl in California, PSU assistant coach Larry Johnson Sr. paid Hill a visit at Steel-High and extended a scholarship offer.
Hill originally planned to pay Penn State an official visit some time in the next two weeks before making a decision. Instead of waiting, he decided to end the recruiting game.
As a senior, Hill recorded 117 tackles, 41 of those for losses, and 12 1/2 sacks from his defensive tackle position.
(c)2009 pennlive.com
BCS run is Johnson's reward for missing season
Standing on the Rose Bowl sideline that September afternoon when Utah was losing to UCLA, quarterback Brian Johnson wondered what he ever was thinking when he chose to sit out the season.
Two years later, he knows.
Johnson understands perfectly where all that advice was coming from, now that the Utes are 12-0 and preparing to play Alabama in next Friday's Sugar Bowl.
The story will remain part of the lore of Utah's return to the Bowl Championship Series, how Johnson would have missed all of this -- and who knows if it would have happened without him? -- if not for the knee injury that served to extend his college career.
"It's very rewarding," Johnson said, "just because of the road we've traveled, the adversity not only I've been through, but we've been through as a program. We've experienced some of the highest of highs and some of the lowest of lows. It's been a true full-circle ride."
So here they are, back in a BCS game, just like four years ago when Johnson was a 17-year-old freshman backing up Alex Smith. Since then, Johnson has played through his first season as a starter that ended with his knee injury in the 10th game, the redshirt year, a junior season when a shoulder injury cost him parts of four games and limited him the rest of the way, and now this: a 12-0 season, with another game to play.
Somebody obviously knew something in the summer of '06. Maybe offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig did not quite envision all of this, but he projected an '08 lineup that included receivers Brent Casteel, Bradon Godfrey and Freddie Brown and a veteran offensive line. "Look at your senior year," Ludwig told Johnson. "You're going to be loaded with playmakers."
As much as he had worked to return to the field, nine months after his injury, Johnson soon recognized the value of waiting. It may have been the best call of Ludwig's four years with the Utes. During this deferred senior year, Johnson became even more of a team leader, while producing the winning drives in signature victories over Oregon State and Texas Christian.
"Brian kept it all on his shoulders and we got through a couple tough games, just because he's a great leader," Casteel said.
"He just handles everything with poise," said Stacey Johnson, whose admiration of his son goes beyond football. He's proud of the way Brian has matured as a team spokesman (coach Kyle Whittingham requires the starting quarterback to attend a weekly news conference) and last spring completed a degree in mass communication.
Johnson's football success is no surprise to anyone at Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown, Texas, near Houston. Having transferred from his hometown school in Crosby, about a dozen miles away, Johnson joined Lee's remarkable run of developing major college quarterbacks. But that was only after spending his junior year as a receiver and defensive back, while the Ganders were quarterbacked by future Iowa star Drew Tate.
Johnson's most memorable moment that season came when he broke his two front teeth while making a tackle. A quick visit to the emergency room enabled him to play in the second half, and a day in the dentist's chair restored his smile in time for the homecoming dance. Yet the experience convinced him he would be "nothing but a quarterback," according to his father, who laughed while retelling the story.
The next spring, when Texas high schools were practicing, then-Utah quarterback coach Dan Mullen scouted Johnson as a potential replacement for Smith in a spread offense. Mullen liked Johnson , but coach Urban Meyer needed to see game film before committing to him. The proof came early that season when Johnson delivered "ridiculous" numbers, by his account, in a game that Mullen witnessed, then brought back the film to show Meyer.
Johnson accepted the scholarship offer and was part of the '04 Fiesta Bowl season, only to have Meyer and Mullen go to Florida by the time he was ready to follow Smith as Utah's starter. Johnson thrived in Ludwig's system as a sophomore in 2005, ranking fourth in the country in total offense, but the Utes were only 5-5 when his season ended.
Then, after Brett Ratliff led the Utes to an overtime upset of Brigham Young and an Emerald Bowl rout of Georgia Tech, Johnson spent a lonely offseason of rehabilitation, followed by the redshirt year. "That was a tough time," he said.
It became even tougher in '07, when he took the field for the first time in 21 months and was knocked out of the opener at Oregon State with a separated shoulder just before halftime. "That was kind of a 'why me?'" he said. "I really didn't understand that, because I had worked so hard, just to try to get healthy."
Before Johnson resumed his starting role, the Utes had lost three of four games and Whittingham's future was being questioned. Since then, Utah is 20-1.
This season, Johnson has completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,636 yards and 24 touchdowns. His numbers do not quite match those of his sophomore year, but the team's record is considerably better.
As he leaves the program following the Sugar Bowl, Johnson's legacy will be built around his perseverance, his winning nature and his prescience in looking ahead to the possibilities of this '08 season.
"Brian is a fighter, I'm a fighter," said Casteel, who came back from a major knee injury of his own. "His injury definitely inspired me to get better and do more."
Judging by the Utes' performance, Johnson's influence was contagious.
sltrib.com
Oklahoma's Sam Bradford: AP Player of the Year
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Sam Bradford of Oklahoma was voted The Associated Press college football player of the year Monday. He beat out the same two quarterbacks he did in capturing the Heisman Trophy - Colt McCoy of Texas and Tim Tebow of Florida.
Bradford received 27 votes from the AP media panel that votes in the weekly poll. The sophomore quarterback was followed by McCoy with 17 votes. Tebow won the award last year and had 16 votes this time. Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree had two votes.
Bradford is the third Oklahoma player to win the AP award, which began in 1998. The others were Josh Heupel in 2000 and Jason White in 2003.
Bradford, McCoy and Tebow finished in the same order in the Heisman balloting. Bradford will lead No. 2 Oklahoma against Tebow and No. 1 Florida in the BCS title game Jan. 8 in Miami.
Oklahoma's offense this season has been among the most prolific, scoring 702 points and breaking the major-college record of 656 set by Hawaii in 2006. The Sooners are the first major-college team in 89 years to score at least 60 points in five straight games, a streak they'll take into the showdown with Florida.
Bradford, 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds, has passed for 4,464 yards and 48 touchdowns this season, breaking the school record White set in 2003. He also leads the nation in passing efficiency and has thrown only six interceptions.
Bradford tore ligaments in the thumb on his left (nonthrowing) hand during a win over Oklahoma State on Nov. 29. He played despite the injury as the Sooners routed Missouri in the Big 12 title game Dec. 6 and underwent surgery the next day. Coaches said at the time Bradford most likely will return to practice within 10 days.
Bradford came to Oklahoma in 2006 regarded by many as merely an insurance policy should something happen to Rhett Bomar.
Something did happen. Bomar broke NCAA rules by receiving extra pay for work he did not do at a Norman car dealership, and Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops kicked him off the team that August.
Bradford redshirted in 2006, waiting behind Paul Thompson - who stepped in and guided the Sooners to a Big 12 title - then emerged from a three-way competition for the starting job last season.
He passed for 7,585 yards and a school-record 84 touchdowns in his two seasons as the starter. Bradford needs 338 passing yards against Florida to overtake White for the school record.
Bradford plays in the state that produced the great Jim Thorpe, an American Indian. Bradford is a member of the Cherokee Nation and has become a symbol of sorts in the native American community. He has said he has embraced that heritage more since he became the Sooners' quarterback than he did while growing up in Oklahoma City.
Copyright (c) 2008 The Associated Press
Jay Jacobs Is Auburn's Dirty Santa
On Saturday evening, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs delivered Tiger fans the present they'd been wishing for: a new head coach. Sadly, Jacobs' big surprise turned out to be a gag gift.
With Saturday's lackluster hiring of Gene Chizik as Auburn head coach, Auburn president Jay Gogue and Tiger AD Jacobs signaled surrender. The war is over. A decade of competition is ended. Auburn concedes its status as a contender in the SEC football race.
Merry Christmas, Nick Saban. Happy Holidays, Mark Richt. Joyeux Noel, Les Miles. Seasons Greetings, Urban Meyer. Feliz Navidad, Bobby Petrino. Auburn's thrown in the towel and raised the white flag.
You won't have the Tigers to worry about any more. Auburn opts out of the chase to remain among the SEC elite.
Since he was appointed athletic director in 2005, Jacobs faced whispers that he was underqualified for the position of athletic director and that his hiring was a political move rather than what was in the best interest of Auburn. On Saturday, Jacobs put an end to some of the the speculation.
The whisperers were right: He is clearly not up to the task.
When Arkansas needed a head coach after parting ways with the mercurial but successful Houston Nutt, the Razorbacks raided the Atlanta Falcons and nabbed a proven winner in Bobby Petrino.
When Alabama needed a head coach to help bring the Tide back to legitimacy, Alabama brass weathered a potential public relations nightmare and bet the farm on a proven success with Nick Saban. Bama officials had the guts and the nerve to go all in for the former LSU coach. The gamble paid off in a big way.
When Mississippi State needed a head coach, the Bulldogs Athletic Director pulled in the offensive coordinator from the nation's hottest college football team. In doing so, he brought an infusion of energy to an offense that struggled over the past four seasons and united the fanbase.
When Auburn needed a head coach, Jacobs promised to conduct an extensive national search and vowed that money was no object. He pledged to bring the best coach available to help guide the Tiger football program.
His answer is Gene Chizik?
I'm sorry. Was Dauber not available?
Chizik returns to Auburn five years after walking out on the Tigers to make a lateral move to Texas, a departure which was rife with acrimony. After leaving, Chizik had more than a few unflattering things to say about his former employer.
Hello. Was Gerry Faust not taking calls?
Chizik brings a 10-game losing streak to the Plains, part of his five total wins in two seasons as head coach at Iowa State.
Just curious, how did Lee Corso not make the cut?
Winning coaches know how to win regardless of the circumstances. Of the names confirmed to have interviewed with Jacobs, only Chizik sported a losing record.
Turner Gill turned around a moribund Buffalo program. His candidacy had Auburn fans energized. His offensive experience could have infused excitement into a program that has struggled to generate points in the last decade.
Gill was passed over for a coach who managed to take a bad Big 12 program and make it worse. Chizik's Cyclones were 0-8 in the league in 2008 despite not playing Texas, Texas Tech, or Oklahoma.
Gary Patterson took over a TCU program eight years ago that had one 10-win season since 1938. He since led the Horned Frogs to five 10-win campaigns. With limited resources, Patterson's teams beat programs from both the Big 12 and the SEC.
Money was no object, but Patterson was bypassed.
Chizik, who wouldn't have been granted a raise by the Iowa State administration had he asked for one, had his pay at least doubled when he accepted the Auburn job.
Derrick Dooley, Todd Graham, and Brady Hoke all took struggling programs and made them competitive.
Chizik took a struggling program and plunged it into the abyss.
With this coaching hire, Jacobs hoped to unite the Auburn fanbase. He has. Auburn fans are united in scorn and in disappointment.
With this coaching hire, Jacobs vowed to bring a proven coach to the Plains. He did. Chizik has proven woefully incompetent and completely befuddled in two dismal seasons in Ames Iowa.
With this coaching hire, Jacobs had the chance to put his stamp on the Auburn program and establish his legacy. He will. Insufficient postage.
With this coaching hire, Jacobs wanted to instill hope. He has. Ed Orgeron today has hope that his hire at Ole Miss may no longer be considered the worst in the SEC this century.
Of all the options available to Auburn, the hiring of Chizik makes the least sense.
It's the equivalent of Jerry Bruckenheimer casting the new Transformers movie and passing on Shia Lebouf, Hayden Christensen and Orlando Bloom in order to cast Gary Coleman in the lead.
Chizik may turn out to be an excellent hire. After all, Alabama's Gene Stallings came to the Capstone with a losing career record and enjoyed one of the most successful runs in that school's history.
Unfortunately there's nothing to suggest in the history of either Chizik or Jacobs that this Christmas Story will have that kind of happy ending.
Merry Christmas, Auburn fans. It's a fruitcake. Enjoy.
Copyright 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Iowa Hawkeyes, Beware!
Some folks refer to it as the Mafia Bowl, especially after one player admitted accepting a $50,000 bribe. But, there were also other factors than the mob involved in this college football upset.
The end of the year 1985, the Iowa Hawkeyes were on fire. They had already beaten the No.2 team in the nation (sound familiar?). They had it all: offense, defense, passing game, running game, and... oh, did I mention they like to party too?
Heavily favored to end the season with a No.1 or No.2 ranking, they celebrated their visit to a warm climate bowl game... the Rose Bowl against UCLA, who started their second string quarterback and lost their starting tailback.
Yes, the Iowa City bunch celebrated long and hard that New Year's Eve, basking in Hollywood-like celebrity status reserved for heroes, into the wee hours of the morning before the contest would begin. New Year's Eve, 1985 became New Year's Day, 1986.
Before the game was over the usually sure handed Hawkeyes had dropped an easy, all alone in the end zone pass and lost four fumbles (and that was just the first half).
Hawkeyes standing around on defense and offense, some puking their guts out on the field in front of a national television audience, they played in a mental and physical fog, and then they crawled away, still stunned and dazed by the swaggering frolic the night before.
By the time the game had come and gone, the hungover Hawks never knew what hit them.
Copyright 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Oklahoma Quarterback Injures Hand
NORMAN, Okla. - Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford tore ligaments in his non-throwing hand during the Sooners' win against Oklahoma State and is expected to have surgery following the Big 12 championship game.
Sooners coach Bob Stoops said Bradford was hurt on the third series of the game, but played with the injury the rest of the game. He threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a score.
Bradford leads the nation with 46 touchdown passes this season, and he added to his long line of school records by passing 2003 Heisman Trophy winner Jason White's career touchdown mark and 2000 Heisman runner-up Josh Heupel's season passing mark on Saturday.
Stoops expects Bradford to play with a soft cast on his left hand in the championship game against No. 19 Missouri on Saturday.
Bradford had to play out of the shotgun in the second half against Oklahoma State, and Stoops said the hand injury contributed to two fumbled snaps. It didn't stop Bradford from taking an end-over-end flip on an 8-yard scramble in the third quarter, which set up his 1-yard touchdown run on the next play. Bradford fumbled the snap on that fourth-down play, but was able to recover and get into the end zone.
"I thought Sam Bradford again was just amazing and unbelievable in how he played," Stoops said Sunday.
Oklahoma will be without middle linebacker Austin Box, who sprained a ligament in his left knee, for the next three to four weeks. Stoops said Mike Balogun, who replaced Box on Saturday night, will be the replacement.
Balogun will be the Sooners' third starting middle linebacker this season. Starter Ryan Reynolds had a season-ending knee injury against Texas, and safety Nic Harris filled in for a week before Box was ready to play.
Stoops said defensive end Auston English, who has missed the past three games with a sprained knee, may be able to return in time to play against Missouri.
Copyright (c)2008, Arkansas Business Limited Partnership. All rights reserved.
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