College Football resolved
The college football season is over and fortunately, the national champion is settled. It's LSU and they are the clear choice. For the purpose of review:LSU - Won the BCS championship game. Won the unquestioned toughest conference in the country (SEC). Defeated - handily - two of the conference winners from the other five BCS conferences. Lost zero games in regulation. Only two losses came in triple overtime to good teams that went to significant bowl games. Beat several very good teams through the season (Florida, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Tennessee, South Carolina, Ole Miss).Other almost as good options:
Georgia - Lost twice to good teams. Beat many good teams (Florida, Auburn, Hawaii, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss). Finished on a big winning streak. Played in the toughest conference. But they don't make it because they didn't even win their half of the conference to earn the opportunity to play for the conference title - which LSU won.
West Virginia - Lost twice - once to a good team and once to a bad one (when their QB got hurt). Only beat one good team (Oklahoma) and a couple semi-good ones (Connecticut, Cincinnati). If anyone deserves a shot to show what they could have done without injuries, it's West Virginia. But they played a really weak schedule and if you don't play a tough schedule you don't leave yourself any room to falter.
USC - Lost twice - once to a good team and once as the worst upset loss of the entire season (to a 41 point underdog - at home). Beat a few semi-good teams (Arizona State, Illinois, Oregon State, Cal). Finished on a roll. In the end they don't really come that close because of the one horrible loss and having played a much weaker schedule than LSU. Some will argue injuries, but they actually had LESS injuries than LSU did and if it weren't for injuries Oregon would have won the Pac 10 anyways.
Kansas - The rare one loss team (only them and Hawaii). But the schedule was TERRIBLY weak. The only good team they beat all season was Virginia Tech - who LSU crushed. They didn't win their conference either - because the only other good team they played (Missouri) beat them convincingly.
It would have been good to have a playoff. But since we didn't, at least the most deserving team won the title.
(Expect the same kind of mess next year. LSU, Georgia, and Florida will all be terrific in the SEC - which will still be head and shoulders better than the rest of the conferences. USC, West Virginia, and Ohio State will still roll through conferences with no other good teams in them. Oklahoma and Missouri and Texas will all battle in the Big 12. And in the end we'll still have more than two teams worth discussing for the title)
posted by Anonymous @ 2:12 PM
