2007 Washinton Edition - 9/30/07
And so it begins - Upset Saturday, and the college football world is going crazy. Luckily, we have no playoff system or rational postseason system, so we get to rely on the media to sort it all out, and they are brilliant. =) The only thing more confusing to me than the fact that a BCS system exists in this day and age is the amount of people who validate it week in and week out by getting hacked off at various rankings. They are subjective, and the entire sports world works off of objective determinations besides college football. It is comical, except it is also tragic (I use the word "tragic" for hyperbolic value).
The saddest thing to me, as a devout USC Trojan, and the biggest college football lover of all time, is that the idea of 3 or 4 teams ending up at the end of the season with the same record is now less likely. I desire a cluster-mess every year, because I desire an end to the most cartoonish system in all organized sports. A simple return to the system of yesteryear is a bad idea, but a better one than the BCS. A "plus one" system is acceptable and superior. But ultimately, my bowl game-wrapped in a playoff system (copies of my proposal available by hitting "reply") is the best idea out there. Heck it is so good, that EVERY SINGLE SPORT AT EVERY SINGLE LEVEL on the planet uses some modification of it, besides NCAA Division I football. Go figure. It is not a question of "if", it is a question of "when". Sadly, the cause may have taken a step back yesterday, as I was praying for four undefeated teams at the end of the year to really demonstrate the folly of the system (again). Alas, it may still happen, but I sure don't want to see it happen because four teams ended up with one loss, if one of those teams is my beloved Trojans. And for now, we are still at zero. But barely ...
- Last night was tough to watch. Our best defensive player didn’t even make the trip. Our starting cornerback also missed the trip. Two starting offensive linemen went out on the exact same play. Our third string cornerback got hurt, forcing us to play the game with our fourth string CB. Besides last year's fullback debacle (which certainly cost us a national championship), I have never seen anything like this. And yet, this team is so deep, we continue to compete, and win. The coaching staff and recruiting efforts deserve innumerable praise for this. And my heart will continue to suffer through many close games, I suspect.
- Truthfully, injuries notwithstanding, we had one of our first games in a while where it was just obvious as can be that the defense won the game for us. Booty struggled. Receivers dropped balls. The running game was not allowed to flow the way it should have been. And yet that defense ran and tackled all over the field, and ultimately kept Washington from scoring off any sustained drives.
- Carroll will use this game as a learning experience - I assure you. But no matter what, if we do not go into Cal or Oregon or ASU with an improved team, an improved efficiency, and improved discipline, we will lose one (if not two) of those games. Color me optimistic, but based on Carroll's lifetime undefeated record in November, you can count me in on the camp that believes he will pull it together.
- Terrell Thomas was the MVP of the game. That forced punt fumble was a beautiful display of athleticism. His onside kick grab sealed the deal. Kudos, TT, and fight the hell on!
- Booty's guys need to help him out more. The dropped balls were not all his fault (though some were). Expect him to clean it up mightily coming into October.
- I don't need to make excuses, because we won the game, but that was one of the worst officiating performances I have seen in years. Can't wait to hear what Carroll says tomorrow.
- Around the country:
I missed UCLA/Oregon State, but it looks like an impressive boost by the Bruins after being down 14-0. It also looks like Oregon State is collapsing. As for the Oregon/Cal game, I really have to say that both Dixon and Longshore are very unimpressive. Deshaun Jackson, on the other hand, made a compelling case for re-entering the Heisman race. I think both teams are good, athletic, and appropriately rated after Saturday. But honestly, I am more worried about ASU than the other two. We shall see.
The biggest shock to me on upset Saturday was not Florida's loss to a terrible Auburn team. It was Oklahoma's loss to an atrocious Colorado team that played a 4th quarter for the ages. The whole Saturday experience reiterated the superiority of the college game to the pro game, and the excitement that is 19-year olds strapping the helmets on and bringing the feet. Many young people experienced the greatest moment of their lives yesterday. Think about that!
If I was cursed with a career as an AP reporter, I would have voted for LSU as #1 as well. Subjectively, a mostly unproven LSU team looks slightly better than a mostly unproven USC team so far. They both won blowout games in BCS bowls last year, and they both are 4-0 through the first month of the season. It is a worthless event, but as subjective rankings in the month of September go, it is about right. Now, give it another month, and things will be interesting. It is just about impossible to go undefeated any more, but I suspect that the only undefeated team at the end of the season will be the national champ. Perhaps, like 2003 and 2006, the national champ will have a loss. And perhaps, like 2004 and 2005, there will be other undefeated teams besides the national champion - but I doubt it.
Until we meet again,DLB