It has truly been a whopper of a season in college football that has proven that even if the BCS system is marred – and it is and desperately needs a fairer way of deciding a national champion by incorporating a playoff system – that it can still be sort of right. However, once again we see three undefeated teams in the top three BCS rankings, but only two have been invited to the National Championship game in Glendale, Arizona this year.
National Championship (Fiesta Bowl): Auburn (12-0) vs. Oregon (12-0): The Ducks (Oregon) got what they wanted and well deserved, a trip to Glendale for the title. So did Cam Newton (the quarterback for Auburn) – one of the most spectacular running quarterbacks to ever play in the NCAA, and a landslide Heisman trophy winner – even in spite of recent allegations against him, of which he was cleared of by the NCAA. The Ducks have an impressive no-huddle offense, but they will have to prove it can stack up to Auburn’s mighty defense. The spread is fewer than three points, and analysts expect for this to be a title game for the ages.
Rose Bowl: TCU (12-0) vs. Wisconsin (11-1): Wisconsin has finally paid their dues by pulling off a nearly perfect season. Their reward is a trip to the Rose Bowl, finally. They have been routinely besting every team that they’ve played this year, and look to do so once more against TCU on the national stage. On the other side is TCU, who really was a title consideration this year, as was Wisconsin. But they were overlooked and got the Rose Bowl bid instead, despite having a perfect season. Now they have to prove that last year’s falter against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl was nothing more than a fluke. But they are not playing Boise this year. They are playing a much more capable team that has all the right weapons to hand them another embarrassing bowl game defeat.
Sugar Bowl: Arkansas (10-2) vs. Ohio State (11-1): Arkansas is well deserving of a major BCS bowl game bid. They look every bit the team that can really make a name for themselves this year. They are on a six game winning streak and aim to make that seven against Ohio State. Then there is the other side of the coin: The Buckeyes. Their only loss this year was to Wisconsin, otherwise you would more than likely see Ohio playing for the title. While it’s nice to see Arkansas go to a major bowl game, this matchup looks vastly in favor of a much stronger Ohio State team.
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech (11-2) vs. Stanford (11-1): When was the last time anyone can recall little Stanford being in the top ten? But they worked very hard, and have a great team this year. They are most deserving of being allotted a long overdue Orange Bowl bid. But they are not nearly as seasoned on the national stage as Virginia Tech is. It will be fun to watch them to see who gains the upper hand. Both teams have won 19 consecutive games in a row this year. It’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting Orange Bowls on record.
Well the first week of September is upon us all, and you know what that means for all of you football-loving neophytes out there: It’s nearly time for the most elite of players in the pro leagues to get locked on the gridiron and get down to business. For me—and many other football fans out there—this denotes the marking of our most anticipated time of the year. This is a very special time when we can host football parties at our homes, while getting belligerently hammered on cheap domestic beers, and tossing crunchy chips down our gullets, as we jeer, cheer and talk smack about our favorite teams and their arch rivals. It also marks the commencement of the NCAA football season, too. That means that we fervent football fanatics get our own tastes of both worlds; the best of the two, indeed!