Now that the re-match between Alabama and LSU bored everyone for a second time, it means that we've officially wrapped up another successful Bowl season... well maybe it was successful. Let's take a look at some of the highs and lows from this past Bowl season.
The Highs:
The Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl: The BCS had to be extremely happy with the way their first three games started out, close and exciting. The Rose Bowl saw a 45-38 shootout between the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers, the game ended when Badgers' QB Russell Wilson decided to try and spike the ball with :02 seconds remaining.
Moving on to the Fiesta Bowl, we had Oklahoma State (who should've been in the National Championship game) take on Stanford. Stanford jumped out big early behind the soon-to-be number one NFL Draft Pick, Andrew Luck and the Cardinal running game. But the Cowboys woke up and showed that they were determined to show they belonged. Justin Blackmon proved why he's going to be the first wide receiver taken in the draft, 8 catches 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Cowboys won 41-38 in overtime thanks in large part to 3 missed field goals by Stanford but it's a win still.
The Sugar Bowl might not have been as exciting as the two games preceeding it but it ended with a lot of excitement. A called touchdown in OT for Va Tech overturned on a judgment call led to their third string kicker missing a field goal after converting his first four attempts. That set Michigan up to put it on the leg of redshirt sophomore kicker Brendan Gibbons to knock home a 37 yard attempt for the win, the same Gibbons who was 1 for 5 last year on field goals. Gibbons told reporters after the game that he was "thinking of brunette girls" before the kick, something Coach Hoke encouraged. Worked out well.
The SEC: The SEC continued it's recent dominance in college bowl by going 6-3 in Bowl play including winning the conference's sixth straight National Championship. In fact, since the NC was an SEC affair they went 5-2 against all other conferences. As much as I hate to admit it, the SEC is still miles ahead of the rest of the game. Oh by the way, the two newcomers to the SEC next year, Missouri and Texas A&M also won their bowl games. So that means 8-3 for the SEC.
The BCS Winner Shirts: Nike was the official sponsor of the BCS apparel this year and did a nice job the t-shirts that the winners threw on after the game. Here's how they rank in order of how I liked them, "Nacho Victory" for the Fiesta, "Pour Some Sugar On Me" for the Sugar, "Rose To Power" for the Rose and "Orange You Glad We Won" for the Orange.
The Alamo Bowl: Heisman winner Robert Griffin III and the Baylor Bears won 67-56 over the Washington Huskies en route to RG3 turning pro. Washington QB Keith Price actually outplayed RG3 and put his name into the Heisman race early for next year, this game set all sorts of records and lacked defense. So if you like offense then you loved this game.
Kellen Moore: The Boise State QB is going out as the most winningest quarterback in NCAA history as Moore won his 50th game of his career when BSU beat Arizona State badly, 56-24 in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl.
The Lows:
The National Championship Game: As if the 9-6 game between LSU and Alabama wasn't horrible the rematch might have been just as bad if not worse. Bama of course won 21-0 and LSU just barely got over the 50-yard line in the game. Oklahoma State has to feel robbed and disappointed. A bad loss at Iowa State late in the year cost them. While the Cowboys probably would've lost due to a faulty defense, they would have at least put up points.
Nelly: ESPN tabbed Nelly and his God awful song "The Champ" to be their theme for the Bowl season, a decision I'm sure not only they regret but the rest of the nation as well. Nelly hasn't come close to duplicating Country Grammar, heck he hasn't come close to duplicating Nellyville and that CD wasn't even that good. Hopefully ESPN gets it right next year.
The Orange Bowl: This game started out promising, looking like the Alamo Bowl Part 2 until West Virginia decided to start playing defense. WVU went on to hang 70 points on Clemson which ultimately cost the Tigers defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, his job. The best part of the game was when WVU's Darwin Cook tackled the Obie the Orange Bowl mascot after his 99-yard fumble return. Check out Darwin's reaction after he found out Obie was a girl:
The Big Ten: While Michigan State and Michigan saved the conference from complete embarrassment with their respective wins, the Big ten still went 4-6 in the Bowl season. Their other two wins were Purdue over MAC Western Michigan and Illinois who beat a terrible UCLA that finished 6-8 this season. The last two years, the Big Ten is 1-9 in their January 1 Bowl games, which is where they showcase their "marquee" teams.
The Lack of a Playoff: Honestly when will the BCS go to a Plus One system or a four team playoff, maybe even an eight or sixteen team playoff? Never. Which means the 2011 Oklahoma State Cowboys will go down in infamy with the 13-0 2004 Auburn Tigers and 2001 Oregon Ducks as teams who got screwed from their shot at the National Championship.
Anything you feel I left off the list? Let me know and speak up.
Friday, January 13, 2012
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