If there were one life lesson that I can pass to you, it would be that life is built on the unexpected. Today was a great example of that lesson. As I started to drive back to Tennessee, I got sick and had to pull over. Just as soon as I was left, I was already coming back. I had to make an adjustment and accept the fact that I couldn’t drive today.
Another great example of this took place this past Friday when the University of Utah “upset” the University of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. From what I saw, the Utes just plain BEAT Alabama. For some, they may pass this game off as the Crimson Tide being a fluke. But the only games Bama lost this year were their last two, against the number one team in the nation, Florida, and Utah.
It is common knowledge that the BCS National Championship Game winner automatically becomes the number one team in the BCS. But the Associated Press poll is not counted towards the BCS anymore, which raises the possibilities. No matter if Oklahoma or Florida wins the “big game,” any other team can be voted to the top of the AP poll.
Could it be Texas? If Oklahoma wins, voters can lean towards giving the number one ranking to the Longhorns if they win their game against Ohio State. The Longhorns defeated the Sooners in the Red River Shootout earlier in the season and, because of the BCS, were denied the opportunity to face Missouri for the Big 12 Championship and thus eliminated them from the BCS title game.
Could it be USC? USC slipped up against Oregon State after defeating Ohio State. They have been a juggernaut in the Pac-10 since that game and proved against Penn State, that they were willing to play anyone, anywhere just to get the proper notoriety.
The only other team that would have qualified is Boise State, who was one point away from finishing the season undefeated as well. Their loss to TCU will surely eliminate them.
My pick is Utah. With wins over Alabama, Oregon State, BYU, and TCU, the Utes have credible wins. Utah cannot control their conference schedule and certainly can’t control the fact that Michigan was just terrible this year. I certainly cannot predict how the AP voters will think but I’m 100% sure that this year there will be a split national champion. In 2004, the BCS left out Auburn and Utah from grabbing an opportunity at a national championship. After that year, the AP asked for their poll to not count in the BCS. If they want to make a statement, vote for Utah!
…I went 2-2 for the NFL’s wild card weekend. The Vikings and Keith Brooking loss this weekend so I couldn’t get the perfect record. As a Falcons fan, I can’t be too upset. This season came out of nowhere. Hopefully we can build on it. Congratulations to Mike Smith for winning Coach of the Year honors.
…Shorter blog today because of me being sick. Tomorrow is my birthday so my gift to you will be another blog based on the NFL playoff weekend. We’ll go NFC on Monday and AFC on Tuesday. For questions and comments, you can email me at richardlowejr@gmail.com or comment below. Have a great day and go blue!
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