Scarlet & Gray Spring Game Info for this Saturday

FB: Scarlet, Gray and Sunscreen

Buckeye students aim to turn Ohio Stadium south stands into South Beach at annual spring football game Saturday, free admission with valid Buck ID

Who: Ohio State Students
What: Buckeye Beach Party
When: Saturday, April 25
10 a.m. Gate 32 opens;
11 a.m. Men’s Lacrosse game vs. Notre Dame (The Showdown in the ‘Shoe)
1:30 p.m. 2009 LifeSports Spring Football Game
Where: South Stands, Ohio Stadium (enter Gate 32)
Cost: FREE! (to Ohio State Students with a valid  BUCK ID)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – With temperatures expected to exceed 80 degrees Saturday, Jim Tressel, head coach of the Buckeyes,  the Ohio State Department of Athletics and the University’s Office of Student Life, have invited OSU students to transform Ohio Stadium’s south stands into a beach-day atmosphere during the 2009 LifeSports Spring Football Game.

Buckeye students labored to class under gray skies, drizzle and temperatures falling short of 50 degrees Tuesday, making for a long-awaited upturn in the weather. Saturday, the students will have Ohio Stadium south stands to bask in the sunshine and take in not only the annual Scarlet and Gray football game ( about 1:30 p.m.), but also a conference championship deciding lacrosse match between the Buckeyes and longtime regional rival Notre Dame (11 a.m.).

For their dedication throughout the 2008-09 athletics season, Ohio State students can enjoy all the festivities on and off the field Saturday FOR FREE. To gain free admission to Ohio Stadium, students with valid Buck IDs can enter south stands through Gate 32 (open 10 a.m.).

Students that previously purchased tickets through the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office for the lacrosse/football spring game – which share a $5 admission cost – can be issued refunds by calling 1-800-GoBucks.

Saturday festivities will include beach-themed music, games and prizes, while all students are asked to wear beach attire like Hawai’ian shirts, board shorts, sandals, etc.

For more information on the lacrosse and spring football game, as well as the second annual Scarlet and Gray Days sports celebration April 24-26, visit www.OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

NOTE: Access to Section AA of the south stands will be restricted until the conclusion of the lacrosse game. Section AA is located directly behind the lacrosse goal and within proximity to errant shots.

About Ohio State Athletics
The Ohio State University Department of Athletics sponsors 36 fully funded varsity teams – 17 for women, 16 for men and three co-educational. The department is committed to providing its more than 1,000 student-athletes with the finest in academic and athletics support in order to ensure a quality and life-enhancing experience. The Department of Athletics is completely self-supporting and receives no university monies, tax dollars or student fees. In Fiscal Year 2008-09, the Department of Athletics will transfer back to the University more than $26 million in assessments, including nearly $13 million in grant-in-aid costs.

Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com  Release: 04/22/2009

Akron Makes MAC Final

Twice denied, Akron is getting a third straight try at a Mid-American Conference championship.
Continue reading at College Sports for NBC4i.com

Buckeyes, Iowa meet later tonight

Ohio State is a win away from the Big Ten Tournament championship game Sunday night in Conseco Fieldhouse. The Buckeyes (25-5) are the No. 1 seed, of course, and the regular-season conference champions. Fourth-seeded Iowa, their opponent tonight, could provide…
Continue reading at Ohio State women’s basketball

Lady hoopsters win 5th straight conference crown

Champions
I know… I know.  I know.  No one likes me blogging about the women’s basketball team.  However, this is kind of a big deal so you’ll just have to suffer through it or not read it.   Ohio State’s women’s basketball team has just concluded its 5th consecutive season with a Big Ten conference championship.  [...]
Continue reading at Our Honor Defend

Buckeyes in the News

Members of the Buckeyes rowing team volunteer at Habitat and Humanity among other organizations. For more information….Click here!

Natalie Spooner, a freshman forward on the Ohio State women’s hockey team, earned the WCHA’s Rookie of the Week award. It is the fourth Rookie of the Week honor for Spooner with the Buckeyes earning seven player of the week awards overall this season. For more info!

The Big Ten Network announced it will televise seven 2009 Big Ten Conference championships during a five-week span from March 1 through April 4.  The championships schedule includes men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track and field and wrestling. For more info.. CLick here!

Mike Pires, a sophomore midfielder on the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team, has been named the Great Western Lacrosse League Player of the Week. Click here for more!

Former Youngstown State Football Coach Jim Tressel was honored as the 2009 Penguin of the Year at the Penguin Club’s 19th Annual Scholarship Ring Banquet on Sunday evening at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman. Click for more!

Bryan Koniecko, a member of the No. 1-ranked Ohio State men’s tennis team, was named Big Ten Player of the Week. Click for more!

Story By Buckeye Legends

Checking in with Bill Carollo, Part I

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Only 12 days have passed since Bill Carollo officiated his final NFL game at the AFC Championship, but the longtime pro referee is quickly switching his focus from Sundays to Saturdays.

Carollo took over as Big Ten coordinator of football officials on Jan. 1 after being named to the position last year. Following two decades in the NFL, where he officiated two Super Bowls and eight conference championship games, Carollo returns to the college ranks, where he served as a Big Ten official from 1980-88. 

Carollo worked closey with outgoing Big Ten coordinator of officials Dave Parry throughout the 2008 season, corresponding every Monday to review the weekend's games, the key calls and the duties of the league's top officiating administrator. Carollo also traveled to the Holiday Bowl and spent time with the Big Ten officiating crew working the game. 

"Every week, I spent several hours talking to Dave about situations, how he was doing it and how I'd like to do it," Carollo said. "Obviously, it's in good shape, and I'm trying to continue to improve it." 

A Wisconsin native who still lives in the Milwaukee area, Carollo is spending several days a week at the Big Ten offices in Park Ridge, Ill. I caught up with him this afternoon to discuss his new job, the transition back to the college game and his plans for Big Ten officiating going forward. The second half of my interview with Carollo will be posted Friday morning. 

How many Big Ten officials do you know, just from crossing paths over the years?

Bill Carollo: I probably knew 80 plus percent pretty well. There's probably 10 percent I've met at clinics over the years, but that I maybe didn't know well. But some of them I actually refereed with. Some of them are replay people, some are technical advisors, a couple just came off the field. Since I stayed in the Midwest, it was relatively easy. I've already had all the head referees in two weeks ago for a day and a half. I did a 1-on-1 [meeting] for an hour with every referee, so they could know me a little bit better. At the same time, I wanted to understand some of their goals, what's on their mind, good things, bad things, so forth. And then we met as a team and spent an entire day with anybody who had worked a Big Ten game as a referee, young guys as well as our most veteran officials. And I had some outside help. Jerry Markbreit, who was from the NFL, from Chicago, former Big Ten guy, excellent trainer, does the training for the NFL officials, I had him come in and talk. We didn't talk about roughing the quarterback or roughing the kicker, X's and O's for football. We talked about leadership and professionalism. We spent about a day and a half doing that. I also presented to them what my vision, what the program's going to look like. But we never put up one football play. So there's some things I wanted to communicate with the head referees first, making sure they understood what I expected of them, how the program would change or maybe expand with some additional responsibility and also accountability for the head referees. And then the week after next, I'll meet with all the replay people that we have. I will be getting with each subgroup within the Big Ten in the next 90 days.

You mention additional responsibilities for the head referees. Does that relate to crew evaluations, game-day duties, anything specific?

BC: I kind of laid out the program and said, 'I can't do all these things by myself.' Some of it has to do with technology enhancements. Some has to do with giving them a little bit more responsibility with their crew, and in the offseason, helping me do some of the training and run some of the clinics and manage some of the communication lines to everybody on their crew. When we go to spring games, I would like to see a mini clinic and start recruiting or training some of the local people at each of the schools. Instead of going in and doing a spring game, let's not waste that opportunity. Let's spend some time with the coaches and the local officials. Let's invite them in so we can help train and give a little bit more back as far as running the mini clinic in conjunction with the spring games. I'll also ask them to do a little bit more as far as taking the lead on some of the new technology, making sure their crews are trained properly. I spent a lot of time on leadership and professionalism because if they're going to wear the white hat and be a crew leader in the Big Ten, they represent the Big Ten. So here are the things I'm going to expect you to do on and off the field, and some of it has to do with football training. I think it was well received. Change is always tough. People don't like change, but they're excited about it so far.

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Urban Meyer: ND Still "My Dream Job"

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article for FOXSports.com about possible replacements for Charlie Weis if he resigned or was terminated from Notre Dame. Urban Meyer was at the top of my list- he had the best odds.

Gators fans ripped me and called me “clueless”- Urban would not leave Gainesville for South Bend. Florida is his dream job, and why would he ever leave sunshine for snow? Blah blah blah.

Flash forward to this week. On Wednesday, Meyer told a Florida radio show that Notre Dame is “still my dream job; that hasn’t changed.”

Uh huh. I thought so. Some things are so obvious, they will never change. Here comes the proverbial I-told-you-so. Gators fans are in complete denial about their coach.

When everything is said and done in fifty years, Meyer will not be remembered for what he has accomplished at Gainesville.

Like it or not, this is fact- Florida has only recently become a football force after a long hibernation from gridiron greatness. Quick, tell me who was a Notre Dame coach in the 70’s? Or Ohio State in the 60’s? Easy, huh? Now tell me Florida’s coach.

You cannot deny the obvious- some football programs have such a storied past, that their coaches are remembered fifty years later- they are immortalized. Notre Dame has that power. Michigan has that power. Oklahoma, USC, Nebraska and Alabama have that power. Florida, does not. Yet.

Eight conference championships and two National Championships- the first being in 1996, the second in 2006 – do not a dynasty in college football make. It’s trendy. The Gators are new to all of this. Ten years do not compare to ninety years. It’s not even close folks.

Notre Dame has won a National Championship in every decade, except for in the 50’s and 90’s- 1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977 and 1988.

Winning a national championship at Notre Dame guarantees that coach eternal greatness and a probable throne behind the Pearly Gates. Notre Dame, whether you admit it or not, whether you’re in denial or not, is the most powerful football program in the country.

Urban knows that. NBC knows that. The bowls know that. God knows that.

So will he leave?

“Meyer is working on a second national title with a quarterback who is running a second Heisman Trophy campaign,” according to the Orlando Sentinel. “Meyer said he was already ‘in the 11th hour’ with Florida when Notre Dame called.”

Wait a minute- “when Notre Dame called”?

Did Notre Dame put out some “feelers” to Urban Meyer after the Fighting Irish’s loss to USC? (note- this author believes they did) It reads that way. And it makes sense. That one week period after the USC loss was quiet. Too quiet.

When Fighting Irish AD Jack Swarbrick finally confirmed that Weis would be the coach, everyone assumed it was over. “He, I and the others involved in leading our football program are committed to doing everything necessary to ensure a successful 2009 season,” Swarbrick said. “We are examining every aspect of the program and will make changes wherever we think they are needed.”

OK…that’s a little muddled. But here’s the thing- what if Meyer, after the January 8th BCS Championship Game, decides he is done? If he wins the title, and Tebow bails, Meyer is going to have to start from scratch.

Notre Dame, however, is a different story. A roster filled with juniors and seniors, and a perfect quarterback to run his beloved spread- Dayne Crist. Buh-bye Jimmy Clausen, hello Dayne Crist. Would this not be the perfect time for Meyer to take over the reins?

Wouldn’t the timing be perfect? Weis is running around recruiting while Meyer is getting ready for the Oklahoma Sooners. If no one says anything, then everything is status quo and no player goes mental with the prospect of losing their coach.

After the bowl games, Weis is let go, and Meyer takes over. It’s perfect.

Meyer will have accomplished everything he could have ever wished for at Florida, and Notre Dame, his dream job, would be there plump full of recruits who are just dying to be coached up.

Do you think Jack Swarbrick would say ‘no” to Meyer if he called up and said, “I’m yours”?

Do you think he’ll say “no” to a coach who is 2-0 in BCS Bowls (and has possibly two NCs by next month)?

Could it be that Meyer is dropping hints about where is deep love is? Drooping hints that this is it- after this BCS Bowl, don’t hate me if I bail because ND is my dream job?

Set-up? Laying down the foundation? Avoiding “a Saban” by letting folks know that he will eventually want to coach at Notre Dame, so get used to the idea, Gator fans?

Count on it.

 

*special thanks to Orlando Sentinel’s 12/12/08 article by Jeremy Fowler.

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2008 Rose Bowl Preview: Who Has The Edge?

The 2008 Rose Bowl will be the only BCS bowl game to feature two one loss conference champions play head to head besides the National Title Game. So naturally this game will function as a sort of “semifinal” in which the winner can make a case that they deserve to play the winner of the title game for the real title in a plus one format.

But that’s another story for another day…

So Penn State and USC will face off in the 95th Rose Bowl.

Great. Another Big Ten team sent to their execution in sunny Pasadena?

Wrong. Or at least, the facts show otherwise.

Before breaking down this match up, it is essential to analyze the reason for this “Big 10 is going to get blown out” stigma in the Rose Bowl.

The Big 10’s record in this game against a Pac-10 opponent since 2000 is a lowly 1-3.

The lone victory in this decade game came against Stanford.

Wisconsin beat them 17-9 in 2000.

The other three games between the Pac-10 and the Big 10 in this game have been USC vs. Michigan twice, and once Illinois.

The combined scores of those games?

USC-109

UM & Ill.-49

So chalk up this decade to USC in particular when it comes to the traditional Big 10 vs. Pac-10 match up in this game.

While Penn State can not even bring the Big 10’s record to .500 vs. USC in the Rose Bowl this decade with a win on New Year’s Day, they would go a far way towards healing that stigma.

Without further ado, the preview:

Coaching

Penn State

Joe Paterno has two National Titles, five Undefeated Seasons, 383 wins, 23 Bowl Victories, and is the only coach to win all four BCS Bowl Games (Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, Orange).

It is an inspiring resume.

Combine that with Galen Hall, Tom Bradley, and Jay Paterno, and you have one hell of a staff. Penn State’s coaches have been flawless all year, except for a couple of bad calls in the red zone against Iowa.

And even with the blunders, it took a last second field goal to top Penn State by one point.

 

USC

Pete Carroll has two National Titles, an 85.3 percent Winning Percentage, and is 5-2 in bowl games. He’s only been coaching for seven years or so.

And his offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is great as well, but will be leaving to go to Washington next season, which could or might be a distraction.

Nick Holt on D…need I say more or did USC’s D speak for itself?

 

Advantage: Penn State

How can you go against such a consistent staff such as Penn State’s? Especially with Joe Paterno. The legend gets the nod here, but when it comes to the Rose Bowl, Carroll definitely knows a thing or two about how to win one of these for sure.

The thing that hurt USC in my eyes was the whole Sarkisian situation possibly becoming a distraction.

 

Offense

Penn State

Spread HD. Two words that struck some fear into many teams this season.

Daryl Clark passing to a trio of wide receivers in Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood, and Deon Butler that have combined for 121 catches, 1769 yards, and 15 touchdowns.

If he is not passing, he is handing it off to the 1-2 punch of Evan Royster and Stephfon Green who combined for 280 carries, 1723 yards, and 16 touchdowns. 

Pretty lethal. Not to mention Clark can run.

75 carries for 265 yards and 12 touchdowns.

And that offensive line?

The main reason this offensive unit has been averaging 40 points a game.

 

USC

The Trojans have an amazing offense as usual with Mark Sanchez leading the attack.

They average 37 points per game.

The stable of running backs is effective as ever.

Between C.J. Gable, Joe McKnight, and Stafon Johnson, they have racked up 1892 yards on only 313 carries for an average of 6 yards per carry, and scored 19 touchdowns.

And how could we forget those wide receivers? The trio of Damien Williams, Patrick Turner, and Ronald Johnson have combined for some gaudy stats.

122 catches, 1862 yards, 24 touchdowns.

All behind a great offensive line that keeps Sanchez off the ground.

 

Advantage: TIE

I watched Penn State each and every week rip most teams to shreds with a balanced attack. 

USC’s offense statistically is a bit better.

I have seen both teams struggle to move the ball in a couple of games, but they both have such balanced attacks. Daryl Clark’s dangerous mobility, and the seniority of that PSU offensive line counters the slight statistical advantage that USC’s running backs and receivers have.

Both teams are extremely talented at the skill positions, and they are about dead even in this category.

Defense

Penn State

One of the best units in the country ranked fifth in total defense allowing only 12.4 points per game.

Although dominating in many games, especially the 13-6 victory over No. 10 Ohio State in Columbus, they played a soft non-conference schedule which helped inflate their stats a bit.

Their highest points allowed in a game was 24, and that occurred twice. It is not shabby of course, but represented a more “bend don’t break” mentality than dominating defense.

They have leadership, but it is young. Josh Hull, a walk on as a linebacker at Linebacker U?

He has come into his own, and leads a defense that had many injury issues, including Sean Lee’s which put Hull on the field in the first place.

The strong spot on this defense is the defensive line. Although they do not have much depth, they are definitely strong, with Aaron Maybin, Josh Gaines, Maurice Evans, and Jared Odrick.

 

USC

You thought fifth was a good ranking?

Try first in the country in total defense.

Allowing how many points per game?

*Gulp* 7.8.

Yes folks that is under 10. That is under eight for crying out loud! Even with that admittedly tougher non-conference schedule.

Leadership?

They got it.

Award winning linebacker?

USC has him. His name is Rey Maualuga.

This 6′3″ 250 pound Linebacker has terrorized the Pac-10 (although apparently so do Mountain West Conference teams these days) for much of his career at USC.

This year though, the man has played lights out, leading the Trojans with 66 tackles.  He has a knack for the big plays, and has two interceptions this year. 

Watch for yourself- Ray’s Highlight Reel 

I could say a lot more about USC’s defense. But they are so legendarily good that you have probably heard enough about them already.

 

Advantage: USC

Statistically they are close, both are in the top five.

But unlike in the offensive category where Penn State held an ace in the hole with Daryl Clark, USC has the advantage here in leadership with Ray Maualuga.

But let’s not kid us ourselves.

Penn State’s defense can hang.

USC’s defense can hang anyone.

 

Special Teams

PSU leads in three of the four statistical categories of special teams.

But I don’t look at that.

I look at what I call the scare factor…

If I am punting or kicking off…

Do I really want to let Derrick Williams (two kickoff return touchdowns, three punt return touchdowns) touch the ball?

USC has how many return touchdowns?

One.

If I need a field goal, who would I go to?

David Buehler who is 8 for 12 this season…

or

Kevin Kelly,

A senior.

Penn State’s all time leading scorer.

20-24 on FG attempts.

Kicked the game winning field goal in the 2005 Orange Bowl.

 

Advantage: PSU

Derrick Williams is a game breaker on special teams, and Kelly is a reliable kicker. All extremely important game changing assets.

Home-field Advantage: USC

Come on, they know the Rose Bowl better than UCLA. Penn State will travel well, but do not expect a White Out.

 

Final Prediction:

When the categories are tallied up, the results are:

PSU: 2.5 (Coaching {1}, Offense {.5}, Special Teams {1})

USC: 2.5 (Defense, {1}, Offense {.5}, Home Field {1})

I’m a Penn State fan. You do not want my opinion. I will not give it to you.

You have seen the numbers and explanations.

You decide in the comments.

Give us your score, and why!

And do not forget to tune into the 95th Rose Bowl presented by Citi on ABC on January 1, 2009 at 5:10 EST/ 2:10 PST!

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Games That Shaped College Football Bowl Season 2008

While a lot of people on TV and at the big media outlets will try to make you believe that the conference championship game or the feature game of the week in prime time were the games that defined the postseason, digging not so deep we found a series of games that had a much bigger effect across the entire landscape of the postseason.

While I will be sending out my entry forms for my free bowl picking contest in the next few days, there is some homework that will undoubtedly be done when people are making their choices. While teams’ records are sometimes an indication of the quality of the team and season some have had, I am finding this to be the case a lot less often.

I read no less than 20 articles during the first few weeks of the season regarding cupcakes. I even read one about calling them candy bar names (really fresh clever stuff by the way). But while we laughed at the time, no one is laughing now.

While we hoped these would go away, looking at the facts, they aren’t. The facts point to most teams having at least two cupcakes on the schedule in the future.

While I will be doing a follow-up, as I barely scratched the surface on the meaningful games we don’t even remember, I concentrated on games that padded schedules, though I threw in a few key losses just to keep it interesting.

In any event, as we hear the announcers and networks gush on about the tradition of the bowls, let’s remember how we got to these games and matchups. Trust me, you aren’t going to be reading about any pageantry and glorious wins they want you to believe it took to get there.

 

Stanford 36, Oregon State 28: Aug. 28, 2008

In a game of horrendous calls, where Oregon State was yet to find out their identity and Quizz Rodgers wasn’t even on the radar, this year’s Rose Bowl was decided before we even hit September, as a Beaver win in this one would have gone a long way towards giving them the Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl berth.

 

Memphis 31, Nicholls State 10: Sept. 20, 2008

Tommy West’s Memphis Tigers finished the season 6-6. Had they not had this I-AA cupcake, do they even make the grade? Many stats people eliminate stats from games against non D-I teams, but apparently the bowl selection committee doesn’t.

I guess this is what they talk about when they say rewarding a team for a great season. If the Tigers lose this one (they are double-digit dogs), they finish with a losing record anyway.

 

Notre Dame 21, San Diego State 13: Sept. 6, 2008

San Diego State stormed into South Bend as 20+ point underdogs after losing the prior week at home to Cal Poly. This game was nip and tuck all the way, and the Irish trailed at halftime. ND pulled it out in the end, and this went a long way to their 6-6 finish, making them bowl eligible.

If they lose to Hawaii, Notre Dame is just another bowl team that finishes the season with a losing record.

Florida Atlantic 29, Louisiana-Monroe 28: Oct. 25, 2008

FAU was down as much as 21-0 in this one and scored an improbable TD with 20 seconds left to go to pull out the squeaker. The Owls finished 6-6 after a 1-5 start which featured games against Texas, Minnesota, Michigan State, and a final play, one-point loss to Middle Tennessee State.

 

Kentucky 38, Norfolk State 3: Sept. 6, 2008

Another 6-6 team that makes a bowl by beating a I-AA team—pretty sad in this case. I’ve been as big a Rich Brooks fan as there is, but on top of this travesty is that the Wildcats’ two SEC wins were by a combined two points.

South Carolina 23, Wofford 13: Sept. 6, 2008

While the Gamecocks finished 7-5, this one spares the “mighty” SEC the embarrassment of having a New Year’s Day Bowl team with a 6-6 record. The Gamecocks enter this game with a full head of steam, losing their last two games against archrivals by a combined 67 points and their QBs throwing 24 interceptions this season.

 

Clemson 45, Citadel 17: Sept. 6, 2008, and Clemson 54, South Carolina State 0:  Sept. 20, 2008

Take your pick, or even better, both. Clemson goes 7-5, including these two I-AA games, and gets a New Year’s Day Bowl game when it’s tied with other teams who didn’t play any cupcakes at all or played just one. I’m mad at Clemson all over again. What a joke.

 

Read about more meaningful 2008 College Football games.

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Can I get One More No-Playoff Rant and then I will let the Subject die?

God, I really do hate this time of year.
     I didn’t mean the Holidays.
     It is time for the mass media to bash the Bowl Championship Series and call for a college football playoff.
     After spending my career as a sports writer, 28 years, covering college football for newspapers and writing books about college football, I have a very strong opinion on this matter.
     I have studied the bowls and their affects on college football, been to every bowl several times over (except of course for the myriad of new, silly-named bowls that have fallen from the sky recently like confetti at a championship parade).
     I also have studied the proposed plus-ones, eight-team and 16-team playoffs from all angles: attendance, TV ratings, revenue, affect on bowls, travel, affect on rivalries, etc.
     My conclusion, which is the conclusion I held 15 years ago, 10 years ago, five years ago and today, is that a college football playoff system (other than a so-called Plus-One) would not improve the overall game of college football.
     Notice my words “would not improve.”
     Would a playoff be popular?
     Of course. It would be the here and now, as well as the flavor of the month in December’s SportsCenter highlights.
     But it would come at the expense of the rivalries, which usually fall on the final week of the regular-season and define the game itself. If there was a playoff in 2006, do you think No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan would have played their starters well into the fourth quarter? It was life and death as it was. If there would have been a playoff, the loser would have said, “No problem. The playoff is what matters. We’ll play them again when it counts.”
     Imagine that.
     That scenario goes for Florida-Florida State, USC-Notre Dame, Auburn-Alabama, USC-UCLA, etc., when both teams are good enough to be in the playoff system. And if you look at the history of the game, that would include many, many seasons.
     It would come at the expense of the popularity and importance of the regular season.
     During a recent ABC broadcast, I heard Kirk Herbstreit ask Brent Musburger, “You an NBA fan?”
     “Oh,” Musburger hedged, “Once the playoffs start, I watch the NBA.”
     I wanted to jump out of my Lazy-Boy and scream, “Hello!!!Brent, you just answered you own question about college football’s regular-season.”
     It doesn’t need a playoff to be popular. Attendance and TV ratings continue to climb, each and every season — without a playoff. 
     Revenue and media attention continue to increase — without a playoff. 
     Good or bad, the pressure and accompanying salaries of coaches continue to skyrocket — without a playoff.
     My other conclusion: The BCS system, as criticized as it is, is the best system we’ve ever had. I remember the days when there were split national champions, as recently as 1994 and 1997 (in some seasons, there were three and four, if you count the many publications).
     I remember the days when a No. 1-ranked team went to the Orange Bowl and a No. 2 team went to the Sugar Bowl. I remember when bowl deals were worked out behind the scenes and set in early to mid-November, only to watch them often backfire like my old ‘72 Dodge Dart.
     These days, (ESPN’s) Mike Golics of the world, whose perspective is as deep as Michigan’s offensive line, have said, “They have playoffs in Division II or III and it seems to work…”
     Don’t compare major college football to the sub-division (formerly Division I-A), or Division II or III. It does not apply. They don’t fill large stadiums nor have televised regular-season games. Can you name their rivalries? Can you name the last five champions?
     Do not apply it to NCAA basketball or March Madness, a sport in which you can play two games in two days. It does not apply. Does anyone really care what happens in November or December? And truly, what does a conference championship mean in that sport?
     No, my friends, the bottom line is this: College football is truly unique. It is unique because from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, when the attention and intensity and importance of every single game is unparalleled.
     It is that way BECAUSE there is no season-ending playoff system.
     Now, recently, the President-Elect, who has spent the same time studying this issue as it takes Percy Harvin to score from the 15-yard line, knee-jerked and called for a playoff.
     The reassuring aspect is that the NCAA presidents in control of this issue will not relent and agree to a playoff (and I have talked to several of them since the President-Elect made his statement) because they too have studied this issue. They know what the President-Elect does not.
     College football works brilliantly as it is. It always has, since those polls and bowls were first conceived in the height of the Great Depression.
     And from where I stand today, it likely always will.

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