College football system doesn’t need ‘fixing’
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/379753.html#recent_comm
Posted on Tue, Nov. 27, 2007 10:15 PM
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JASON WHITLOCK COMMENTARY
College football system doesn’t need ‘fixing’
By JASON WHITLOCK
Now that the most compelling, entertaining and dramatic college football season in recent memory is drawing to a close, sportswriters and broadcasters are doing what they always do at this time of the year.
They’re crafting lies to convince you that major-college football is in disarray and in dire need of a playoff system to save itself.
Man, Tuesday I was driving around listening to Sirius radio, and the sports-talk shows were using all sorts of seminegative adjectives to describe this football season — strange, weird, wacky.
What’s the matter with awesome?
I know that’s easy to say here, with Missouri sitting atop the BCS standings, but it’s also the truth. This college football season started with Appalachian State side-swiping Michigan inside the Big House, and the twists and turns just got better from there.
And you know what?
Along the way a wide assortment of teams got a chance to play their way in and out of the national-title race. Oregon, South Florida, Boston College, Kansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Arizona State and California muscled their way into territory normally owned by USC, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida.
Right now the system has settled on MU and West Virginia. Those names are allegedly not big enough for some writers and broadcasters.
What’s really going on is the people who complain that major-college football needs a playoff system refuse to acknowledge that they’re wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the game or the current system. It just produced one of the most exciting seasons we’ve ever witnessed.
Too many sportswriters and broadcasters are slaves to their agenda rather than following the truth wherever it leads.
Take the Chiefs and Carl Peterson. It’s no secret, I’d like to see King Carl dethroned. Two decades is enough time for any ruler. But if the Chiefs won the AFC championship, I’d be the first to write a column admitting I was wrong about King Carl and he should be extended another lifetime contract.
Critics of college football won’t do that. The current, no-playoff system gives us great September and October story lines.
I have a tendency to look for things to complain about. It’s in my nature. But the 2007 college football season is as close to perfect and fair as a season could be. Rather than settle in on a handful of Heisman Trophy candidates at the beginning of the year, this season darn near every good player has had his moment in the Heisman spotlight.
Yeah, some of them — South Florida’s Matt Grothe, Boston College’s Matt Ryan, Kentucky’s Andre Woodson — have been pretenders. That’s fine. We took a look, found something better and moved on.
That’s pretty much the way the national-title race has developed. We’ve looked far and wide. And now Missouri and West Virginia have to knock off Oklahoma and Pittsburgh, respectively, to advance to the BCS title game. It’s a playoff, one that has been going on since late August.
Anyone with a brain and free of an agenda realizes Missouri-West Virginia could be a classic matchup for terrific offenses. Chase Daniel and Pat White are two of the nation’s top quarterbacks. They run different versions of the spread offense. The Mountaineers don’t throw it as often or as effectively as the Tigers. And Mizzou doesn’t run as effectively as White and running back Steve Slaton.
The Tigers and the Mountaineers could stage the kind of shootout that Texas and USC put on a couple of years ago. Or maybe the Vince Young-Reggie Bush show stunk, too, since it wasn’t a playoff game.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
Recent Comments
And look what happened.......Face it. We need a playoff system ASAP!
Hey wonder what you will think after Ok beats Mizzou? Missouri is...
Other than the fact that OSU and Kansas are the only one loss teams...
Play Off system please!! Would you like a BCS system set up in the...
You, Sir Have No Brain. This issue is real simple...I mean real...
»Read More
Post Your Comment
Name:
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/379753.html#recent_comm
Posted on Tue, Nov. 27, 2007 10:15 PM
reprint or licenseprintemail
Digg itdel.icio.usAIM
JASON WHITLOCK COMMENTARY
College football system doesn’t need ‘fixing’
By JASON WHITLOCK
Now that the most compelling, entertaining and dramatic college football season in recent memory is drawing to a close, sportswriters and broadcasters are doing what they always do at this time of the year.
They’re crafting lies to convince you that major-college football is in disarray and in dire need of a playoff system to save itself.
Man, Tuesday I was driving around listening to Sirius radio, and the sports-talk shows were using all sorts of seminegative adjectives to describe this football season — strange, weird, wacky.
What’s the matter with awesome?
I know that’s easy to say here, with Missouri sitting atop the BCS standings, but it’s also the truth. This college football season started with Appalachian State side-swiping Michigan inside the Big House, and the twists and turns just got better from there.
And you know what?
Along the way a wide assortment of teams got a chance to play their way in and out of the national-title race. Oregon, South Florida, Boston College, Kansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Arizona State and California muscled their way into territory normally owned by USC, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida.
Right now the system has settled on MU and West Virginia. Those names are allegedly not big enough for some writers and broadcasters.
What’s really going on is the people who complain that major-college football needs a playoff system refuse to acknowledge that they’re wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the game or the current system. It just produced one of the most exciting seasons we’ve ever witnessed.
Too many sportswriters and broadcasters are slaves to their agenda rather than following the truth wherever it leads.
Take the Chiefs and Carl Peterson. It’s no secret, I’d like to see King Carl dethroned. Two decades is enough time for any ruler. But if the Chiefs won the AFC championship, I’d be the first to write a column admitting I was wrong about King Carl and he should be extended another lifetime contract.
Critics of college football won’t do that. The current, no-playoff system gives us great September and October story lines.
I have a tendency to look for things to complain about. It’s in my nature. But the 2007 college football season is as close to perfect and fair as a season could be. Rather than settle in on a handful of Heisman Trophy candidates at the beginning of the year, this season darn near every good player has had his moment in the Heisman spotlight.
Yeah, some of them — South Florida’s Matt Grothe, Boston College’s Matt Ryan, Kentucky’s Andre Woodson — have been pretenders. That’s fine. We took a look, found something better and moved on.
That’s pretty much the way the national-title race has developed. We’ve looked far and wide. And now Missouri and West Virginia have to knock off Oklahoma and Pittsburgh, respectively, to advance to the BCS title game. It’s a playoff, one that has been going on since late August.
Anyone with a brain and free of an agenda realizes Missouri-West Virginia could be a classic matchup for terrific offenses. Chase Daniel and Pat White are two of the nation’s top quarterbacks. They run different versions of the spread offense. The Mountaineers don’t throw it as often or as effectively as the Tigers. And Mizzou doesn’t run as effectively as White and running back Steve Slaton.
The Tigers and the Mountaineers could stage the kind of shootout that Texas and USC put on a couple of years ago. Or maybe the Vince Young-Reggie Bush show stunk, too, since it wasn’t a playoff game.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
Recent Comments
And look what happened.......Face it. We need a playoff system ASAP!
Hey wonder what you will think after Ok beats Mizzou? Missouri is...
Other than the fact that OSU and Kansas are the only one loss teams...
Play Off system please!! Would you like a BCS system set up in the...
You, Sir Have No Brain. This issue is real simple...I mean real...
»Read More
Post Your Comment
Name: