The wrath of the football gods has reigned down hard on College Football this weekend. The Bowl Championship Series, created in order to allow for numbers 1 & 2 to play each other every year for a decisive National Champion, has failed. Consenses No. 1 (in both AP and Coach's poll) USC has been shut-out of the BCS championship Sugar Bowl and will instead play number 4 Michigan in the Rose Bowl. There's been a whole lot of stuff said on this issue, and my feelings aren't much different from everybody else who's been bitching about the system. (Check out Wilbon's take) I, however, do take a certain level of satisfaction from this failure that maybe no one else can. The BCS is a quintesential example of the Orndoff Principle, and to see it go down in flames is quite satisfying. I will root for USC in the Rose Bowl, and they will be my National Champions if they win.
The stench of this thing goes deeper. According to the Washington Post, voters in the coach's poll agreed, at the onset of the BCS, to rate the BCS winner as number one, regardless of their own feelings. So, if USC wins on January 1, they will only be able to capture one title, the AP poll. That will still be enough for them to claim a share of the National Championship. More importantly, it will be enough for the BCS to be overhauled, and hopefully destroyed.
In other football news, Patrick Ramsey will no not play for the remainder of the season, and will undergo foot surgery in a matter of days. Elisabeth Hasselbeck's husband will start in Ramsey's stead, although Ramsey is expected to be the number one quarterback heading into mini-camps during the off-season. (What we'll probably have here is a QB controversy, which is exactly what the Skins do not need right now.)
Finally, the Washington Post has an article today detailing free agent moves in baseball. I'd love to talk about the Pirates here, but they don't seem to be making any moves, and may have, in fact, ceased to exist. Among the more interesting moves is the Expos not offering arbitration to Vladimir Guerrero, meaning Vlad can look for another team. There are rumors he may be heading to the Orioles, who have a lot of money to spend this off-season, but nothing's for sure at this point. Guerrero would be a good acquisition for the Birds, who could use his bat and his defensive prowess. That probably means they won't sign him. In fact, I think Jose Canseco might still be available, so you never know. There's actually some good news from the O's. They've released Catcher Brooke Fordyce, which hopefully means that Geronimania is here to stay. Who's in for T-shirts?
Tony
