Pearl Harbor and Why I like the BCS…

I’ll be honest, this was just going to be about the BCS but then I remembered what today is and figured I couldn’t let it go by without saying something about Pearl Harbor. I think there is an important lesson to be learned from Pearl Harbor and that’s to always be ready. There are some in this country who hate war and who think we should cut the military way back. Well, I don’t like war either… but we need a strong military because of events like Pearl Harbor (and later 9/11). You can only not want to fight for so long before someone comes and punches you in the face. At that point, it’s time to fight. The mistake Japan made is not that they threw the first punch… the mistake is that they didn’t finish the job. They thought, America does not want war… so America won’t fight. Nope. America didn’t want war… but America also wasn’t going to take that without a fight. So hats off to all of the men and women who were there and to all the men and women who joined the fight after Pearl Harbor.

How would the BCS system had worked with WWII? Would Germany be rewarded for their early success or would some late season losses keep them out of the championship? Would Brittan get credit for playing a tough schedule or would they get penalized for playing mainly at home? How about the US with an early loss at home but then winning big on the road later in the season? Would Japan get credit for their early road win or would the voters just assume their opponent wasn’t ready? Would France get a pass based on name and conference affiliation? All valid questions, I think.

Anyway… Do you know why I like the BCS? Because I know that no matter how bad I screw something up, I’ll never screw it up as bad as the BCS has the post season for college football.

My initial thought when I started writing this is that I would go point by point through the arguments for the BCS and tell you why they were wrong or stupid. I decided I will not do that because reading that crap made my blood pressure shoot through the roof. Honestly, I’m all for a good debate and I pride myself on being able to see (and sometimes argue) both sides of an issue. But never before in my life have I seen such s*** said when arguing for something. As the saying goes, you can’t spell BCS without BS. You can read them for yourself (here and here).

I will highlight this one: “Also, the average size of players in Divisions I-AA, II and III are far less than those in Division I-A. Their recovery time is far quicker than the size and strength of players in the largest class”.

The only thought that came to my mind was the scene from Billy Madison when the Principal says, “Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul”.

Anyway, I guess it’s a good thing the NFL has such small players… I mean, how else could they play all of those games?

Honestly, some of these reasons for having the BCS are actually dumb enough to anger me. I’m sure there are some intelligent people out there who favor the BCS. You might be one of those people. If so, please tell me the reasons you like it. And spare me the “It’s better than what we had” because, A: That doesn’t mean it’s better than a Playoff System and B: I’m at the point now where I’m not 100% sure it is better than what we had. At least the old system didn’t try to shovel BS down your throat with this “Every Game Matters” lie. I’ll also point out that the old system at least had tradition on its side. And while I understand the BCS is just a select few bowls… it is hurt by the fact that the current bowl system “rewards” 6-6 teams for their great season.

Also, please do not tell me that a playoff system would be bad because then just one team would be the winner (while multiple teams can be winners in the bowl system). Let me tell you a little something about life… everyone isn’t a winner. You have winners and you have losers. How this is ok for kids in the Little League World Series, but not ok for guys in college (who want to think of themselves as grown men) is beyond me. If everyone is a winner then why do they keep score? I played football for two years of my life… 1988 and 1989. I do not remember exactly how many games we won, but I do remember the exact number of games we lost: Zero, Nada, Zip, Zilch, None, 0. We had playoffs, and we won. Every team wasn’t a winner those two years. Do you know why? Because they had to play us. Just so you don’t think I have this belief in winning because I’ve never lost… I played Church basketball from 7th grade – 11th grade and we seldom won a game. I think there were a couple of years in there when we didn’t win any games. We never made the playoffs in any of those years, but life went on for us. So to the people who want everyone to be a winner, I say suck it up. Everyone isn’t a winner in life. To quote the classic scene from Glengarry Glen Ross: “As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Anybody want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired”.

Just so you don’t think I’m all about complaining and not about giving a good alternative… Here’s how I would have it:

I would have a 16 team playoff that would include all 11 conference champions plus 5 at-large teams. I include all conference champions because, while I don’t believe everyone is a winner, I do believe teams that have won their conference deserve the chance to play for a national championship. You might say, “But they aren’t good enough!” Yes, and they showed that by not getting the chance? To say they’re not good enough because they play in a weak conference is like saying USC in ’98-’99 (or Vandy/Kentucky in most years) was great because they were in the SEC. That’s stupid. Being in the ACC doesn’t mean Clemson has a great basketball program. I could go on with examples, but I think you get the point. So then the debate would be how to pick the 5 at-large teams. To be honest, I don’t care how this is done… as long as “how their fans travel” isn’t part of the equation. Anyway, here’s an example of how the first round of the I’m just sayin… College Football Tournament would look:

1 LSU (SEC Champion) vs. 16 Northern Illinois (MAC Champion)

2 Oklahoma St. (Big 12 Champion) vs. 15 Southern Mississippi (C-USA Champion)

3 Alabama (At Large) vs. 14 Arkansas State (Sun Belt Champion)

5 Stanford (At Large) vs. 13 Louisiana Tech (WAC Champion)

4 Oregon (Pac 12 Champion) vs. 12 West Virginia (Big East Champion)

6 Arkansas (At Large) vs. 11 TCU (MWC Champion)

7 Boise State (At Large) vs. 10 Clemson (ACC winner)

8 Wisconsin (Big 10 winner) vs. 9 South Carolina (At Large)

All games will be played at the higher seed’s field. So the Revolutionary War Heroes will be making the trip to Wisconsin while the Tigers will head to the blue field of Boise State. The first round starts next Saturday (December 17).

The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions Results

College
#21Clemson vs. #5Virginia Tech – I picked Clemson to win this game and I was RIGHT! The Tigers won, 38-10. You know what this means… Clemson reclaimed The Belt! You will remember, I’m sure, that back in January I congratulated Clemson on their decision to hire my friend and former teammate Tony Elliott as an assistant coach. I told Tiger fans that things were about to get better. Well, as my friend Michael would say, “BOOM”! And as I would say… I WAS RIGHT! I WAS RIGHT! I WAS RIGHT! Listen, that Morris guy they brought onto the staff as the OC has done a good job as well. I don’t want you to think I’m taking anything away from him. But winners win and Tony Elliott is a winner. It’s hard to explain, but just being around winners can sometimes be enough to help you win. You want to see the defense improve next season? Make Tony a coach on that side of the ball (or better yet, hire Levon Kirkland… but that’s another post for another day). Anyway, Congrats to Clemson! Good luck in the Orange Bowl!

#1LSU vs. #12Georgia – The only thing I hate more than picking Georgia to win a game is picking them and then having them lose. I picked the Dawgs to win and I was WRONG! UGA lost, 10-42.

NFL
Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati – I picked Pittsburgh to win this game and I was RIGHT! The Steelers won, 35-7.

Miami vs. Oakland – I picked Miami to win this game and I was RIGHT! The Dolphins won, 34-14.

I’m just sayin… Football Prediction Record

High School: 35-12

College: 52-16

NFL: 14-9

Overall: 101-37

Since this will probably be my only post of the week, I’ll go ahead and post my predictions for this upcoming week.

The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions

College
Navy vs. Army – 2:30pm (CBS) – One of, if not THE, best games of the season each year. Navy is down this season, but not that far down… I am picking Navy to win this game. GO NAVY! BEAT ARMY!

NFL
Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland – 8:20pm (NFL Network) *Thursday – I’m picking the Steelers to win this game.

Miami vs. Philadelphia – 1:00pm (FOX) – I’m picking Miami to win this game.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Captain Clinton A. Cilley (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 20, 1863 at Chickamauga, Georgia. His citation reads:

Seized the colors of a retreating regiment and led it into the thick of the attack.

Sergeant James T. Clancy (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 1, 1864 at Vaughn Road, Virginia. His citation reads:

Shot the Confederate Gen. Dunovant dead during a charge, thus confusing the enemy and greatly aiding in his repulse.

Musician John E. Clancy (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on December 29, 1890 at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. His citation reads:

Twice voluntarily rescued wounded comrades under fire of the enemy.