Ohio State vs... Florida? Are you fucking kidding me?
From ESPN.com, journalist Pat Forde writes in the first person as a coach voting in the final poll which has a heavy hand in determining the final rankings and thusly, the bowl games:
Never mind.
Never mind what we did the last couple of weeks, voting Michigan ahead of Florida. We've changed our minds because, hey, we can.
Because the rematch thing suddenly became too real. Because when Urban Meyer politicks, we listen. Because we thought it was time to throw the embittered SEC a bone after stonewalling Auburn's national title bid two years ago.
We thought the Wolverines were better than Florida back in November -- and even though Michigan hasn't played a down of football since Nov. 18, we've decided that we don't think so anymore. We were dazzled by the Gators' work since that date: a seven-point victory over Florida State and a 10-point win over Arkansas. And we decided that Ohio State-Michigan was not in need of a sequel.
That's our story and we're sticking to it. Now if you'll excuse us, we'd like to put our fake nose and glasses back on and return to anonymity. These publicized ballots make us more accountable than we'd prefer. Goodbye.
So Michigan is now reduced to playing USC in the Rose Bowl. Most years, Michigan, as any team, would relish the opportunity to play in a BCS Bowl game and the Rose Bowl has historic value for a Big Ten team, especially against a PAC-10 team. After last years 7-5 season, history will remember this season as extremely successful. However, it won't change the fact that Michigan is one of the two best teams in the country and will not have the opportunity to prove that they are the best. Florida will. And they're going to lose miserably and Michigan will beat USC and everybody will wonder on January 9th who the better team is: Ohio State or Michigan? And because a bunch of coaches didn't want to see a rematch - a rematch of possibly the best college football game in years - we as a country of football fans have been robbed. Ohio State and Michigan in Glendale. The world will never know.
Let me leave you with this, written by Gene Wojciechowski for ESPN.com:
"[Michigan coach Lloyd] Carr is taking his Wolverines to the Rose Bowl presented by Citi to face a USC team that had one loss on Saturday -- and controlled its own BCS destiny -- but two losses by Saturday night.
Michigan never had that chance. It was 11-1 on Nov. 18. It was 11-1 on Dec. 3. But between then and now, the Wolverines apparently became the cellulite queens and somehow lost the swimsuit portion of this ridiculous BCS beauty pageant.
Michigan didn't do a thing wrong. And yet Carr was the one who had to console his team Sunday night. He did it, but here's guessing he wasn't Mr. Congeniality."
Posted by critical at December 4, 2006 09:53 AMI feel for you, Mike, but it's not like Florida is the worst team in the world will get destroyed by OSU. I'm sure a few people will tune into the game.
I have no allegiance to UF whatsoever, and I think the personal foul call on Michigan during the OSU game was bogus -- I am pretty sure they would have scored and won the game had OSU not received a first down b/c of the penalty.
Posted by: Sam at December 8, 2006 03:16 PMI don't remember the specific call you're referring to Sam, but I'm inclined to agree anyway. I place the blame for the loss on Michigans rush defense. Two touchdown runs of 50+ yards after a season of allowing only, what? 30 yards per game? You just can't let Antonio Pittman and uh, whatever the fuck his name was get into the secondary. Poor execution on those plays. Short of that, I think that game could very easily have tipped Michigans way. Whatever. USC is a worthy opponent and one Michigan has had trouble beating in the past. And as the great Lloyd Carr said, playing in the Rose Bowl is never a let down and Michigan is happy to be there. I say this not fully believing myself.
Thanks for your empathy, Sam.
Posted by: Mike at December 9, 2006 02:15 AMThat was a pretty classy line by Carr.
The play was late in the 4th quarter; it was 4th down and Troy Smith was running towards the sideline and got clocked out of bounds by some Michigan defender. They called helmet-to-helmet and OSU got a first down. They scored that drive and went up 10, and that all but ended the game. Michigan scored again, but there just wasn't enough time remaining for another drive.
Posted by: Sam at December 11, 2006 10:09 AMSome more bitching and complaining about Michigan not getting into the national championship game: Bruce Hooley, for ESPN.com gives even more reasons why Michigan got the "golden screw."
Refusing to engage in the same posturing of Florida coach Urban Meyer, who whined and complained about everyone from university presidents to poll voters when a Michigan-Ohio State rematch looked like a certain fallback if USC fell to UCLA.
Carr declined to go that route, saying it wouldn't be good for the game. He meant the entire sport, of course, while Meyer's look at the issue was more, shall we say, Gatorcentric.
Does anyone see the irony of Meyer successfully lobbying about the unfairness of an OSU-Michigan rematch, when the only national championship trophy in his program's history came courtesy of a rematch in 1996 after a regular-season loss to Florida State?
Let's see, what was the score back then? Oh, Florida State 24, Florida 21.
And about five weeks later in the Sugar Bowl it was Florida 52, Florida State 20.
Yeah, Urban.
You're right.
Rematches are so unfair.
Posted by: Mike at December 14, 2006 10:30 AMI believe it's spelled 'gyp', a derogatory term for gypsies.
Posted by: Jon at December 20, 2006 01:46 AM