The irony of the following statement is not lost on us at Cheers & Jeers, where we’ve been clamoring for a plus-one or playoff system since, oh, the beginning of the BCS era. But on Thursday night, either Texas or Alabama will join Boise State as the only two undefeated teams in the country. The difference, of course, is that only the Texas-Alabama winner will be the national champion.
And that’s the way it should be. Thus far, the BCS bowls have played out favorably for the current system. Five teams (Cincinnati, Boise State, TCU, Texas and Alabama) were undefeated when bowl season began, fueling anti-BCS sentiment. But then Cincinnati was rolled by Florida, 51-24, in the Sugar Bowl. And then Boise and TCU played a drama-filled — but also mistake-filled — Fiesta Bowl, combining for 14 penalties and four turnovers.
By the time the smoke cleared late Monday night in Arizona, it was clear that based on the current system — and their performances in the Fiesta Bowl — that neither the Horned Frogs nor the Broncos were worthy of having a crack at the Texas-Alabama winner.
Whew, that sentence was painful to write, especially coming from someone who champions the idea that any underdog can beat any favorite on any given day. Still, it’s necessary to look at results within the parameters of reality. TCU-Boise State was entertaining — certainly a battle that would have been a worthy national semifinal. But in the BCS, it merely counts as another bowl, with another corporate sponsor — another game we’ll soon forget.
