With the BCS bowls fast approaching the match ups are starting to form but one seems to lack that sparkle and it is time for change. No I'm not talking about a playoff, this time... The Big-10 vs Pac-10 tradition of the Rose Bowl needs to be abolished.With USC winning the Pac-10 again, barring any miracles from UCLA, we will see them in the Rose Bowl for the 4th year in a row, the third against the Big-10. How many times do we have to watch them beat up on the same conference? If we can't have a playoff can't we see match ups that we would rarely watch during the regular season (we were close to a USC Ohio state repeat)? What about a USC vs Florida/Alabama or Texas/OU, depending on outcome of this weekend? These are games that rarely happen and would pit some of the best teams in the country against one another.
I for one am all for tradition and all that jazz but this one is outdated. Really the Rose Bowl is the only game that still has a two-sided match up (Pac-10 vs Big-10). The others usually have a one side tie in so that fans can get to the game which is alright by me (i.e. Sugar Bowl has SEC champ and is in New Orleans) but having a two-side tie in robs the fan of some really special games.
Last year instead of having USC 's romp of Illinois we could have had USC vs Oklahoma or USC vs West Virginia and in 2007 what about USC vs Wake Forest or Lousiville. While this years USC Penn State game could prove to be a great one there are other more unique match ups fans are missing out on. Watching the high octane Tebow take on Rey Malaluga and Brian Cushing is a game I can only watch in my dreams.
7 comments:
I agree with you about liking tradition but wanting to adapt to current conditions. The fact is that the college football scene in 2008 is a lot different than it was even back in the 90s, when you could count on a few powerhouses to run the table.
These days there are a lot more powerhouses, and every once in a while a Missouri or Kansas can even compete with the big boys.
So I agree with you. The bowl structure needs to change. You could make a playoff system where the championship and third place games are BCS bowls, and they rotate them every year so that each venue gets a chance.
Actually, you could have had USC vs. Oklahoma or West Virginia last year. Ohio State was selected for the national championship game, so the Rose Bowl was free to take any team they wanted. They were not obligated to take Illinois, but they did so to preserve the Big Ten vs. PAC-10 matchup.
I'm not so sure the one-conference tie ins are all that great either. That's how we ended up with Oklahoma-Boise State in the Fiesta two years ago. Granted that turned out to be a game for the ages, but I'm sure Oklahoma fans were disappointed that their reward for a great season was a mid-major team.
And let's not forget other great BCS games of recent years like Wake Forest-Louisville and Georgia-Hawaii. The problem is the entire BCS system. Not just the Rose Bowl.
Trust me I hate the BCS... it has so many flaws but for this I was just pointing out the flaws we have right now. Last years game was a perfect example. Illinois was in the game to preserve tradition... its bull. And OU can complain about mid-majors when they beat them.
"Illinois was in the game to preserve tradition... its bull."
This is grossly misunderstood. The Rose had to pick an eligable team and the next best eligable team was Boston College, who snuck by a big ten team (michigan state, I think).
It is not like all the other bowls got their choice first and left the Rose Bowl with only a few teams. Georgia, Illinois and Hawaii were all at large teams (that is not even bringing up the Missouri snub). Meaning any bowl could have snatched them up. The point I am making is that the bowl tie ins should be abolished so that matchups like USC vs OU possible or even USC Georgia.
Actually, you could have had USC vs Oklahoma this year.....but wait USC LOST TO OREGON STATE. They should deal with it and stop acting like spoiled brats. All this Big Ten bashing is getting old, doesn't even one of these writers realize that USC hasn't played the Big Ten champ in the past few Rose Bowls? It's always been the 2nd team. This is going to be one of the best games this bowl season. Maybe next post you can use some creativity and write a post about how two of the most storied football programs are meeting in one of the most prestigious bowls of all-time. But no, you digress and take the easy route out. The sheer amount of articles bashing the Big Ten is mind-numbing (Thank You Ohio State).
"doesn't even one of these writers realize that USC hasn't played the Big Ten champ in the past few Rose Bowls"
Thank you for proving my point.. anonymous... Because of the bowl tie in the last two years USC hasn't even played the Big-10 Champion. That is the problems. Pac-10 Champion meets Big-10 runner up... Great! This year it worked out and I do admit in the post that it could be the best bowl game of the year. But the Big-10 fans should stop complaining and whining as well. When they win people will stop. Winning cures all. If Penn State does beat USC I will be the first to admit that I was wrong.
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