Quick College Football update.
So I was talking on the phone to the illustrious Grant Johnson last night, and he suggested that my next post be about how USC should make the Rose Bowl even if they lost to UCLA tomorrow, as opposed to Penn State. Since I haven't actually had any good ideas for this blog in a long time, that sounded like a good plan to me.
I actually agree with Grant, although deep in my heart I would like Penn State to be in that game. However, I think that USC is the best team in the country (much to my chagrin, since I have a large quantity of distaste for them), and I'd like to describe why as succinctly as possible.
In short, their offense is unstoppable. By unstoppable I mean nobody can keep them from scoring at least 28 points in a game, which makes them nearly impossible to beat. By unstoppable I mean that the offense is so good that I thought Fresno State had no chance to beat them, even though they took a 42-41 lead late into the fourth quarter. There wasn't a soul in the Rose Bowl who didn't think that USC would score again, and USC obliged. By unstoppable I mean that there's not a single person who thinks that SC will score just, say, 27 points.
Who doesn't think that Reggie Bush will light UCLA up like a Christmas tree? I certainly wouldn't bet on another outcome.
Now, with all of this, they'll have a tough time beating Texas. Texas is like USC, except for the fact that they've played a little bit easier schedule (other than OSU, they haven't played any impressive teams), and periodically the Longhorns' D shows up. But they'll still have to stop the two-headed monster of Leinart and Bush, and that may be a lot to ask.
But all of this still doesn't explain why USC should be in and not Penn State. So I'll put it another way: USC would defeat Penn State in a head-to-head game. Oh, we aren't saying that Penn State might not have a chance, because there's a chance their defense might hold up well under the intense pressure of the Trojan's O. Just don't bet on it. Penn State benefitted from playing Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Florida, and Ohio State at home. They also lost on the road at Michigan (albeit in a great effort), and struggled to beat Northwestern on the road. A neutral site might not serve the Nittany Lions well, particuluarly if they had to face a dominant offense. And, just so we're keeping track of all this, the same logic would probably apply to a Texas/Penn State game.
Maybe USC's offense won't be enough for them to win the Rose Bowl. After all, defense wins championships. But, since the Trojans play there, it probably will be. It's just a facet of the wonderful system we call the BCS.
I actually agree with Grant, although deep in my heart I would like Penn State to be in that game. However, I think that USC is the best team in the country (much to my chagrin, since I have a large quantity of distaste for them), and I'd like to describe why as succinctly as possible.
In short, their offense is unstoppable. By unstoppable I mean nobody can keep them from scoring at least 28 points in a game, which makes them nearly impossible to beat. By unstoppable I mean that the offense is so good that I thought Fresno State had no chance to beat them, even though they took a 42-41 lead late into the fourth quarter. There wasn't a soul in the Rose Bowl who didn't think that USC would score again, and USC obliged. By unstoppable I mean that there's not a single person who thinks that SC will score just, say, 27 points.
Who doesn't think that Reggie Bush will light UCLA up like a Christmas tree? I certainly wouldn't bet on another outcome.
Now, with all of this, they'll have a tough time beating Texas. Texas is like USC, except for the fact that they've played a little bit easier schedule (other than OSU, they haven't played any impressive teams), and periodically the Longhorns' D shows up. But they'll still have to stop the two-headed monster of Leinart and Bush, and that may be a lot to ask.
But all of this still doesn't explain why USC should be in and not Penn State. So I'll put it another way: USC would defeat Penn State in a head-to-head game. Oh, we aren't saying that Penn State might not have a chance, because there's a chance their defense might hold up well under the intense pressure of the Trojan's O. Just don't bet on it. Penn State benefitted from playing Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Florida, and Ohio State at home. They also lost on the road at Michigan (albeit in a great effort), and struggled to beat Northwestern on the road. A neutral site might not serve the Nittany Lions well, particuluarly if they had to face a dominant offense. And, just so we're keeping track of all this, the same logic would probably apply to a Texas/Penn State game.
Maybe USC's offense won't be enough for them to win the Rose Bowl. After all, defense wins championships. But, since the Trojans play there, it probably will be. It's just a facet of the wonderful system we call the BCS.
posted by mike at 7:32 AM
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