with lsu winning the sugar bowl, which i figured they would, i find myself questioning why jason white won the heisman. he couldn't complete shit when it came down to the wire. usc and lsu should pull some steve prefontaine shit and organize an unsanctioned national championship. next week. my yard.

Amen on all counts, Damon.

Why don't LSU and USC just set up a real championship game in a week or two, at a neutral location, and have all of the proceeds go to a charity or to the schools' scholarship funds or something else worthwhile. I'm sure venues and networks would be chomping at the bit. And wouldn't we all be able to sleep better knowing who the true champion is?

They really should just go ahead and officially change the criteria for the Heisman to "best junior or senior quarterback from a national championship-contending school."

definitely. if eli manning would have shattered every record imaginable if he'd had a team like oklahoma surrounding him.

Guys,

There should not be an "extra" game after the bowls. What about the years that a team goes undefeated (like last year), or when there is no question who the champion is? Should they have to turn around and play another game with nothing to gain and everything to lose?

I agree with Roadie, so I think any added game should only come if there's a split champion. It's clear in a year like this that we have two teams that need to play each other. So add a rule to the BCS that states if the BCS champion is not also the AP Poll champ, then the BCS champ plays the AP #1 in the final game. It certainly can't be a hard rule for every year... I couldn't imagine having to make Ohio State play another game last year. I think going 13-0 and winning both polls and playing in a major conference is proof enough they were #1.

(Edited by BrianW at 5:00 pm on Jan. 5, 2004)

Hey buddy, calm down. I'm not talking about every year. I'm just saying: THIS YEAR, why don't these teams just take it outside, independant of the whole Bowl System/BCS/NCAA system, and decide once and for all who's #1. I know it would never really happen, I'm just fantasizing.

The BCS was invented because mathematical calculations (although devised by imperfect people) beat the hell out of personal opinion any day of the week. I'm not saying the system is flawless, but letting individuals (albeit experts) pick the national champion is even worse. I mean, is this football or is it figure skating? Sports is all about statistics-- respect the numbers!

Agreed, completely. It keeps shitty teams from being ranked just because of former prestige. The NCAA needs to modify some regulations they have on the MAC conference before they do anything. Winning the conference and beating a couple of good teams should at least get them a third rate bowl instead of a 5th. Plus, they should be allowed to have a couple more bowl spots.

RD's list of fucked up things the NCAA should change about football
1. Significantly reduce the number of bowls (though, that will never happen with all of the sponsors they have these days)

2. Don't let former winners vote for the Heisman

3. If you don't have a winning season in fifteen years, say goodbye to your conference. Though, you may be eligble to return later if you improve. Ahem, Vanderbilt.

4. Don't let every Tom, Dick, and MTSU into Division 1

5. When people bitch about the BCS, tell them to shut the fuck up and remind them of the no-talent hacks that comprise 3/4 of the voters in the AP poll. Lest I forget to also remind them that coaches just turn in the same fucking poll every week unless somebody loses.

I'm sure I've got more but I can't remember them at the moment. Oh yeah, there was one more...

6. Do not ever get anyone other than the school's bands to play at any halftime event, bowls or otherwise. (ie, Jessica Simpson and other popular acts)

And as far as LSU and USC playing that extra game without NCAA sanctions... Since the season is over, they would probably be breaking school rules by having the athletes report for more work. I also think that they sign some NCAA consent form that doesn't allow them to play without an NCAA sanction. I may be wrong about that, but I'm almost positive that since the schools are NCAA members, they can only play under the proverbial umbrella of the NCAA. Anyway, it doesn't matter, LSU would kick their ass. The best team in the nation won the National Championship. And if any of you have a problem with that, remember that USC did lose to Cal. And Cal, though they beat Virginia Tech (arguably, another shitty team), still sucks.

you have a wonderful, educated, splendid, opinion on this matter.

you must be one smart person.

I disagree with you on this one, RD. If I had a dollar for every person I've heard say that Vanderbilt should leave the SEC, I could personally hire Bill Parcells to be Vandy's coach. But what people sometimes don't realize is that Vanderbilt is competitive in literally every other collegiate sport. You can't punish a whole athletic department...er, I mean "Office of Student Athletics, Recreation and Wellness" just because of one's sport's bad performance. And aside from Notre Dame, which is kind of a special situation, you can't have a school play in one conference for football and another conference for everything else.

I'll close with this: yes, Vanderbilt has had 20 losing seasons in a row. But before 1983, they were a competitive part of SEC football for fifty years. Hell, even in the 90s, they had four 5-6 seasons, which is pretty competitive. Eventually, Vanderbilt will get their program turned around. I'm not saying they'll contend for the national championship, but they will be a competitive part of SEC football once again. And in the grand scheme of things, these 20+ years will just be a dark patch in an otherwise colorful history.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 2:58 am on Jan. 18, 2004)

Well, what I meant was that the school's respective football team should lose their conference affiliation. For example, there's quite a few basketball teams in conferences that their football team is not. Maybe I should have clarified more, but in my header, I did state "...NCAA should change about football." I definitely would never consider punishing their entire athletic department for the wrongs of their football program. Men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, and tennis are all programs that I believe they have had some deal of success in over the past few years. Anyway, I agree with you, but I just get tired of Vanderbilt (and plenty of other teams) receiving money from other SEC teams good football seasons (ie, bowl money).