Monday Musings
*OK, do we need any more proof that the Bowl Championship Series needs to be scrapped? It has screwed up the national title game every year of its existence except in 2003, when Ohio State played Miami. Now we have BCS standings that claim Texas is better than USC.
That's right, USC has won 30something games in a row and is the back-to-back AP national champions, but the BCS computers tell us the Trojans don't deserve to be ranked No. 1.
That nod goes to Texas, whose only two wins of note are at Ohio State and at home against Texas Tech. Ohio State was a noteworthy victory, but not nearly as impressive a feat as it seemed in September, given how the Buckeyes season has panned out. And Texas Tech might have been the most overrated Top 10 team in history. I just took a peak at Texas Tech's schedule. Here are Tech's first three games: Florida International, Sam Houston State, and Indiana State. A first-year Div 1 team and two Div. 1-AA teams. Tech has also beaten sub-.500 teams in Kansas and Kansas State and a team that might go to a minor bowl if everything breaks right in Nebraska.
And you're telling me the BCS computers are more impressed with this than USC, which has beaten ranked teams in three of its past four road games and has only played two home games out of seven overall?
This is precisely why so many people snicker at college football, no matter how great the game may be on the field.
It could very well turn out that Texas is a better football team than USC. But here's the thing: We should find that out in the national championship game. Until then, unless the Trojans or Longhorns lose, USC and Texas should be ranked 1-2. In boxing, if you have a really talented top contender, you don't award him the championship before the title fight.
*Caught a snippet of the Indianapolis-Houston game yesterday, and couldn't help but laugh. Remember the Colts-Patriots playoff game in January? OK, I know all of Peyton's losses to the Pats blur together after awhile, but specifically, remember when the Colts had the ball deep in Patriots territory, and Peyton got whistled for illegal motion on an attempted direct snap to the halfback?
They did it again. Everything happened the same way. Peyton walked up to the line and put his hands under center, walked away and started gesticulating like he was calling an audible, the ball snapped, the flag was thrown, Peyton threw a fit and tried to tell the referees he knows the rules better than they do like he does every time the officials dare call anything against Indy, the penalty was called, and Tony Dungy again tried to challenge the call, even though such calls cannot be challenged. I can't make this stuff up.
Yeah, I know, the Colts are 7-0, with wins over the Ravens, Texans, Browns, 49ers, Temple, Idaho, and the St. Agatha's School for Blind Girls. Get back to me if Peyton doesn't gag when it counts.
*Let's see: Roger Clemens stinks out the joint in the playoffs and claims injury afterwards and Drew Bledsoe single-handedly cost his team a game with stunningly bad decisions in the clutch. The only thing that kept this from being a complete retro Boston sports nightmare weekend was that the Bruins didn't go up on Montreal early, blow the lead, then have the refs call 78 penalties on them in the third period. And that's already happened twice this month anyway.
*The Mexican wrestling revolution continues to grow in a modest but steady manner. I've been getting roughly an email per week from readers like Al in Rochester, NY:
Here's the funny part. I too watch the Mexican wrestling every weekend on Dish Network. My spouse thinks I am crazy. They can not understand why I would watch a show that I do not understand (imagine how US centric that is!)
I think that you missed Shocker on your list of wrestlers. Seems like he is king there.
I'm glad you mentioned Shocker, Al. As if it wasn't bad enough that AAA has apparently supplanted CMLL on Galavision on Saturday, Shocker is now affiliated with AAA. This is terrible. Imagine if Johnny Damon signs with the Worcester Tornadoes this winter. Same thing. I awarded Shocker the Dave's World Mexican wrestler of the year award, but the award may need to be rescinded. Especially since his midget gorilla manager did not make the jump with him. Quite frankly, it is like Garfunkel without Simon, Ginger Rogers without Fred Astaire. Do you hear me, Shocker? The midget in the monkey suit made you! Without him, you are nothing!
Anyway, CMLL was back on the air on Sunday, but still. When you get used to four hours per weekend of CMLL, two hours just ain't gonna cut it.
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