Right around this time each year, we find out just how unpopular the BCS is. Its system of coming up with two teams to play for a fictional title has proven to be fraudulent and an injustice to the sport of college football. This season's selections of Oklahoma and Florida will meet up January 8th, 2009. How differently would have the 2008 sports year looked had we used the BCS in everything? Here's a look.
Super Bowl XLII - Dallas Cowboys vs New England Patriots
After the regular season it was abundantly clear that the New England Patriots were the number one team in the nation. Dallas Cowboy fans felt confident their team would get the second selection to the Super Bowl, but coaches Mike McCarthy and Tony Dungy lobbied for their teams to get into the Super Bowl. During the Super Bowl selection show it was revealed that the Cowboys would indeed play in the Super Bowl. The Patriots were going for the second perfect season in NFL history. They succeeded, beating the Cowboys 28-24 on a Asante Samuel interception return with 2:13 left in the 4th quarter. Tony Romo was crushed, knowing that he had once again choked away a sure win.
NCAA Basketball Title Game - North Carolina Tar Heels vs Tennessee Volunteers
Using the BCS's sister system, the RPI, North Carolina and Tennessee were picked to play in the national championship game. It ended up being a fast paced game with a grand total of no defense played. Tennessee led for most of the game until Tyler Hansbrough took over the game with about 7 minutes to go. Going on a personal 10-0 run, Hansbrough led the Tar Heels to a 91-82 win. North Carolina is now favored to win back to back titles and, according to Dick Vitale, Tyler Hansbrough has a chance to pass JJ Redick as the greatest human being to ever play collegiate basketball.
NBA Finals - Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics
On the strength of the mid-season Pau Gasol trade, the Lakers rocketed up to #1 in the polls, essentially securing their spots in the NBA Finals. The computers liked New Orleans strength of schedule and rated them second, but the voters not liking that the Hornets had no tradition and not wanting to see an intra-conference Finals voted the Celtics in 2nd. The human element was enough to push the Celtics pass the Hornets. Unfortunately, the Finals were a bit of a bummer as the Lakers lost any realistic chance of winning the title in Game 4 as the blew the game in historic fashion. The Celtics won the series 4-2. So far this season, the BCS is favoring a re-match of these teams in the Finals again.
World Series - Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheimof Orange County of California
In 2008, the Cubs finally broke through as the BCS selected them to play in the World Series. There was much controversy over the selection of the Angels over the Tampa Bay Rays, who won 97 games in what was considered the toughest division in baseball. Unfortunately for Cubs fans, the Cubs are still the Cubs as they got swept in embarrassing fashion. Looking for another scapegoat, Cubs fans blamed the BCS for not choosing the Rays. The Angels on the other hand must decide what free agents they want to keep as they look to defend their BCS World Series title next season.
And there is your year in sports. We saw history as the Patriots finished the season flawlessly for only the second time in NFL history. We saw a college legend win his first title when the Tar Heels won the NCAA championship. We saw a matchup of legendary franchises in the NBA Finals and we almost saw the history in the World Series but the Cubs once again fell short.
Of course we know the only one of those that actually happened was the Celtics embarassing the Lakers. Obviously when championships are decided on the field or court things turn out differently than if we allow public opinion and/or some computer system come up with a title match-up. We know that public opinion can be incorrect. We know that computer systems can't accurately evaluate teams. The only way to decide a true champion is to let the teams play it out.
Super Bowl XLII - Dallas Cowboys vs New England Patriots
After the regular season it was abundantly clear that the New England Patriots were the number one team in the nation. Dallas Cowboy fans felt confident their team would get the second selection to the Super Bowl, but coaches Mike McCarthy and Tony Dungy lobbied for their teams to get into the Super Bowl. During the Super Bowl selection show it was revealed that the Cowboys would indeed play in the Super Bowl. The Patriots were going for the second perfect season in NFL history. They succeeded, beating the Cowboys 28-24 on a Asante Samuel interception return with 2:13 left in the 4th quarter. Tony Romo was crushed, knowing that he had once again choked away a sure win.NCAA Basketball Title Game - North Carolina Tar Heels vs Tennessee Volunteers
Using the BCS's sister system, the RPI, North Carolina and Tennessee were picked to play in the national championship game. It ended up being a fast paced game with a grand total of no defense played. Tennessee led for most of the game until Tyler Hansbrough took over the game with about 7 minutes to go. Going on a personal 10-0 run, Hansbrough led the Tar Heels to a 91-82 win. North Carolina is now favored to win back to back titles and, according to Dick Vitale, Tyler Hansbrough has a chance to pass JJ Redick as the greatest human being to ever play collegiate basketball.NBA Finals - Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics
On the strength of the mid-season Pau Gasol trade, the Lakers rocketed up to #1 in the polls, essentially securing their spots in the NBA Finals. The computers liked New Orleans strength of schedule and rated them second, but the voters not liking that the Hornets had no tradition and not wanting to see an intra-conference Finals voted the Celtics in 2nd. The human element was enough to push the Celtics pass the Hornets. Unfortunately, the Finals were a bit of a bummer as the Lakers lost any realistic chance of winning the title in Game 4 as the blew the game in historic fashion. The Celtics won the series 4-2. So far this season, the BCS is favoring a re-match of these teams in the Finals again.World Series - Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
In 2008, the Cubs finally broke through as the BCS selected them to play in the World Series. There was much controversy over the selection of the Angels over the Tampa Bay Rays, who won 97 games in what was considered the toughest division in baseball. Unfortunately for Cubs fans, the Cubs are still the Cubs as they got swept in embarrassing fashion. Looking for another scapegoat, Cubs fans blamed the BCS for not choosing the Rays. The Angels on the other hand must decide what free agents they want to keep as they look to defend their BCS World Series title next season.And there is your year in sports. We saw history as the Patriots finished the season flawlessly for only the second time in NFL history. We saw a college legend win his first title when the Tar Heels won the NCAA championship. We saw a matchup of legendary franchises in the NBA Finals and we almost saw the history in the World Series but the Cubs once again fell short.
Of course we know the only one of those that actually happened was the Celtics embarassing the Lakers. Obviously when championships are decided on the field or court things turn out differently than if we allow public opinion and/or some computer system come up with a title match-up. We know that public opinion can be incorrect. We know that computer systems can't accurately evaluate teams. The only way to decide a true champion is to let the teams play it out.
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