Sunday Morning Coming Down
By Bob Epling
December 2, 2007
“Well, I woke up Sunday morning,
with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt.”
Kris Kristofferson – Sunday Morning Coming Down
The nation’s best sport chooses its champion in the worst way.
As I write on Sunday morning – BCS Bowl selection Sunday mind you - my head hurts, my eyes burn, and (as a Georgia Bulldog alum) my heart aches just a bit.
These ailments come not from a night on the town a la Kris Kristofferson.
Not from hunger pangs or caffeine cravings courtesy of a post-Thanksgiving diet.
Not even from trying to keep up with the flipping and flopping of ESPN’s normally unflappable Kirk Herbstreit, who gasped for air championship Saturday like a flounder on a hook after his “sources” guaranteeing LSU coach Les Miles taking the Michigan job turned out to be as laughable as the Ohio State schedule.
No, these symptoms are purely BCS induced.
The nation’s best sport chooses its champion in the worst way.
Former championship winners like Bob Stoops of Oklahoma and Pete Carroll of USC should not have to make like Democrats chasing Hillary through Iowa and lobby a bunch of “voters” who might or might not take time to actually watch college football games.
While they spoke, I kept waiting for Bill Clinton to pop up on the screen and lie about something. Maybe claim Arkansas should be in the title game. Stoops and Carroll are above that and you could sense their discomfort by listening to them.
Same with Mark Richt.
The classy Georgia coach should not find himself bickering about BCS by-laws and whether failing to win a conference championship disqualifies a team from getting to the title game (it does not … but it does).
All we needed with Richt was Rudy, Mitt, and some talking head from CNN introducing stupid video questions. “Ah Coach … this is June from Hawaii … do you really feel a team with two losses deserves a title shot more than an undefeated team?”
The nation’s best sport chooses its champion in the worst way.
Ohio State will play for the title.
The Buckeyes were last seen on the BCS stage being treated like the local high school JV team playing against a varsity called the Florida Gators. The Buckeyes did not beat a team ranked in the Top 20 this season at the time Ohio State played them. The Buckeyes won – at best – the fifth-strongest BCS conference by capturing the toothless Big Ten.
But, hey they do have a nice HBO documentary out.
LSU will play for the title.
The Bengal Tigers have lost twice since Georgia last lost. The Bengal Tigers, path to the national title clearly in front of them, turned turkey against Arkansas the day after Thanksgiving and lost to the unranked Razorbacks. The Bengal Tigers will get a third shot at the championship game while making more dumb mistakes than any other good team in America.
But, hey they did not lose a game in regulation all season.
These comments are meant to take nothing from Ohio State and LSU.
Jim Tressel is a great coach. His team will be eager to atone for last year’s title game embarrassment. And … I truly believe … the Buckeyes would have finished at least fourth in the SEC East. Maybe tied with Kentucky.
Les Miles is a fair coach. His team flashes occasional brilliance on defense and … and … and Jacob Hester on offense. And, I truly believe, Miles would have waited until at least this Tuesday before accepting the Michigan job if the ex-Buckeye Herbstreit hadn’t derailed the hiring with those reputable “sources” of his.
Still.
The nation’s most talented team (USC) will not play for the championship.
The nation’s most impressive team (Oklahoma) will not play for the championship.
The nation’s hottest team since mid-season (Georgia) will not play for the championship.
The nation’s best sport chooses its champion in the worst way.
Sing it Kris … There’s something in a Sunday makes a body feel alone.
