Arizona coach Mike Stoops shares the same feeling as Ohio State, the Rose Bowl committee and fans of competitive football.Solid Prevent defense, Arizona. Really fundamentally sound.
With the Wildcats leading Oregon State 17-16 and the clock ticking down on the scoreboard and the Beavers' Rose Bowl hopes, Sammie Stroughter snuck behind the Arizona defense for a 47-yard gain and set up a chip-shot, game-winning, Rose-Bowl-still-alive field goal for Oregon State.
Ohio State, the Rose Bowl committee and college football fans collectively sighed. It's now up to you Oregon, as the Beav are now a Civil War win at home from going to the Rose Bowl.
And if USC wins out (scrimmages against Notre Dame and UCLA), they'll likely get an at-large BCS bid sending two teams from the very mediocre Pac-10 to the BCS. An OSU Rose Bowl appearance would likely cost Ohio State (and a long-shot Boise State) over $10 million.
Of course Ohio State is openly rooting against Oregon State. While it would be fun to see a non-USC Pac-10 champion, college football fans aren't pushing for that scenario either. Nor are the rich men in fancy suits who want to make $$$ off the Rose Bowl.
But the suits won't say that. They'll gladly welcome in the Beavers, who would meet Penn State in Pasadena only a few months removed from getting bent over in a 31-point loss in Happy Valley. They'll be thrilled to have a team from insignificant Corvallis, Ore. rather than Los Angeles. And they'd be thrilled to see a rematch of a blowout than a more traditional USC-Penn State slugfest. They'll just welcome Oregon State with a forced grin and say nice things through clenched teeth.
The Pac-10 would be happy though. Conference money from two BCS bids would be nice. And every bowl-eligible team would essentially move up on the bowl ladder. (For example, the Pac-10 3 would go to the Holiday Bowl rather than the Pac-10 2).
Everybody else? "Fuck you Oregon State. Fuck you."
god the BCS is such a joke... and what amazes me is that every year it manages to be a total joke in completely different ways.
ReplyDeleteThe money thing is totally off here. For one teams split their bowl payoff with their conference. Equal share for everyone after expenses. Also the second 'at-large' team from a conference, or a non BCS conf team, does not get the full payout. Full payout is ~$17mil, but the reduced payout is $4mil. And tOSU has no business in a BCS game...
ReplyDeleteAs a Michigan grad...I hope Oregon State wins out to keep the Buckeyes out of a BCS bowl.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see Oregon St. go to the Rose Bowl. Since the Washington schools won't add anything to the Pac-10 bowl kitty, two BCS games will mean more cash to split between the teams. I'd like to see how the Beavers will do a second time with Penn St. I would guess they would fare a little better than the first time.
ReplyDeletethanks for the clarification anonymous 12:49.
ReplyDelete