Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you your 2008-2009 National Champions – the Utah Utes! Alright, maybe they are just my national champions but in any logical system they would be the national champions.
First, you have to strip away your prejudices – Don’t pre-judge this with past football glory and lore of the SEC or Red River Shootouts. Granted, in the past the best football was played at gridiron powerhouses like Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, and ‘Bama, but Bear Bryant is dead and the limiting of scholarships has brought parity closer to fruition in the FBS.
Try and judge this strictly by these teams, this year – unless you want to consider that this is not Utah’s first big rodeo. They have already won a BCS Bowl game previously.
But, this year:
Utah played every game on it’s schedule and won each won. No other team did.
The above sentence is enough in every other sport, at every other level to declare a team a champion. If that is not enough for you, lets take it a step farther:
Utah won all of its games, did not play a cupcake schedule, and beat a storied football powerhouse from FBS’s premiere conference that was ranked number one for a large chunk of the season in a BCS bowl game.
Whew! Alright, if you can make it through that sentence and logic is you mental weapon of choice then you’ll have to agree that Utah should be Number 1!
I don’t care how close the games were – they won all their games against quality opponents. Winning all the games on your schedule is all you can do and something that Florida, USC, Oklahoma, all the other teams in the BCS could not do. Utah didn’t have an off night or a bad game, they were the superior team in every game the played.
Further, they did not just get lucky against Alabama. They did not need to run the statue of liberty against ‘bama in the last moments of the game. They straight up beat down the team that ran over the SEC in the regular season.
I might watch Florida and Oklahoma next week, but I won’t be watching the National Championship game, I watched the champs last night.
Oh, and P.S. Ole Miss couldn’t beat Vandy or Wake! So you can’t use them in any examples
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:16 pm
“What else do we have to prove?” asked Johnson, after leading his team to a stunning, convincing 31-17 win over Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The answer should be nothing.
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I love underdogs. Everyone loves a good underdog. Kudos to Utah Utes for going 13-0 and finishing a spectacular season. They’re definitely a top team in the FBS this year, probably even a top 5 team.
But I gotta call attention to your 2nd sentence of this blog post:
“Alright, maybe they are just my national champions but in any logical system they would be the national champions.”
The problem I have here is that there is nothing logical at all about the current FBS system and means to determine a national champion. Thus, I think this makes your sentence and the foundation of your entire argument baseless.
Everyone knows what I am alluding to here: the forbidden concept of a national playoff system.
It is not like the NCAA is not aware of how to stage a successful playoff at the end of a regular season in order to determine a national champion. In fact, look at basketball. Anyone ever hear of March Madness? Or, let me cite every other division in college football, other than DI.
So, the truest, most logical means to determine the national champion is through a national playoff held at the end of the regular season. And not this plus-1 scenario that Kirk Herbstreit loves to espouse. That is just avoiding the inevitable.
We need a minimum of 8 teams, and probably 16 teams to compete for a national title at the end of the season to determine the FBS national champion.
Otherwise, we can expend any and all mental proclivities that we want, but it is all just subjective banter. There is no decisive logic that one can posit within an illogical state of that which is the current FBS.
Thus, there is no way to claim logically that Utah is the national champion in the FBS. Unless you are willing to buy into an illogical scenario that the state of the current FBS system is good enough.
Just my $0.02,
- cjm
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
And I disagree. I think if you are the only FBS team that wins all of it’s games and you win a BCS bowl game that you are the champ.
Simple. Logical.
January 3rd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
If you use cjm’s logic there can be no champion, and if that’s the case then the whole thing is pointless!
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I know who beat whom does not count, but you don’t have to travel far for comparison.
Utah beat Alabama, who beat Old Miss. Old Miss beat Florida and Texas Tech. Texas Tech beat Texas, who beat Oklahoma.
Utah beat Oregon State the week after they beat USC.
January 4th, 2009 at 1:27 am
Dear AnArthur,
I’m trying to figure out how you concluded that by using my logic there can be no champion.
So, let me not beat around the bush with an extremely well thought out and defensible argument and just state it quite simply for you:
Division I Football needs a playoff system. Period. Any other arguments to crown a champion or “logically” call a team a champion is fruitless.
By JTK’s analysis, then Boise St should’ve been the national champions in 2006, Utah, Auburn & USC should have been triple co-champions in 2004, Marshall in 1999, Tommy Bowden led Tulane in 1998, and Kerry Collins led Penn St in 1994.
JTK is just hatin’ on the SEC right now, that’s all.
- Chaz
January 4th, 2009 at 5:32 am
Congratulations to the 2008 National Champions, Utah Utes!
Florida and Oklahoma are playing for 2nd place in my opinion.
January 4th, 2009 at 7:44 am
The reason that there is a BCS at all is because a NON BCS conference team won the national championship in the past and the big conferences could not stand it…..thus they put together as system that essentially said, “never again” is a non BCS team going to be national champion. And they have succeeded.
January 4th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Why all the formulas and this school beat that school?
There is only one undefeated team out there: Utah.
Enough said. They should be National Champions.
January 4th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Utes just rule!!!
January 5th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Can someone tell me where I can purchase a Utah national championship shirt??
January 5th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
This is a very simple disagreement to settle. In fact, Utah itself had settled this prior to the start of this season. They are a member of the NCAA which has decided to allow the BCS system to determine the champion. Utah agreed to subject themselves to this system. Decisions (whom to play, which conference to be a part of, etc.) were made by all participating schools with the ultimate goal of winning the bcs title game. Who is to say that Florida wouldn’t have made different choices if the standard were simply to go undefeated. Maybe they would have left the SEC and played a schedule similar to Utah. Who can know? Now some people would like operate outside of this system, but once it is established and Utah decided to participate, they subjected themselves to the guidelines.
The champion is yet to be decided. What is decided is that it is not Utah.
January 5th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Ishee – that is completely disingenuous. Unless there is a rule that says “unless you are a BCS conference school you cannot ever win the national championship” then this argument is bogus.
If it is an unwritten rule then there cannot be an agreement.
January 5th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Mountain West Conference Ranked Teams at end of season:
Utah Utes 6
TCU 11 (worthless, overranked)
BYU 17 (definitely worthwhile- but 1 win? big deal.)
South Eastern Conference Ranked Teams at end of season:
Florida 1 (contest it if you like, but the coaches poll…)
Alabama 4
Ole Miss 20 (every loss by under 7 points.)
Georgia 16
and so you beat the Tide. So did the Gators. Beat em’ after seeing exactly how the Gators did it, too. Too bad they had a suspension and a first quarter OL injury. Utes are almost as good as the Gators- and I argue you won your shot…next year. Play this good next year, and you’ll be there. Better start cheering for BYU and the whole conference, too. The Gators play good EVERY YEAR against BETTER TEAMS. Good luck, Utes.
January 5th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
The Gators lost to Ole Miss….
January 5th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
JTK, I can’t argue the point that Utah one all of her games, but your point that the Utes schedule was no cupcake is false.
Other than Oregon State (quality win) and Alabama (who was decimated with injuries to the 1st and 2nd string left tackle), who did Utah play?
Utah’s strength of schedule is 102 out of 120 teams, worse than the always feared UAB Blazers and the menacing North Texas Mean Green.
Look at Utah’s non conference opponents (and their respective strength of schedule) during the season, @ Michigan (#97), Utah State (#100, but throw out the record book when in-state rival Utah State comes a knockin’), Weber State (old D1AA), and Oregon State (#22). Other than OSU, did these other teams win a combined 12 games?
But what about the Mountain West conference, you say? Utah beat highly ranked TCU and BYU, both ranked in the top 15 of the national polls at the time each played Utah. The trouble is that the MWC’s overall strength of schedule is not good at all (only the WAC is worse). The top three teams are solid but the others are, how do you say, cupcakes?
Regarding the bowl game, Utah absolutely outplayed the team that Alabama had on the field. When Alabama had Andre Smith on the field this year, they were a top 10 team in the nation. But without him, Alabama is just not the same. Let me reference the Tulane game to make my point. Alabama needed two major special teams plays (a blocked punt and a punt return for TD’s) to beat Tulane. The Green Wave is not a good football team, but I bet they’d have a winning record if they played an exclusive MWC only record.
It’s a big deal that Utah went undefeated, and Utah should be ranked in the top 5. They should only get one vote for #1 in the final poll. The only vote will come from the head coach, who looks like Clark Griswold’s co-worker in Christmas Vacation.
In closing, give Wittingham a pool for he and cousin Eddie, just don’t give him a national championship.
January 5th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
All-
Please allow me to chime in. This whole debate is centered around money- essentially who has it and who wants to have more of it.
The NCAA makes too much money off of the bowl games right now -spread amongst the biggest conferences. If they had a playoff system, the money would have to go to all the conferences including the mid majors. The NCAA thought they would not have to deal with the likes of Boise State and Utah teams when they allowed them to play in BCS bowl games.
They certainly did not plan on them BEATING a team with the caliber of Alabama. Kudos to Utah- great job. You beat every team you played and did all you could to make the claim for a top end of year ranking- which is all the system allows you to do.
The current system allows for the AP sports writers, coaches and several other polls to be compiled and crown a “Champion” based off of their opinion. Unfortunately, the champion is tough to decipher when you have several teams that have lost more than one game (or in Utah’s case, been relegated to second tier due to their schedule).
So a bunch of sports writers that probably never strapped on pads have to try and determine a champion as best they can.
None of you are 100% right because the games were never settled on the field. However, look back to last year when LSU won it all.
How? Because their “body of work” was greater than other teams that all lost games and LSU lost “better” than other teams that all had losses.
The system is broke- get over it.
So until it gets fixed, Utah is just another good team that did not win it all- like Penn State, Auburn, Tulane, USC etc.
If Utah had to play an SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10 or even Big East schedule for that matter- they would not have run the table. Essentially, Utah had one Super bowl game to play.
Week in and Week out you have to bring it in the SEC. The level of play is unlike any other conference. But don’t take my opinion- go ask 1 of the 32 GM’s or scouts around the NFL that actually get PAID to have opinions and open your ears and eyes.
Utah would not have run the table in the SEC and they would not beat Florida, USC or OU. They beat a downtrodden Alabama team playing without the starting 5 on the o line for the first time all year. Pat your selves on the back- you won the game. You will finish in the top 5- unwarranted and un tested all season long- mainly because of a win over the 2nd or 3rd best SEC team.
Play Auburn on the road, Texas on the road, or Penn State on the road. Win a game outside your conference in a big game and get respect throughout the season to make a case for yourself at the end of the year to be champs – in the current broken system.
Otherwise, your opinion of champs is cast away as a one hit wonder.
Your body of work leading up to the Bama game was weak and that is why you are not the champs- in the current format.
Remember last year in the NFL- the Pats had the best season EVER and lost in the game that mattered. The better team won when it counted. Most intelligent sports fans know that when it matters, Utah could not beat Florida, USC or OU.
Congrats on your season- I will spot you a # 4 ranking.
January 6th, 2009 at 2:26 am
You just made my point. You said:
Remember last year in the NFL- the Pats had the best season EVER and lost in the game that mattered.
And then they lost the last game! They lost on the field so it didn’t matter if they were the best team in the league – they lost so they were not the champs. Simple. Just like Florida and Oklahoma, they lost on the field – Utah didn’t. So Utah is the champ.
Then you went on to say:
Most intelligent sports fans know that when it matters, Utah could not beat Florida, USC or OU.
That is the Barry Switzer argument and it is far from intelligent. The non BCS teams that make it to BCS bowls – they are 3-1, so they beat the Florida’s and the Oklahoma’s ( in fact Bosie beat Oklahoma itself!) of the world more often then not when they are allowed to compete.
January 6th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Enjoy your 1 loss BCS championship game.
Utah is the last undefeated team in the nation, and if only undefeated team is not in the national championship game then I do not think that it is a national championship game.
January 6th, 2009 at 3:02 am
Dear bonlvzmez,
There were two undefeated regular season teams heading into the bowl season: Utah AND Boise St.
So, I guess what you’re saying is that the BCS National Championship game should have featured Utah vs. Boise St. Um, yeah.
Oh, by the way, Boise St lost their bowl game to TCU, 17-16. These are the same mighty Horned Frogs who lost in a close, hard fought defensive struggle against Utah by a score of 13-10. Oh, about those Horned Frogs from TCU. Um, they lost to Oklahoma by a lopsided margin of 35-10. Not even close. You can watch OU in the B.S. (er, I mean BCS) National Championship.
My main point here is that JTK’s claim that Utah is the national champions is just not a very good claim. By JTK’s rationale, if Utah and Boise St would have both won their bowl games, then they would be co-National Champions. Bunk. Complete bunk.
Since we cannot have a true playoff system, I give you my updated exclusive rankings here for readers of this blog:
Florida: #1
USC: #2
UT: #3
Ole Miss: #4
Oklahoma: #5
Utah: #6
Alabama: #7
Penn St: #8
Texas Tech: #9
Ohio St: #10
Now, in the NFL and NCAA Basketball, it is all about how you perform at the end of the season and in the playoffs. Ever hear of March Madness? Cinderella teams can get hot at the end and make a run and prove themselves on the court. By the end of the year, I don’t know which team in the country would have wanted to face the Ole Miss Rebels. Just thought I’d throw this last part in there
- cjm
January 6th, 2009 at 4:16 am
Charlie wrote:
My main point here is that JTK’s claim that Utah is the national champions is just not a very good claim…
It must be fairly good because no matter how you try and twist it you haven’t rebutted it with any effectiveness.
January 6th, 2009 at 4:37 am
Here’s the secret that nobody else has mentioned:
JTk is a huge Seminole fan, big time Florida State fan.
Thus, everyone knows what that means. He is a Gator hater & a Tebow hater. He cannot stand the success of Coach Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators.
If it were Florida State in Florida’s position, ABSOLUTELY NO WAY does the author of this blog (JTk) take the “subjective” and “opinionated” stance that he does here.
This entire propaganda emanates from a deep-rooted hatred of the Florida Gators who have clearly supplanted the once mighty Seminoles as the class of the state of Florida.
Food for thought… (who’s hungry?)
Cheers
Chaz (cjm)
January 6th, 2009 at 5:20 am
JTK-
Find one intelligent GM or head coach (outside of Utah) who thinks the Utes are the best team in the land.
When you complete that task, we can talk.
I will wait for the answer. It might take a while so I won’t hold my breath.
January 6th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
What’s that? Playoffs!? Don’t talk to me about the playoffs! You kiddin me? PLAYoffs’s?
January 6th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Here’s the secret that nobody else has mentioned:
JTk is a huge Seminole fan, big time Florida State fan.
Not so fast my friend! Nobody was pulling harder for a Fla victory over ‘Bama this year or over that Big 10 team that always loses the BCS bowl games a couple of years ago. I love Gainesville and that whole area of Fla, I have spent much time there.
In conclusion, this is just another straw-man argument that ignores the crux of the issue imho
January 6th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I am beginning to see a pattern in the Mallouf argument technique. This has nothing to do with a NFL head coach or GM thinks.
It is about which college football team should be the champion of this season. And as a NFL coach once said “You play to win the game. Hello? You play to win the game. … Utes won.
January 6th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Think about this.
If Notre Dame had won all of their games, with Utah’s schedule, do you think that they would get a shot at the championship game?
Yep, thought so.
January 6th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
JTK,
I have a few questions for you. Hopefully, you will answer them directly.
1. If Boise St had won their Bowl Game against TCU, and if Utah had won as they did, then how would you decide who the national champion should be? Would you say that they should both be split national champs?
2. Do you think that the only 2 undefeated teams in the country should have been playing for the national championship against each other? Namely, Boise St vs Utah
Respectfully,
- cjm
January 6th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Congrats to Utah! they beat the hell out of Alababa and I never saw it coming. The problem they face is….if they want to be considered a top tier team they need to play a top schedule. They are in a cupcake confrence so they should play some real competition out of confrence. Beat a mid to upper tier team from the SEC, Big 12 and or even the little 10 and then they would have a case for being #1.
January 6th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
They did beat a mid to upper tier team from a bcs conference. They beat Oregon State – which beat USC and was one win away from the Rose bowl.
So I guess that gives them case for being #1. Thanks Tommy!
January 6th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
you are welcome BUT you are putting the cart before the horse. That is like saying they beat Vandy who did beat BC in the bowl and yes Ole Miss. Utah needs to have SEVERAL real wins if they want the national championship. When a school plays week in and week out in a confrence like the SEC it is a different deal and you know that. Personally I would vote Utah #2 or #3 depending on the outcome of the Game Thursday. I think Ole Miss is open and looking for a Game Oct 3—why don’t you get your boys to head to Oxford in early Oct for some true southern hospitality???? they will enjoy looking at some true southern beauties if nothing else!
January 6th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
I didn’t put anything before anything. You said:
Beat a mid to upper tier team from the SEC, Big 12 and or even the little 10 and then they would have a case for being #1.
I pointed out that they did, not to mention ‘Bama. By your own logic they “have a case for being #1″
January 6th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Charlie said: Do you think that the only 2 undefeated teams in the country should…
The answer is that there are not 2 undefeated teams, Bosie lost to TCU which Utah beat. No need to prop up these hypothetical scenarios – Utah is undefeated, Bosie is not. The point is moot.
January 7th, 2009 at 12:02 am
“Utah is undefeated, Bosie is not. The point is moot.”
According to “JFK” (the savior), if a team is undefeated then they are the # 1 team in the nation. “Moot Point” to any discussion outside of Utah being # 1.
Rebuttal- Who else outside of You and Utah thinks you are even remotely of sound mind in your discussion? I posed the question to you to find me someone else that has gone on record to say Utah is # 1 (someone whose opinion actually matters to the public). You have yet to do that. I am sure you can do a little Google search and find someone out there….
“JFK” keeps missing the point that given the state of the system- which does not currently include a playoff- people who don’t actually play determine the championship game and outcome. The voters actually follow sports for a living. SO their opinions count at the end of the year. Most of them are even educated!!!
I am willing to bet that none of them think Utah is # 1 b/c they beat Bama and Oregon State.
Not that my opinion matters. It just so happens that the people who have an opinion that matter agree with me (and everyone else in America minus 500 closely related Mormons and “JFK”).
January 7th, 2009 at 2:05 am
“In conclusion, this is just another straw-man argument that ignores the crux of the issue imho ”
The only issue right now is that USC or Texas are not playing Florida. Utah is not even in consideration.
Utah beat Bama on a bad night. It happens. 9 times out of 10 Bama wins. Anyone who follows football knows that.
Don’t think Oregon State is better than USC from their one win.
Texas Tech is not better than Texas b/c of their one win.
Ole Miss (God love them) is not better than Florida b/c of their one win.
Utah had one game to win. Bama had to every game just to get to the game that Utah waltzed into.
Watch more TV JFK and put down the conspiracy paper. The right teams are playing for the title this year.
Florida will win by 17 points and Tebow will go down as the greatest college football player EVER- and that assumes that he does not even come back next year. Chew on that.
January 7th, 2009 at 2:13 am
I don’t know who “JFK” (the savior) is, or how in the hell you came up with (the) (the savior) part, but I digress. I wonder how you know that everyone in America ( minus 501 ) agrees with you and why you would resort to trying to belittle this “JFK” person that you are referring to while being condescending to an entire religion.
By the tone of you comment I doubt that you really want an answer to your question about who else might find me of sound mind on this subject, however, just for fun I would suggest that you check out this article by Heather Dinich who follow sports for a living and is even educated!!!
Then there is this from the Bleacher Report – they follow sports too! Maybe, Black Sports Online? – and I don’t think they are Mormons. The Deseret News, as well as many blogs.
There are 8,931 members of facebook alone that think Utah is the champ and at a Bulldogs blog there is a poll where 63% (over 300 votes) of the visitors think that Utah is Number 1.
So, I ( and “JFK” and the 500 Mormons ) are hardly alone.
January 7th, 2009 at 2:30 am
Ok ok, let’s get back to the debate of our discussion here and put politics and religion aside for a moment.
What we know is that JTK is not going to be watching the BCS National Championship Game on Thursday night. He stated as much on Twitter (www.twitter.com/imjtk) So, I hope that I can be somewhere watching it on a big screen or, heck, even in person, so that I can provide more analysis to this discussion.
Jason Malouf’s last comments cracked me up – the part about “Ole Miss (God love them)”
So, JTK does not have it out for Florida. Duly noted.
However, how bout the side-step that JTK did by not answering my questions posed here:
http://imjtk.com/2008-2009-national-champions-the-utah-utes.php#comment-57233
Heading into the Bowl Season, should Boise St and Utah have faced each other directly to compete for the National Championship? Should the two undefeated teams in the country have had the chance, no the “right,” to have faced each other to determine the national champion?
Using JTK’s logic that he based his entire blog post on, the only conclusion that I can make is that he would conclude that these two teams should have faced off for the national title. I do not see how JTK could answer or argue any other way, given the position he takes throughout this fun little debate. If I’m wrong here in this assumption, please explain to me how.
Thus, assuming I’m right with my logical deductions for JTK’s scenario, then Boise St played the wrong team as did Utah in their respective bowls. They should have been facing each other for the national championship.
This is the world of college football that we would be in today if we allowed ourselves to accept JTK’s logic and carry it out throughout the bowl selection process.
I would be waiting for Thursday night to come so that I could watch the Utes from Utah take on the Boise St bluegrass whatever their mascot is (Cardinals? I dunno).
Also, I had a 2nd question that JTK side-stepped and did not answer. I asked who he would crown as the national champion had a very plausible scenario occurred where Utah and Boise St had both won their respective bowl games. If this had occurred, using JTK’s own logic given as the basis for his blog post and argument, one can only surmise that JTK would have crowned both Boise St and Utah as co-national champions. Using JTK’s logic, I do not see any other scenario that would not result in two co-national champions if we ended up with two undefeated teams.
Now, I do not expect JTK to directly answer these scenarios, since he side-stepped them the first time. But I would surely love to get a direct answer from him. In order to defend his argument and logic further, I think he owes it to us (the FanBoys of this blog) to let us know how his logic would play itself out in these hypothetical situations. And, dare I say, that JTK is not above pandering to hypothetical scenarios, as the whole idea of Utah being crowned the national champion is the penultimate hypothetical scenario and he is certainly contributing to the growing groundswell of insurgents who are supporting this claim.
Cheers JTK! I still love ya!
- Chaz
January 7th, 2009 at 3:44 am
Alone- No. IN the GREAT Minority for a reason- YES.
If they were even close to being the top dog, there would be a huge uproar from the MAJORITY of the educated football public.
That is why Penn State, Auburn, USC from years past got shafted and there was a huge cry for reform. Utah is not in that category.
Get over yourself, you are wrong. Enjoy the game Thursday and watch the crowning of the best TEAM.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Hey Jason – I will enjoy the game, thanks. Although I am curious as to why they will be playing the consolation game so long after the season has been decided
I am in the majority of non-prejudiced fans that understand that it is not the “brand” of the team that is important but their performance on the field each and every week.
January 7th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Go Utes. Top team in the country. Undefeated, impressive victory over Alabama, fourth best conference, tough non-conference schedule, and a pretty place to boot.
There are ten people in the world who think the current system works and they are employed by the BCS. Give us a playoff open to to the top ten teams in the AP polls and see how the giants fall like fleas. Until then, I hope the anti-trust people fine the NCAA for millions.
Ohio State is pathetic, Florida got handled at home against Ole Miss, USC got beat down by Oregon State, Texas struggled against a horrible OSU team, and Oklahoma got beat by Texas. Go Utah.
January 7th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I think that Utah’s strength of schedule argument goes out the window win they pounded the very best (other than Florida) of what the SEC had to offer. I see that win as almost like a playoff win. Since Utah defeated every other team in the Mountain West, they WERE the Mountain West. They represented the whole conference. So, again other than Florida, Alabama beat everybody on their schedule in the SEC, so they WERE the SEC.
So is it stretch to say that since Utah beat Alabama, wouldn’t it mean Utah beat everybody in the SEC (other than Florida)? (there’s some sort of mathematical association property here I think). You would assume that Alabama could easily run the table on any other Mountain West team, but we will never know. Until the day were all 119 teams can schedule each other for a 119 game season we’ll have to stick with what works. A PLAYOFF. REPRESENTATIVES FOR EACH CONFERENCE. Who by beating everybody in their own conference, it could be ASSUMED that if that team loses, the victor of that game is better than any other team in that conference that was defeated.
I don’t know who Utah should have played in for the National Title in the current system. They didn’t beat Florida (the true REPRESENTATIVE of the SEC) in the Sugar Bowl, and Utah didn’t play the REPRESENTATIVE of the Big 12. It’s all an opinion with that at this point.
I’m not sure how far this Utah team would go if there was a playoff. They could lose to a USC or a Oklahoma, but who knows? Settle it on the field. Until then strength of schedule is B.S. Who cares who you played? You make it to a BCS game, and you beat the REP of a big name conference, YOU BEAT THAT WHOLE CONFERENCE!
January 7th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
TIM-
I agree with you that Utah is a pretty place. IN fact, Colorado Buffs in Boulder, Air Force or Washington Huskies probably would fall in the top 4 prettiest/scenic places to take in a college football game.
I disagree that Florida got handled at home by Ole Miss.
Actually- Florida got stopped short driving for the WINNING touchdown on 4th and 1. Then they had the extra point blocked attempting to tie the game. Beat yes. Handled, MMMM, Hardly.
If you watched Ole Miss’s games this year, you could make the argument that they SHOULD have won every game. But I do not think that they handled Florida.
We all agree that the current system is broken and needs to be fixed. If nothing else – I hope Obama actually follows through on his word and puts a playoff system in place. That by itself could win him another 4 years in office.
With that said, I bid you all farewell. NO more blogging for me. Back to the real world where national champions are crowned by the voters!!!!!
January 8th, 2009 at 1:58 am
Big 10 Sorry!!! Pac 10 Sorry!!! Big East Beyond Sorry!!! ACC Average at Best!!!
People argue strength of schedule which is pretty much crap. I said it crap! Most of the schools in the above mentioned conferences were only ranked higher in the pre-season due to PAST performance. This is what gave their opponents a higher strength of schedule, not the way the teams played this season. Utah might have played FCS Weber St. but it was a last minute game tossed in because a mighty BCS team from Louisville backed out and opted to play them in 2009 instead. As bad as Michigan was this year who’s to say that losing to lowly Utah at home didn’t start the snowball effect of bad games that was their season. As far as the injury bug that bit Bama thats part of the game. Part of being a champion is overcoming obstacles that fall in your way. Only mental midgets use excuses to justify an outcome which was totally in their power to overcome.
January 8th, 2009 at 8:40 am
NO more blogging for me. Back to the real world where national champions are crowned by the voters!!!!!
That is so funny! I am not sure how anyone can think that real champions get to be champions by people voting
Maybe in the floor exercise or synchronized diving, but I like my sports settled on the field.
January 8th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Okay – this is my last blog.
I was being SARCASTIC. The system is broken as I said before.
So the champion is voted in a bs way to raise cash for the biggest conferences and the NCAA.
The only argument was that you think Utah should be the champ b/c they went undefeated.
I was just making the case that you are in the minority thought process and that MOST people would vote for FLorida or OU as the champs.
January 8th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Ok, I will only accept JTK’s argument that Utah should be the national champions if we can all agree to accept this author’s argument that Ole Miss should be the co-national champions.
http://www.oxfordeagle.com/sports4.html
January 8th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Let’s me start by saying that the BCS is a joke. You won’t find me arguing that either Florida or Oklahoma is the best team in the country and that we’ll find out exactly who that is tonight. Any system that doesn’t allow USC (that’s Southern Cal for you SEC people) to play for that title this year is clearly broken. This is coming from a USC hater. That defense will go down in history as one of the best ever. It pains me to say so. Now, I’m not saying they ARE the best team in the country. I’m just saying you can’t tell me they’re not…..along with several other teams.
However, to say the 2008 Utes are the clear National Champions this year is about as funny as a screen door on a battleship (“screen door on a submarine, you dork.”) Thanks Marty.
Utah’s SOS – 102 out of 120. nuff said. sorry but that IS a cupcake schedule.
Also, are you telling me that they were the champs or deserved a share of the title in 2004? That they were on the same level as USC () or Auburn?
Boise St. 2006?
It’s very simple. Gotta have a playoff. It’s the only way. Until then it’s just biased opinion.
CJD
January 8th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Sounds like a bunch of partisan bickering, between fans of each school who have admitted bias one way or the other. Let me say as a Bama fan, and a frustrated one, that it sucked losing to both Fla and Utah. As a logical human being and a practical one I think, I must say I believe Utah has a better case than Florida. Sure you both beat us. But Utah beat everyone they played. Florida didn’t. Sure they were stopped on 4th and 1 on the game winning drive, but that is the point….they were stopped. No one stopped Utah. Florida lost. I know my argument lacks intricacy, but I don’t think it needs more calculation. 0 losses is a better record than 1 loss. If you want schedule comparison, how about who beat Bama by more? Utah.
I’m sure if I was a Gator I might feel differently. And I’m sure the argument doesn’t matter much to Gator fans because the people who make the rules have decided in your favor. So if you win tonight I guess you get called the BCS Champion.
January 8th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Obviously, I am a Utah fan. The Sugar Bowl was a great experience, and I am glad that my wife and I made it down. My biggest problem with the whole thing is without a playoff, no one (my Utes included) can be declared a champion. That’s just the facts. The rest is just a beauty contest. However, I would like to address a few fallacies in logic:
1. Alabama lost because their offensive line was in disarray. First off, since when do offensive linemen cover wide receivers?
2. Utah cannot be competitive because of lack of depth. Did you know that three backups started for Utah’s defense in the Sugar Bowl? Lei Talamaveo, starting DT, broke his leg in the second game and was lost for the year. His replacement was Greg Newman. Watch the tapes, you can’t miss him. Kenape Eliapo, other starting DT, was lost in the Michigan game for eight weeks. His replacement was Derrick Shelby, who rotated with Kenape throughout the game (though Kenape has been a shell of himself since coming back). But the biggest loss was Nai Fotu, who is a beast of a linebacker. He blew out his knee against BYU and didn’t play. His replacement was Kepa Gaison, who happened to have three sacks in the game. So don’t try to tell me that Utah couldn’t hold up to the wear and tear of a strong league. Their depth is better than anyone outside of Utah gives them credit for.
3. The suspensions and injuries to Bama’s line took them out of their game. Well, point number two covers that, but why couldn’t it have been Utah’s run defense? They held every team except for TCU below their season average for rushing. They held Michigan to less than 50 yds rushing. They held Air Force to 56 yards (they averaged almost 300 on the year). Utah’s front seven is fast, aggressive, and well coached. While I was surprised by Bama’s final rushing total, I wasn’t surprised that they finished well below their seasons average (196 or so).
January 9th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Alabama didn’t want to be at that game,they did not even play like Alabama.You put Utah up against Florida,Oklahoma,Texas,USC in a National Title game and they would crush Utah.At best Utah should be ranked 3rd behind Texas and Florida.
January 9th, 2009 at 5:49 am
Utah, the only team in major college football to go undefeated this season, got 16 first-place votes and 1,519 points.
January 9th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
FWS is a jerk!
January 9th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Well, Florida and Oklahoma didn’t seem to ‘want’ to be at the Nat’l championship game either since they didn’t hit their season averages and all that. So by that logic, they shouldn’t be highly ranked either.
January 9th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Can someone please tell me where I can purchase a Utah national champion T-shirt?
The BCS is BS. Top eight playoff needs to be put in place.
I wish everybody would revolt against the beauty pageant best of show scorecards that determine the supposedly best team in college.
January 9th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
CHRIS –
Go to http://www.therealchamps.com
Spread the word!
January 12th, 2009 at 4:14 am
Strength of Scheudule
Utah- 32nd
UF – 2nd
Bowl teams played
Utah- 6
UF- 10
PPG Scored
Utah- 37.4
UF- 45.2
PPG Against
Utah- 17.3
UF- 12.8
BCS #1 Teams Defeated
Utah- 0
UF- 2
Ranked teams played
Utah- 3
UF- 6
MWC Bowl Teams – 5 (3-2 record)
SEC Bowl Teams – 8 (6-2 record)
If you actually look at real stats, the comparison between Utah and UF is silly. UF played a much tougher schedule, while scoring more points, and giving up less.
Alabama was without their LT in the Sugar Bowl (the LT who was a 1st team All-America, and won the award for best offensive lineman), while UF was without Percy Harvin for their game against Bama. And Utah won 31-17, while UF won 31-21. Hardly a difference. Anyone who underestimates the effect that an All-American O-lineman can have on a game has obviously never watched football. Utah sacked John Parker Wilson EIGHT times. That couldn’t have anything to do with the LT being out, could it?
UF played Bama with a conference championship and shot at the National Title on the line, while the Sugar Bowl was Utah’s biggest game in their history, and it was just a reason for Bama players to go to Bourbon St.
Utah barely beat a 3-9 Michigan team (by 2), and a 4-8 New Mexico team (by 3). The teams on Utah’s schedule are the cupcakes that teams like UF play as early season warm-ups. And the BCS schools get chastised if they schedule more than 1, but Utah gets to have 5 or 6 on their schedule.
Look, Utah had a terrific season. But let’s not kid ourselves here. Utah would be a double digit underdog to UF, no doubt. Utah might beat UF one out of 15 times, but that doesn’t make them a National Champion.
January 12th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Michael – Hey Now, I am not kidding myself. Utah was a double digit underdog to ‘Bama too
January 12th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
There were only three teams that had wins against four or more teams that finished in the top 25, Utah, Florida, and Oklahoma. There were only two teams with two or more wins against teams that finished in the top 10; Utah and Florida. There was only one undefeated team in the country; Utah. Oh and I don’t disagree with the fact that Florida had a tougher schedule. But that is a moot point because Florida didn’t win all their games. That’s like saying Tennessee should be ranked higher than BOise State because they played a tougher schedule. Um, actually that argument only holds if they win all their games.
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:49 am
Oh and those of you who are saying there’s no way that Utah would beat Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, USC, etc…How many of you thought Utah even had a chance against Bama? Probably none of you…and we all know how that turned out.
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:51 am
yeah well i guess if you play teams like UNLV, utah state, air force, weber state, wyoming, colorado state, new mexico, and san diego state, and other such “powerhouse” teams then it wouldn’t be very difficult to go undefeated. how can you keep a team like Florida, playing in the toughest conference in the nation, and only loss is by one point, out of the championship game? you all are rediculous. FLORIDA GATORS 2008 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! GO GATORS!
November 5th, 2009 at 9:40 pm