A Look Back at the BCS

Before the BCS bowls occurred, I put out a list of matchups I would much rather see than the ones that would ultimately be played. Now that the college football season is over, it's time to look back at what went right, and what went wrong, with my selections.

BCS Championship: Florida beats Oklahoma
My pick: Same
-Overall, it was a competitive game, and one that didn't disappoint, aside from not being a shootout as many expected. Tim Tebow is coming back for his senior season and I fully expect him to solidify his place as the greatest college football player in history. Florida's defense really clamped down on Oklahoma, who certainly missed DeMarco Murray, and held them to only two touchdowns. Florida's offense played well, mostly thanks to Tebow, and showed how many weapons they truly have. Thank you Florida, for not letting me down in big games. I had the Gators picked to win it all, and they came through as always.

Rose Bowl: USC rolls over Penn State
My pick: USC vs. Texas
-USC really showed how much of a juggernaut they can be and how many athletes they bring to that program. USC had this game wrapped up by halftime and Penn State was purely outclassed. While this game had promise on paper, I would have preferred to see Colt McCoy and the Texas offense square off against USC's stacked defense. I think that matchup would have really shown what can win you championships in college football, high-powered offense or lockdown defense.

Sugar Bowl: Utah upsets Alabama
My pick: Texas Tech vs. Alabama
-I need to admit it, I was completely wrong on this one. I had Texas Tech penciled in, to match old school versus new school in this game. I thought Utah would get crushed and be put in their place. I thought Texas Tech's unconventional offense would be a great dichotomy to pit against Nick Saban's traditional style of hard defense and a tough ground game. Instead, Texas Tech couldn't even win their own bowl game against Ole Miss, and Alabama didn't even show up for the Sugar Bowl. While I give Utah all the credit in the world for beating all of their opponents and really taking it to Alabama, I have to say the Crimson Tide were extremely uninspired in this game. Alabama's top lineman, tackle Andre Smith was suspended for allegedly having illegal discussions with an agent, and was a microcosm of where the Crimson Tide were mentally, completely checked out of the game and looking ahead.

However, I don't want to write Utah's victory off as just a win against an unwilling opponent. The Utes did everything they were supposed to do and were completely prepared for this game. However, I don't think they deserve to be in discussion for the national championship just yet. Remember, this was a team that barely got by TCU earlier in the year when the Horned Frogs' kicker missed two makeable field goals that would have sealed the game and a Michigan team that had its worst record in school history.

Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech beats Cincinnati
My pick: Same
-I picked this game to be the sacrificial lamb of the BCS bowls and it totally proved my point. Both of these teams are incredibly boring and attract no one except for alumni and current students. In the end, it was nothing memorable and showed that neither team was worthy of a BCS invitation.

Fiesta Bowl: Texas squeaks past Ohio State
My pick: Utah vs. Boise State
-Again, I have some crow to eat on this. I originally wanted to see the two undefeated, non-BCS conference schools duke it out to see which one was more deserving of being in the upper echelon of college programs. However, Utah showed they belonged with the big boys, while Boise St. couldn't get past TCU in the San Diego County Credit Union Pointsettia Bowl (the name is so bad, you always have to say the full title when you bring it up).

While Texas versus Ohio State turned out to be a good game, Ohio State again showed they can't win the big ones. While the Buckeyes didn't completely fall on their collective face this time around, it still shows they don't deserve BCS bids just because they travel well and bring lots of money. Ohio State needs to show they can actually win something of importance (maybe a big non-conference game?) to prove they deserve an invitation to a major bowl. If the Buckeyes lose two games, and there's an undefeated team out there in the top 10, the undefeated team should go. I'm tired of see the Buckeyes lose game after game when it actually means something. Texas showed they couldn't just roll over everyone with their big-time offense. The Longhorns were losing 6-3 at halftime and only amassed 24 points. While it was a good game and Texas still came out victorious, it also showed the selections for the championship game were correct. Florida and Oklahoma both deserved to be there, and Texas didn't prove otherwise.

There were greats games, upsets and letdowns. There were great matchups, snoozers and mistakes. However, I think in the end they got it right. Florida and Oklahoma deserved to be there and the other games ultimately didn't mean anything. I think Florida is the undisputed national champion, but a playoff would be a better way to get there. I made a some good calls and some bad calls, but things ultimately went my way.