2008 Woodie Awards
Ohio State vs. Florida Headlines the 2006-2007 Bowl Season
Zack Gugenheim
Issue date: 12/7/06 Section: Sports
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The Bowl Championship (Controversy) Series came out with their final poll last Sunday night, and the results ended in disbelief for both the Florida Gators and for the Michigan Wolverines. The Gators supposedly had little to no shot of making the title game, regardless if the USC Trojans had lost. If Southern Cal were to lose (supposedly, it was a very big if), Michigan would supposedly go to Glendale to challenge the Buckeyes for the national title in a rematch.
The result? Southern Cal loses to UCLA, Florida beat Arkansas, and Michigan was "penalized" for ending the season two weeks early. Talking media-heads are now screaming for the unfairness to the Wolverines, and how they were jumped by Florida just because they were sitting home. I agree with this assessment, and Michigan should not have been jumped in the polls. However, they shouldn't have been there in the first place. The fact that they lost on November 18th, regardless of who it was too, should have put them behind Florida and USC. Michigan knew the stakes of the game, and knew if they won they would automatically be in the title game. Both coaches stated they would not like a rematch, and they shouldn't anyway. Why does any team deserve a mulligan against any particular opponent? The fact is the system is flawed, yet it isn't going to leave any time soon. I believe the system gave us a great match-up, as well as a great rose bowl match-up (Michigan vs. USC). Although we need a playoff, we will have more than enough quality match-ups to watch over the holidays, especially the one that will determine the national champion.
BCS National Championship Game: # 2 Florida vs. # 1 Ohio State (Jan. 8)
As said before, this game is going to be a great one to watch. This game is going to be an explosive, physical, and emotional match-up. Ohio State has been the consensus #1 all season long, and has looked the part in every single game except against Illinois. They defeated two number two teams (Texas and Michigan), a pretty decent Penn State squad, and an Iowa squad on the road, before they imploded because of injuries. Florida has played even better opponents (LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee), and has met every challenge except one (@ Auburn). They have seemed inept on offense at times, and extremely inconsistent, but when they and their starting quarterback, Chris Leak are on, watch out, they can be explosive. Freshman WR Percy Harvin is fast, and is much like Ohio State WR Ted Ginn, who both will be lined up in multiple positions and sets to put them in situations to make a big play. Florida WR Dallas Baker is their big possession receiver, and WR Andre Caldwell helps round out a fantastic core of wide-outs that could give the Ohio State secondary nightmares.
The result? Southern Cal loses to UCLA, Florida beat Arkansas, and Michigan was "penalized" for ending the season two weeks early. Talking media-heads are now screaming for the unfairness to the Wolverines, and how they were jumped by Florida just because they were sitting home. I agree with this assessment, and Michigan should not have been jumped in the polls. However, they shouldn't have been there in the first place. The fact that they lost on November 18th, regardless of who it was too, should have put them behind Florida and USC. Michigan knew the stakes of the game, and knew if they won they would automatically be in the title game. Both coaches stated they would not like a rematch, and they shouldn't anyway. Why does any team deserve a mulligan against any particular opponent? The fact is the system is flawed, yet it isn't going to leave any time soon. I believe the system gave us a great match-up, as well as a great rose bowl match-up (Michigan vs. USC). Although we need a playoff, we will have more than enough quality match-ups to watch over the holidays, especially the one that will determine the national champion.
BCS National Championship Game: # 2 Florida vs. # 1 Ohio State (Jan. 8)
As said before, this game is going to be a great one to watch. This game is going to be an explosive, physical, and emotional match-up. Ohio State has been the consensus #1 all season long, and has looked the part in every single game except against Illinois. They defeated two number two teams (Texas and Michigan), a pretty decent Penn State squad, and an Iowa squad on the road, before they imploded because of injuries. Florida has played even better opponents (LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee), and has met every challenge except one (@ Auburn). They have seemed inept on offense at times, and extremely inconsistent, but when they and their starting quarterback, Chris Leak are on, watch out, they can be explosive. Freshman WR Percy Harvin is fast, and is much like Ohio State WR Ted Ginn, who both will be lined up in multiple positions and sets to put them in situations to make a big play. Florida WR Dallas Baker is their big possession receiver, and WR Andre Caldwell helps round out a fantastic core of wide-outs that could give the Ohio State secondary nightmares.