Whether or not you are excited about the inauguration of Barack Obama this week, I assume most of you like this. Obama continues to push for a college football playoff.
From the Chattanooga Times Free Press:
“Eight teams,” [Obama] added. “That would be three rounds to determine a national champion. It would add three extra weeks to the season. You could trim back the regular season. I don’t know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this.”
Never mind that Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive and Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner — and current BCS coordinator — John Swafford strongly disagree, as well as the vast majority of college presidents.
“For now, our constituencies — and I know (Obama) understands constituencies — have settled on the current BCS system,” Swafford responded. “The majority believe this is the best system yet to determine a national champion while also maintaining the college football regular season as the best and most meaningful in sports.”
The president-elect fired back on Jan. 9, the day after Florida knocked off Oklahoma in the BCS title game.
“If I’m Utah, or if I’m USC, or if I’m Texas, I might still have some quibbles,” Obama said. “That’s why we need a playoff.”
So will this become the great crusade of Obama’s first 100 days in office once he’s sworn in Tuesday?
I don't know about great crusade. Righting our ailing eonomy sounds more like a crusade. But, in my opinion, Obama's tell-it-like-it-is take on the BCS is change sports fans can believe in. (Either that or he's aiming to sweep the college football frenzied south come 2012 and he's appealing to their passion). And I know there are some that have some strange emotional connection to the current bowl system, and they argue that lesser bowls will be diminished. Well, they're diminished already. Crowds are sparse for lower tier bowls because those games don't matter.
Does anyone here buy this argument, that the BCS needs to stay?
I personally hope Obama finds a way to get this done.
- It sounds like the powers that be at the University of Alabama are interested in making a large offer to Tubby Smith to lure him from the Golden Gophers to the Crimson Tide, according to a writer with the Birmingham News. The writers points to Tubby's departure from Georgia to Kentucky after only two years. Fair point, but Tubby has a knock-out class coming in next year with two potential dominating freshman. That, combined with the young team he has now makes me doubt his desire to bolt to another rebuilding project.
- An NBA blogger (Timberwolves Den) seems to have had enough with the pro game, lambasting players for not caring (shocking!), then proceeds to talk college hoops, bashes Bo Ryan and writes that the Gophers have played above their heads at times while also acting like the young kids they are at other times.
- A Nick Punto caption contest over at Twinkie Town.
- In the Chicago Tribune's preview of the MInnesota-Northwestern game, reporter Shannon Ryan calls the Gophers a "team of role players." In the obvious sense, that's true. Al Nolen plays a role. Blake Hoffarber (at least until recently) played the role of spot-up shooter. But in sports parlance I think a "team of role players" suggests that the players on said team aren't well-rounded or capable of playing a complete game. And many Gophers--Westbrook, Nolen, DJ Swat, Paul Carter and others--can do many things well.
- The review of the Northwestern triumph over Minnesota is below ...