Those Who Stay Will Be Champions

That's one of the many mottos of the Michigan Wolverines, by the way. Anyhow, I'm talking bout some football. As since I made public mention of my hopes yesterday I suppose I should do the "Michigan" thing and say something about them being crushed. Unlike some people, at Michigan, we were taught not to brag or boast but to go out and get things done. On the field, where it counts. So there wasn't a lot of lobbying from me or anyone else about Michigan before last night and there isn't going to be much whining now. I was a bit upset when I managed to put the tealeaves together a bit ahead of time - when the polls came out it was pretty apparent what was going to happen - but I went ahead and watched the show anyway.

Oh, I’m not upset about the results of last nights BCS selection or anything (Although I am angry about the show itself. I mean, I expect some actual quality from my entertainment dollar and that show was pretty much anything but. Of course, I hate the “let’s create a story” telling of sports television these days. I’m not exactly completely walking in off the streets, you know, but I’m far from the most dedicated. And what I’d really like would be just announcers and producers who’d get out of the way of the game and not try to ratchet up the emotion and tension that’s already there into the realm of parody.) – when you have a stupid system you get stupid results. The college football watching public could have had a rematch of UofM and OSU – for most of the season the best two teams who just happened to be in the same conference and play each other on the final day of their season (Which, I think I’m going to have to talk about the misguided nature of the “what have you done lately for me” attitude among the sports nation one of these days just not today because I’m trying to be a Michigan man about this and accept defeat gracefully. Schembechler wouldn’t have done any differently so I can do no less since he’s not here anymore. I mean, the Wolverines are headed to the Rose Bowl to play USC. I’m supposed to be disappointed by that?) , this time with the national championship actually on the line. They could have had a game that would have been something for history. Instead they wound up with, well, something.

And, hey, their choice and it's certainly a valid one. I'm just upset that the system is broken, like most Michigan fans I've talked with. We like to win of course but don't mind losing as long as it's a fair game. And the BCS is many things but fair is not how I'd describe it. We might well have ended up with this same result under a better system but the point is that this isn't the first year the end of the college football season has been decided not on the field, where it counts, but in the broadcast booth, the ballot box, and by people screaming into the microphone. I know it sounds like sour grapes - and I certainly wouldn't be devastated that a corrupt system let my Wolverines have a shot at magic I'd just have been stunned that the polls had gotten it right for once and not decended into a metagamed politicized nightmare - but, well, I've felt that way about the BCS and the larger football scene for a long time now and this has only reinforced my belief. A lot of people are talking about this and I'm bound to hear things so maybe I'll say more later but for now, I'm about through. Fix the system, everything else will follow.