It's About Time
Posted January 6, 2008, 11:31 AM ET

After suffering through 31 bowl games, we finally get to the national championship game in New Orleans.

I am a college football junkie, but this bowl season has been the worst ever. When the BCS pairings were announced in early December, you could already sense that the "suits" had screwed up the match-ups.

Hawaii is a nice story, but they had no business being BCS-worthy....and don't waste your time bringing up Boise State from a year ago. The Rainbows were destroyed, and the myth of Colt Brennan was exposed....Georgia is really good and deserved a better opponent. As a matter of fact, a game with Southern Cal is exactly what we were all screaming about 6 weeks ago. It's a shame that jackass Rose Bowl officials were too hung-up on old-school politics.

The Rose Bowl's selection of Illinois was ridiculous. The Fighting Zooks, like Hawaii, are a nice story, but they aren't ready for the primetime slot. Southern Cal only made the Big Ten's inferiority complex even worse. The Big Ten was blown out again in a BCS game, dropping their all-time BCS record to .500. In the meantime, the Trojans looked like the real deal...and they are. Regardless of what happens between LSU and Ohio State, I'm not sure either one of them would be favored against USC.

The Orange Bowl showcased the ACC's best team, and it didn't matter. Virginia Tech was beaten by that traditional football power, Kansas. I'd be the first to admit that I thought the Jayhawks had no business being in the BCS. Missouri, which bombed Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, should have received the nod over Rock-Chalk. Based on the Hokies' performance, it didn't matter which Big XII runner-up showed up in South Beach. The loss by the Hokies makes the ACC a robust 1-9 all-time in the BCS. The last eight ACC champions have lost their bowl game. That's embarrassing. As I've stated throughout the football season, the ACC was miserable. The conference capped off this season's bowl schedule with a 2-6 record.

Finally, the Fiesta Bowl gave us a surprise. West Virginia showed up without Rich Rodriquez and kicked Bob Stoops across the border. What's up with the Sooners? Last year, they were sleepwalking in losing to Boise State. This year they look great in winning the Big XII title and claiming their stake as the best team in the land, and they even get the chance to return to the scene of the crime to play a team that has every excuse not to show up and play. The result? The Mountaineers blow them out of the building.

There have been a handful of games and efforts that I would categorize as inspiring and entertaining. Kansas showing the world that they can play is one...West Virginia's performance against OU is #2...and Michigan's effort and execution against the mighty Florida Gators is #3.

As much as I love "Southern Fried Football™", I found myself glued to the tube watching Michigan score at will on Urban Meyer's guys. The Gators evidently thought they could show up, act the part of "thug" by dancing on the logo, and run past a Big Ten team like they did last year against the Buckeyes.

Wrong.

Lloyd Carr has been a class act in Ann Arbor and watching the delight on his face as his team finally played up to expectations was very entertaining. The Michigan senior class which was winless in bowl games and against the Buckeyes leading up to the Florida game came away with one of the best storylines of the putrid bowl season.

All of this leads us to the only bowl game that matters...LSU and Ohio State.

I love the SEC-Big Ten bowl match-ups...with the exception of last year's title game between Florida and Ohio State, the games are usually compelling and tight. I have a lot of fun teasing the poor Big Ten fans on my radio show, but these are really the only two leagues that consistently get after each other with some give and take during the bowl season. The fact that the last 22 match-ups have been split 50/50 should tell you something.

Now, don't get me wrong; the SEC is still deeper and has more quality teams than the Big Ten...that has been proven again this year by the wins in the post-season and the number of ranked teams....but at the top, everybody is competitive. That's true if you're the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-10 and Big XII. No disrespect to the Big East and ACC, but other than West Virginia and Virginia Tech, these two leagues need more quality teams.

I suspect that the Tigers and Buckeyes will put on a great show. Personally, I think the pressure is squarely on Ohio State. They are playing on many fronts....they have to prove that last year was a fluke. The blowout loss to the Gators hurt the psyche of the entire team, school and fan base. Given the fact that Ohio State is 0-8 all-time against the SEC is another sore spot. If the #1-ranked Buckeyes lose again to an SEC team in the title game, I'm afraid the suicide hotline will be ringing off the hook in Columbus.

If the Buckeyes win, it only validates Jim Tressel and the Buckeye football program. With the exception of that effort in the Arizona desert, the Bucks are on quite a run. The Buckeyes are playing in their 3rd BCS title game in 6 years...that's incredibly impressive. I know they play in a league that offers fewer headaches than what the teams of the SEC must endure and I also know that the Big Ten champ has the luxury of not playing in a conference title game. But if OSU happens to win their second national title in such a short period of time, that's good enough for me.

If LSU gets the win, the Tigers will claim their second national title, with two different coaches since 2003. In the nation's best college football conference, a second national title since '03 would also put a stamp on their place in history. The SEC is now 10-4 in BCS games, and they are a perfect 3-0 in title games. Nobody else is close. If LSU adds another win to both of these marks, it proves without a doubt that when it comes to college football, the daddy is the SEC.

In this day and age of college football, it has been apparent how difficult it is to dominate, given the scholarship limitations in Division 1-A. Both LSU and Ohio State have the chance to pick up their second national title this century...and we should be lucky that these programs are being highlighted in New Orleans. The only other program that should be put into the mix is Southern Cal. Pete Carroll has placed the bar high enough for everybody to see...and that includes LSU and Ohio State.

After 31 bowl games, in which the Rose Bowl looks no different than the Bell Helicopter Bowl, I'm hoping that college football fans can be entertained by two great programs in a great setting for the national title. Truth be told, we deserve it, after watching the garbage that has taken place since the conference title games on December 1st.

The SEC has proven this bowl season that it has the deepest league; now, they can prove that they have the nation's best team. Even though the guys in Athens and Los Angeles might differ.

If only we had a playoff.