I decided to write one more column before the break to tackle a few issues. Due to the current outrage about the Bull Champion Series (BCS), a seasonal disease of college football fans it seems, I will find a few words to defend the system. Also, I have been remiss giving my alma mater, Indiana University, its proper football props this season. And, finally, like the phoenix, Nebraska’s football tradition is about to rise from the ashes of the Steve Pederson/Bill Callahan attempts to crush a proud program. So, without further adieu…

Indiana fired Bill Mallory in 1996 because he was not improving upon the team’s successes; never mind that those successes largely were due to his coaching ability and had been absent in the history of IU football. Two quick measures of IU’s success: the last time the team went to the Rose Bowl was 1967; to date, IU has been to eight bowls, six under Mallory. Since Mallory, IU has suffered through the regimes of Cam Cameron (winning percentage at IU .327, and now 0-12 in his first season as the Miami Dolphins head coach) and Gerry DiNardo. Indiana then hired Terry Hoeppner, who was diagnosed with cancer and tragically died before the beginning of this season. Despite the odds of having lost their coach, and fighting such a long history of mediocrity, the Hoosiers have fulfilled Coach Hep’s wish to “Play 13” and are headed to the Insight Bowl to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Prediction: IU plays inspired football, and defeats OSU 31-24.  This begins a tradition in which IU will consistently go to second tier bowls for the next decade, and then the fan base and trustees get antsy and fire the coach.

The reputation of Nebraska football has been tarnished by the two-headed monster of Pederson and Callahan. I think it is OK to enjoy a good conspiracy theory every once in a while. Since we all know that that the CIA, Cubans, Bush family and Lyndon Johnson all conspired to assassinate JFK, is it any wonder that Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri and Kansas State all forged an alliance to decimate the real power structure in the Big 12? Callahan was clearly tied to enemy boosters. But, Bo Pelini, defense genius, has been hired to resurrect the Nebraska Cornhuskers to their rightful place amongst college football elites. And, since it is my conspiracy theory, I choose to overlook the time he spent on the OU sideline. This fact is not important. But, rest assured, Pelini is the dragon slayer that my beloved ‘Huskers so desperately needed. Hard-nosed football, welcome home. And, yes, when I read that he was hired, I got misty eyed. Go Big Red!

BCS controversy comes at the end of every season. In fact, my football compatriot Cheese and I have been having a week long debate on the quality, or ineptitude, of the BCS. 

How could 2-loss LSU back into the National Championship Game? Well, which other team would you like? USC lost to Stanford, a 3-9 team, at home. Missouri lost to the same team twice, and the second time, on a neutral field, the loss was worse. Georgia didn’t win its conference; in fact, LSU did.

How did Ohio State University make it to the championship game? It doesn’t even play a conference championship game. Neither does West Virginia, and it would have gone to the game if it had managed to beat a team that finished the season 5-7. The NCAA rules dictate that a conference needs 12 teams before it can have a championship game. Ohio State comes from the Big Ten, a conference with eleven teams. And, the conferences that have a championship game stand to gain a great deal of money from the game, even if it costs the conference a chance to field the National Champion. Cry me a river.

Once again, the BCS gets it right. Let’s look at the games.

Fiesta: Oklahoma and West Virginia. This game features a freshman sensation QB vs. two former Heisman contenders. Oh, and both defenses are excellent. The question here is can WVU bounce back from a disturbing defeat? I say yes, but only enough to make the game entertaining. After last year’s loss to Boise, OU has something to prove.  Oklahoma wins 31-24.

Orange: Virginia Tech and Kansas. After VT was hit with a horrifying mass murder, the football team dedicated this season to the victims. And, they have delivered the goods. As good as Mark Magino’s Jayhawks are, they will want to forget what happens in this bowl. VT wins, 38-21 but the Jayhawks O gives provides another glimpse into their quality future.

Rose:  USC and Illinois. This is the game that most naysayers are squawking about the most. I don’t understand it. The Rose Bowl, the Granddaddy of them all, wants to keep the Pac-10 and Big Ten tradition. And that is bad thing? Besides, the Rose Bowl is not officially part of the BCS. It still negotiates its own contracts. That is the reason that all of the BCS games are on FOX, but the Rose is on ABC. Moreover, Illinois is going to disrupt the pundits who feel like the Big Ten is weak and the Illini are not deserving.  Illinois 27-USC 20. USC can’t handle a QB Juice mobile any better than OSU did. 

Sugar: Georgia and Hawai’i. This will be a great game. UGA is my third favorite college team behind Nebraska and Indiana. Why, you ask?  Because their rivals are Tennessee and Florida, teams that I loath (sorry, Rob). Bulldogs 35-Warriors 17. 

National Championship Game: The Ohio State University v. LSU. This is a another great defensive battle, but the Les Miles confusion and Bo Pelini leaving after the game will lead to a team that does know up from down. And, like OU, Ohio State has to prove something here. OSU 17- LSU 10.

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