Nov. 30, 2006

No rematch for national title
Rivals OSU and Michigan will not meet in champion ship game

Stephen Hayward
sjh001@marietta.edu

Michigan fell to the Ohio State 42-39 after a valiant second half by the Wolverines, leaving the Buckeyes in the top spot. OSU finishes the regular season undefeated and will await an opponent for the national title game.

With the loss, Michigan finishes 11-1 and will settle for 3rd place in the BCS Standings. The USC Trojans, after a brutal beat down of the Notre Dame Fight (less) Irish, should gain the chance to play for the national title, barring a loss to UCLA. So the National title game is set (at least should be set) Ohio State vs. USC, January 8th in Glendale Arizona.

It can be debated whether or not USC should be number 2, or whether Michigan or the Florida Gators are more deserving of the National Title game. This is one of the reasons that this author believes a playoff format would best serve the fans and the teams. Imagine a College Football December Madness, similar to March Madness in College Basketball.

Could not everyone root for a Boise State or WVU to be a Cinderella team, a la George Mason? That would re-invigorate the College Football system, and no longer could three to four teams say they should play for the National Title. Will USC vs. Ohio State be a great game? Of course; in fact, we could be watching a hyped game much like last year’s Title game, in which USC lost to a mobile, big play QB ( kind of like Troy Smith maybe?).

Well, now that the championship game is set up, let’s take a look at some of the other Bowl Games. The Florida Gators could meet up with Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, pitting Brady Quinn against Chris Leak in a match up of Heisman contenders.

This would be a great game, though a Notre Dame vs. Michigan game has more history, and could also happen. Michigan Wolverines versus the Florida Gators, though lacking national history, would put number 3 versus number 4.

A dream season for Wake Forest should land them in a bowl game, possibly the Orange; the opponent could be Louisville or maybe Arkansas. In the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, undefeated Boise State could match up against Oklahoma or maybe even WVU. LSU could meet up against Michigan or Auburn in the Rose Bowl, ending out the BCS Bowl games. In the Capitol One Bowl, Wisconsin will play against either LSU or Auburn, in what should be an exciting defensive tilt.

West Virginia could play in the Toyota Gator Bowl versus Georgia Tech or Clemson. Penn State will play in the Outback Bowl; the opponent is not yet decided but could be Tennessee or possibly Arkansas.

The Texas Longhorns should get a bid for the AT & T Cotton Bowl and will play either Auburn, Arkansas or maybe LSU. Iowa will be playing in the Alamo Bowl, likely against Kansas State. Purdue gets the bid for the Champs Sports Bowl and will play Georgia Tech or Maryland. In the Mieneke Car Care Bowl, Navy has already accepted the bid and will most likely play Boston College. Missouri and Minnesota should be playing in the Insight Bowl. Rutgers, the one-time Cinderella team, looks to get the Texas Bowl bid, playing Texas Tech or Oklahoma State.

Not all Bowl Games and possible matchups were covered here, just the major games. There are a total of 32 Bowl Games to be played this season, beginning December 19th with the Poinsettia Bowl and ending January 8th 2007 with the National Championship game.