one play changes it all

[radbag]

Some random, rambling thoughts as we get close to the Tim Tebow coronation Saturday night . . .

There is a common refrain from fans, and at times even coaches, which is heard often at the end of a season. It goes something like this: "We were only (insert number) plays away from being undefeated (or a championship team, whatever)."

The former coach at Florida used that tired line a lot, trying to justify losing five games every season. At times his chagrin had some merit, but of course, dozens of teams could say the same thing. Shoot, Ole Miss was only 55 plays away from being SEC champs this season.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is in light of the crazy regular season that just concluded, there's no doubt a play or two here and there could have set off a domino-like chain of events that would have spelled different postseason circumstances for any set of clubs.

A lot of folks have played out this scenario, where if one little thing changed, and all the other national results stayed the same, then the crazy BCS blender would have spit out a different outcome. Gator fans have sung this tune, that if UF had been able to take care of Georgia in Jacksonville, and everything else shook out the same, then UF would have been BCS-bound, who knows maybe even headed to the title game.

Naturally, that's a pretty big supposition, because we're talking about a 12-point loss that needed to be reversed, not a last-second deal or a dramatic one-play turnaround. But what got me thinking along these lines, was watching Tennessee and Erik Ainge practically hand the SEC title to LSU last Saturday. We all know how fortunate both those teams were all season, especially Tennessee, who dodged three separate bullets when an opposing kicker lined up to win a game and failed (South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Kentucky).

The ill-fated kick against Kentucky piqued my interest, because that one fateful boot, a 35-yard field goal attempt by the Wildcats' Lonas Seiber, would have altered the direction of two other teams in the SEC East – Georgia and Florida. Had Seiber connected in the second overtime, the Wildcats would have snapped their ridiculous 22-game losing streak to Tennessee, thus sending Georgia to the SEC title game as East champs. Seeing how lousy LSU played with a backup quarterback, if we extrapolate a Georgia win, then Seiber's kick could have conceivably sent Georgia – not LSU – to the BCS Championship Game and Florida – not Georgia – to the Sugar Bowl.

But Seiber, who had made 6 of 7 between 30 and 39 yards on the season, kicked it low, the Vols blocked it, and eventually went on to win the game in four overtimes. So just like that, one kick in a game not involving either team could have had a potentially dramatic effect on both Georgia and Florida.

That's how wacky this football season was . . .

Or how about this – when Hawaii bounced back from a 21-0 first quarter deficit to Washington (as in last place-in-the-Pac 10 Washington) in the final college football regular season game and was able to barely hold on for a seven-point victory, it allowed Hawaii to finish the season unbeaten and secure a spot in the BCS. Had Washington taken care of business, the Huskies would have laid claim to the WAC "title," having beaten both Boise State and Hawaii this season, the two kingpins of the WAC. Maybe Washington (5-8) would have gotten a BCS slot then as WAC champ – just kidding . . .

Don't take this as a true shot at Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden, because I truly believe he is the best back to come through the SEC in quite a while. McFadden is a terrific player, maybe the best in the league, but he does not deserve any Player of the Year-type awards. The fact that the league coaches selected him the SEC Offensive Player of the Year over Florida's Tim Tebow is borderline absurd. C'mon, we're talking about performance, not mere physical ability. Just ready Guerry's commentary this week for more proof of Tebow's 2007 season-long performance compared to McFadden's.

And this extrapolates, obviously, to the Heisman on Saturday night. Like I've stated many times before, my belief is that the award goes to the player who performed the best, not merely the best player. If we were simply giving it to the best player, then McFadden could have received the award before the season ever started, right? I mean, he was the best player then, what would have changed? That logic is just silly. You don't simply hand it to the best player, the most talented guy. You give awards like this to the player who earned it THAT season. What McFadden did last year is irrelevant. Just like next year, what Tebow achieved this fall doesn't matter.

I do have a theory on the SEC Player of the Year award going to McFadden – I'll bet all five SEC West coaches (any maybe even Urban Meyer, whose team travels to Arkansas next fall) voted for McFadden, hoping it would be one more reason for him to turn pro, so they wouldn't have to face him again next year. Just a thought . . .

Was in my car yesterday afternoon, listening to the Tim Brando Show (I know, there's my first mistake) and Mr. Brando, one of the more pompous individuals in the entire national media, was interviewing ESPN's Lee Corso. The conversation got around to Brando mentioning the idea of the Plus-One scenario that has been floated around by lots of folks, as a partial solution to mollify the maddening playoff crowd.

Brando was all gung-ho on the idea, loved the fact that the Plus-One was perceived as getting the world closer to a college football playoff system, and felt that in this wacky season, of all seasons, the Plus-One would greatly alleviate all the insanity of the BCS jumble. Which of course, is ridiculous, but the small thinkers like Brando, the playoffs-or-bust contingent, just want any morsel that will get them past the current BCS setup.

I was hardly surprised, because the bombastic Brando, while getting some interesting folks to interview on his show, would rather hear himself talk than anyone else. But to my utter astonishment, Corso actually sliced through the nonsense and offered an enlightened opinion. He couldn't disagree more with Brando, and felt the Plus-One would serve no purpose other than to simply delay the debate over the worth of teams that is already in place.

Unbelievable, a moment of clarity from Corso, of all people. You know my feeling on the playoff hypothesis and we don't need to go around and around on this again. But this idea that the Plus-One will provide any sort of benefit is simply idiotic.

I can't think of a single scenario we have witnessed in any season in the last decade where a Plus-One would have helped solve anything. And this year? You've got to be kidding me.

Let's take a look at the current scenario and you tell me where a Plus-One helps even the tiniest bit. To begin with, if there's a Plus-One in place, two things have to happen – the additional BCS game gets scrapped (can't have two Sugar Bowls or Orange Bowls in the same season) and the No. 1 vs. No. 2 game gets shelved as well. Can't tell teams they're playing for the title, and then, oh by the way, you've got to win one more game. So in essence, the four BCS games – Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta – go back to their old set-ups with established conference tie-ins, and we take the six BCS conference champs and two at-large teams – meaning sayonara Kansas and adios Illinoise.

So we have eight teams and we'll align 'em this way – Rose gets its traditional USC vs. Ohio State, Sugar gets LSU vs. Hawaii, Fiesta gets Oklahoma vs. West Virginia and Orange gets Virginia Tech vs. Georgia. So tell me where the results of these four contests will give you a clear Plus-One matchup?

If Ohio State wins, the Buckeyes with one loss have to be in the game. If SC beats Ohio State, it's hard to keep the hot Trojans out of the mix, the loss to lowly Stanford notwithstanding. Plus you've got to include LSU if the Tigers win, and definitely Hawaii if the island boys pull the upset. And you've possibly got another hot two-loss team in Oklahoma, and potentially a team with a seven-game winning streak in Georgia. So how do you decide the two Plus-One entrants then?

The answer is, you don't. The Plus-One simply postpones the debate for another month. It's a stupid idea that offers no tangible solution in this, or any other season. Of course, the national sheep like Brando will keep barking for stuff like this in the tiny hope that some day, through the grace of a higher being, a college football playoff system will descend from the sky . . .

Not sure if I can handle the interminable 13 days we have left until the kickoff of bowl season. It stats with Utah and Navy in San Diego, actually a pretty interesting game, and kicks it up a notch the next night with the long-awaited Memphis-Florida Atlantic encounter in New Orleans. Wonder how many people in The Big Easy are excited about that, with Georgia–Hawaii and then LSU-Ohio State on the horizon.

I've always found it amusing that even folks who say they looooove college football, fans and media alike, harangue about the bowl season – too many games, too many lousy teams, too many meaningless games, etc. All those sentiments have merit, but I ask you this – since when is there too many college football games? Would you rather be watching the fifth re-run of CSI, especially now that there we're in the midst of this writer's strike, or some of the inane holiday specials that crop up, or a college football game? If you love the sport, then how could you not want MORE college football, even if its lousy college football? I mean, enter a bowl pool somewhere – those things are fun and turn the Bowling Green-Tulsa soiree a white-knuckle, must-see affair.

MARTY LIKES

The idea that he doesn't have to try and handicap any more college football games this year. We took our lumps big time after sporting a .600 winning percentage in 2006. We split last week, going 2-2, easily winning with Navy covering over Army and Oklahoma handling Missouri, but failed with Fresno State not getting the job done inside the 5-yard line in the closing minute against New Mexico State, and favored Troy losing outright to FAU at home for the Sun Belt title. To that end, we finished 23-28-1 on the season, a wholly unsatisfactory .452 winning percentage. Oh well, it was fun and like Gators everywhere used to opine, wait 'til next year.

[TheTodd]

Had the Arkansas DB not picked off the ball and LSU goes on to win in the 4th OT, is McFadden even in the discussion? That's a bit extreme, of course he is, but not to the level he is. Why is it that when Tebow is mentioned it's always with the 3 losses but no mention of Arkansas FOUR losses.

[MinGator]

going back to the beginning of the article, talk about one play that would change everything; look at last year's UF-USCeast game. one kick, one block, altered history. well may not altered but defined.

agree with the end. wait till next year.