Sunday, November 12, 2006

"Saturday Madness"

And to think I considered Thursday night crazy.

Wow.

I returned from a trip to the Blue Mountains today, checked the Internet and was shocked. Three - not one, not two - but three BCS contenders upset by teams they should have beat. Cal went down to Arizona - where the focus by now is entirely on basketball - and fell. Auburn hosted Georgia, which is having an awful season, and didn't just lose. They got drilled! And Texas gave up 45 points to Kansas State (yet still almost won). Thank goodness they didn't, because nobody wants to see a team that got torched by Kansas State in the title game.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes and Wolverines can finally stop saying all the democratic things - "We're taking one game at a time." "Northwestern is all that's on our mind." Blah, blah, blah - and actually start talking about The Game. Six days until everybody in America - and a dude in Sydney - will be watching what goes down at Columbus.

Analysis, predictions, and more columns on this to come throughout the week.

But back to the BCS situation. It's no longer as ugly as I prescribed it to be just days ago. It will be very, very interesting to see the rankings tomorrow. We know what the top two spots will be:

1. OSU
2. UM

And Florida will likely be No. 3 despite barely hanging on to beat South Carolina and Steve Spurrier. But from there, who knows. The question everybody from Jersey to, well, Jersey is asking is, Where will the Scarlet Knights be ranked? Will they get screwed? Do they now have a shot, thanks to the collapses of Cal, Auburn and Texas?

Only, in my opinion, if The Game is a blowout.

In an espn.com poll today, 56 percent of voters - more than 100,000 people voted - said that the BCS title game should be a rematch of The Game. Could you imagine the outrage in either Ann Arbor or Columbus if Rutgers went to Glendale, Ariz. instead of the Buckeyes or Wolverines?

Smashed cars in Columbus ... maybe some burning couches in Ann Arbor.

If you think about it, there could be no controversy at all. Rutgers still has to play West Virginia, a game I think they'll lose. Florida still has FSU - which, yes, is terrible, but think rivalry game - and the SEC title game against Arkansas (unless the 'Backs collapse). USC and Notre Dame play each other, and the Trojans have Cal and UCLA as well.

A rematch of The Game could happen without controversy. Only time will tell.

But no one on those two teams is thinking ahead now. They're taking one game at a time.

And finally that game is The Game.

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