I hobbled over to the freezer to put some ice in a ziploc bag. I was not, as usual, readying an ice pack for my ailing knee (which I would have to keep elevated), but for my suffering head. There was also a jug of beer in the fridge, courtesy of ROBERT, that had, the night before, brought on today's pounding migraine headache. Unable to lie in bed any longer, I had come downstairs to listen to some music and lie on the couch in the faint hope of forgetting the various tortures my body was feeling.
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| My sweet wife, Rebekah, shown here with the immortal Guags, had to work on Championship Saturday. |
Poor Rebekah, my adorable wife (see picture to the right), was also enjoying a lousy Saturday at her 9-hour shift. Alone, I was struggling to keep my attention on Championship Saturday; the second consecutive Championship Saturday that had my Gators watching from home, and had the hated Tennessee Vols in prime time.
But somewhere, somehow, things turned around. It happened even before the rebound euphoria (and hypomania) that always happens around 5pm on Migraine Day as I finally shirk off the remnants of the headache and as my body is overwhelmed with a tremendous appetite (I can never eat while the headache is in full force). Even before then I had decided to title my Commentary What A Day!, because Championship Saturday, for three straight years, has been riveting.
Like the game in 1996, the WAC Championship was again a well-played, entertaining football game. As I watched the first half (drifting in and out of consciousness), my Air Force pick seemed to be foolish as BYU more or less had their way with the Falcons. I started to remember how BYU had beaten Arizona State and had lost a close one on the road to Alabama, way back in the beginning of the season when they were "struggling". I remembered Air Force's 35-34 loss to TCU, and I began to question whether BYU might actually be the better team.
For those of you who didn't see the game, you missed one of the most well-coached games in college football. You also missed a game that has always featured great football, back to the classic inagural BYU-Wyoming battle in 1996. In the end, Air Force hit on a couple of big plays, and their underrated defense gave BYU just enough trouble to keep them out of the end zone. Too bad this will be the last WAC Championship, because it really makes for a great appetitzer to Championship Saturday.
As that game was winding down, so too was the Army-Navy game. I didn't see much of that one except for Army's final field goal and Navy's last, ill-fated drive. What can you say about these two teams? Sure, Army is a long way from its glory days, and true, Navy is almost always the worst team in Maryland (despite its only competition being from perennial ACC doormat Maryland), but when these teams get together the game is almost always a great one. This year was no exception. I did feel a little bad that the boys from Annapolis (just down the road) couldn't hold their lead, but if I was going to win the week, I needed Army to pull it out.
| Some Crazy Things About Championship Saturday |
1. Arizona had to root for UCLA to go undefeated in order to get a Rose Bowl birth. 2. Air Force, ahead 14-13, got a touchdown with just under two minutes remaining; it could have cost them the game: BYU had little chance to get the ball back before time expired if Air Force had run the clock out. The TD allowed BYU a final drive to tie. 3. Had Tennessee lost to Mississippi State, Ohio State would have likely gone from being totally out of any BCS bid to the BCS bid: the national championship Fiesta Bowl. 4. The two teams I hate most, Tennessee and FSU, are in the National Championship game. 5. I am forced to root for Tennessee. I am forced to vote them #1. |
As these games wound down, we kept getting these intriguing score updates from Miami. The offensive fireworks were flying, and even though I (incorrectly) assumed they would have to stop at some point, I was glad to see the Canes making a game of it. I didn't, in my heart of hearts, think that Scott Covington could finish the game playing well, but I have always believed in Edgerrin James.
All that, and the feature games had yet to start. They did not disappoint. Texas A&M played some inspired football after getting behind early, and the Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Bishop looked quite human. You have to feel a little bad for the guy who has had such a great collegiate career to come to an end amidst fumblitis. Bishop fumbled three times against Nebraska, at least once against Missouri, and a very costly one late against the Aggies. But the fact of the matter is the great Michael Bishop cost his team a chance at the National Championship.
On the other side of the ball, what a gutty performance by Brandon Stewart. After losing his starting job early in the season, the guy once described as "about even with Peyton Manning at this point" by former coach Phil Fulmer, the Tennessee transfer stepped up big time in the Big 12 Championship. Stewart got hurt early in the game and it looked like the punter would have to fill in at QB, but Stewart was able to gut it out for his team.
As unlikely as it was that Stewart would have a career day, how unlikely was it that the Texas A&M running game would be so effective? After struggling a week ago against Texas, the Aggies were routinely ripping off 8 and 9 yard runs against perhaps the best defensive front in Division I-A.
And the other unlikely piece to this puzzle: the Texas A&M coaching staff, the same group that seemed to phone in the second half of the Florida State game, was magnificent. The play calling on defense in the second half was tremendous, virtually shutting down the most prolific scoring offense in the nation. And the offensive play calling was likewise faultless. The way they were able to mix up calls and drive down the field the series after Stewart was injured, the clever pick play called on the successful two point conversion, and the intelligence shown in overtime (kicking the field goal on 4th and goal from the one, and going to the slant play to Sirr Parker at the end). While I cannot fault Bill Snyder's group on the other sideline, I have to say that RC Slocum's bunch outcoached what I think is the best coaching staff in the country outside of Gainesville.
So the Big 12 Championship has really been the most interesting thus far. As dominant as the Big 12 North has been in the 90s, they have lost two of the three championships at the hands of well coached teams from the South. In contrast, the favorite has always claimed the MAC, WAC, and SEC crowns.
The A&M victory, of course, came after the announcement that the Hurricanes had beaten the Bruins 49-45. What a shame this game was not televised in Maryland. For a team whose collective confidence seemed to reach an all-time low last year, the Canes showed a lot of the old grittiness to come back from the debacle in Syracuse the week before. They did what Oregon, Oregon State, and Stanford tried to do but couldn't: unmask the Bruins as pretenders. Sure, Miami gave up a horrendous 111 points in two games, but the bottom line is they were able to knock off the number three team in the nation, and everyone outside of Los Angeles and the state of Arizona are quite pleased by it.
Not much to say about the nightcap. Tennessee struggled early, but in the end, won decisively. Mississippi State was overmatched, especially their offense against Tennessee's defense. The Vols continued to sputter a bit on offense, but in the end, their big tailbacks were able to run on a good Bulldog defense. Now we are left with the prospect of a Tennessee-Florida State Fiesta Bowl. Funny how all this talk of no one wanting the Seminoles has become moot; the only bowl that can't say no is the Fiesta. I am surprised to find the prospect of Phil Fulmer winning a national championship is somewhat less aggravating than the idea that Florida might fall behind Florida State 2-1 in MNCs. Maybe if Florida State wins there will be a groundswell to name 12-0 Tulane the National Champion? No? Curses!
I think coach of the year really belongs to Bill Snyder of Kansas State. Phil Fulmer inherited a good program from Johny Majors, and although his winning percentage has been excellent, his teams have usually fallen short of their potential. Tommy Bowden did a fantastic job this year at Tulane (and he was our experts' pick, see box), but the competition in Conference USA never really put Bowden's club to the test. With his hiring by Clemson, we won't get to see him coach a bowl game, but if he can turn that sorry program around, I'll become a believer. Barry Alvarez and Bob Toledo are also good choices.
| Coach of the Year Voting | |
Coach | Votes |
| 1. Tommy Bowden, Tulane | 6 | 2. Phil Fulmer, Tennessee | 2 | 3. Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin | 1 | tie Bill Snyder, Kansas State | 1 | tie Bob Toledo, UCLA | 1 |
Think about what Bill Snyder has done for Kansas State, though. We have been talking about Kansas State being potential National Champions for a couple of years now. That would have been unthinkable in like, the entire history of college football prior to 1997. Here's a guy who came in as Kansas was on the rise, as Nebraska became dominant, as Colorado began to field championship contenders, who has managed to elbow a little room for lowly Kansas State. He hired some good coaches (Bobby and Mike Stoops come to mind), recruited some juco transfers (Bishop and others) and slowly but surely built a winner. Did you know that Bill Snyder has won more games in 10 years than Kansas State won in the previous 30?
It's true that K State has yet to win the Big 12, but it is not true that they haven't won any big games. They smashed a good Syracuse team last year in the Cotton Bowl, and in the last two seasons they have only two Big 12 losses (Nebraska in 1997 and Texas A&M in 1998). And I pity their bowl opponent this year.