Rose Bowl Recap

Business yesterday kept me from commenting on the BCS National Championship game between Texas and USC, but a couple of observations come to mind. USC was highly overrated (still not as much as Notre Dame, but a lot). "Great" teams, especially the "greatest" ever, do not give up 42 points to Fresno State. Yes, they had a high powered offense, but their failure to convert on fourth and short twice during the game, along with their pathetic defense did them in against Texas. It was a highly entertaining game, especially the second half.

Once again a team has failed in an attempt to win three national championships in a row. It's never been done...although (fan bias alert) the 1966 Alabama team was seriously ripped off in the polls. As the two-time defending national champion, and the only major undefeated college team in the land, they finished third (!) behind Notre Dame and Michigan State, who had played to a 10-10 tie in which neither team made a serious effort to win in the fourth quarter. It was widely regarded as punishment for Alabama's slowness to integrate their team (which would come five years later) rather than a serious evaluation of who was the best team in the country.