The worst part is, we may never know who has the better team, Florida or Michigan. Not like it matters. Ohio State could play the Indianapolis Colts and still drop 42 points. What matters is that we have a college football system we created to solve problems- instead it has just created more questions. Beyond the arguments of Michigan fans there are severe problems with the system that propose many different questions.

The Detroit Free Press with the help of BCS guru’s published an article today outlining the numbers of voters who were swayed last week. A rough estimate showed that 120 voters from the Harris Poll and the Coaches Poll changed their vote. Fine, I can deal with that- Florida is a good team- but what’s to say this won’t be a different, more unfair situation later?

Who says that next year 120 voters won’t change their vote to a team lower in the polls? Maybe putting a two-loss team ahead of a one loss team? Who says 150 voters won’t change their votes? Or all of them? Who says a one-loss team ranked fifth in the nation because a poor strength of schedule couldn’t jump four spots because all of the voters wanted them too? You know the voters compile 66 percent of the BCS formula.

Across the board, coaches and Harris Poll voters across the nation said they didn’t want to see a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan. I’m sorry, tell me in the BCS rule book where it says voters are supposed to vote for the most appealing title game? Voters aren’t being asked to vote on what is appealing or not. They are asked to vote on the top 25 teams. If they want to vote on what is appealing they should go to Hot Or Not.com.

We’ve already seen what a flip-flop of votes can do to the system when people want to see a more appealing match up. This year at least. What happens next year when it happens to another team? To your team? What happens when another year of college football is wasted because of more unnecessary controversy?

Almost every year they change the BCS to fix potential glitches- usually after they happen. This year they expanded a game to give 10 teams a shot at the BCS and give mid-majors another shot- but still the potential flaws are still there. If only 10 teams can go to BCS games and there are guaranteed spots to six conference winners, Notre Dame if they are in the top eight , any team in the top four and any mid-major in the top 12- there are ways where the system mathematically cannot work. Yes it is highly unlikely, but lets not wait until hit happens to realize that the system is screwed up.

Another major flaw nobody seems to be talking about is how an 11-1 Wisconsin team is not allowed to go to a BCS game because Ohio-State and Michigan are already in one. I’m sorry since when does winning 11 games and only losing to the No.2 team in the nation on the road in September by 14 points mean you aren’t worthy of a top tier bowl game? People will argue that Wisconsin had a weak strength of schedule, but Boise State did too, but we have different rules for Boise State because they are a mid-major. Their strength of schedule doesn’t matter. Wisconsin’s does. And what would have happened if Wisconsin finished in the top four? Do they still get neglected from a BCS game? And why didn’t Wisconsin even get a shot at Ohio State? All those voters keep saying Michigan had their chance to play OSU, but Wisconsin didn’t- what if 150 voters decided it was time to see Wisconsin in the national title game? Again highly unlikely but lets not wait until something like this happens to change the system.

I’ll agree that the BCS has produced some lights out matchups over the years but so have regular bow games in the past. Had this been 1994 Ohio State would be headed to Pasedena to play USC, in a great game. If they won they would have the national title, no controversy there. Florida would get the automatic bid from the SEC and go to the Sugar Bowl and play the next best at-large team- Michigan. So if OSU lost, you could have a national champion waiting in the shadows.

Instead we are left wondering what should be the national championship game?

Should Jim Tresell had voted? Should coaches be allowed to skip voting?

Should we base or system on voting and people’s often biased opinions- or should we get more standard criteria?

Should you have to win your conference to make it to the BCS title game? Its never said so before?

Should you have to lose a game early rather than late? Or do you just have to play better teams?

Do you have to play 13 games? Have a conference championship game? Or have to play all your teams in your conference like the Pac-10 did this year?

Are there too many discrepancies?

What about Notre Dame? Why do they have special rules? They don’t even have a conference? Navy doesn’t have special rules why do they have an unfair advantage?

What about Rutgers? Why were they so low at 8-0 this season, is it because they sucked in the past? How is that fair?

How is any of this fair? Why am I still typing? Why are you still reading?

Your not the NCAA, and your not a magic 8-ball. You cant answer these questions and neither can they.

Lets get a system that can.

I had a really elaborate post planned out about this weekends game.

About how Tedd Ginn  had two fumbles agains tthe Wolverines last year, how coach Carr still had a safe job. How all the analysts picked Ohio State for no real good reason. And as much as I wanted to say those things it doesn't matter because this rivalry would be nothing without Bo.

 And my love for Michigan wouldn't be the same without it.

 Rest In Peace Bo. I don't know what else I can say.

 Tomorrow will be a sad day. Its going to no doubt be tough for Lloyd Carr who has been coaching for him forever.,


 

If someone told me back in May that on this day in September the Tigers would own a one game lead in the AL Central I probably would have had them institutionalized. But now here it is-September 18, and all my excitement has shifted elsewhere.

It's no that I'm not a Tigers fan- really I am - and I've been one before 2006. I can't even count how many classes I skipped or lectures I diregarded in the spring to focus on Tigers baseball-but since football season came around baseball doesn't seem as important.

I've always thought football was the greatest sport to follow-especially college, but now- even with the first Tigers pennant race of my era- I can't get excited over baseball.

If I someone could have harnessed the excitement I had back in April, maybe I'd actually care that  I have tickets for next Friday's game agains the Royals, one's I had hoped would enable me to see the Tig's capture their first playoff birth in 18 years. I should be excited that Tigers tickets go on sale tomorrow for the playoffs. We're talking ALDS, ALCS and World Series. But instead of dropping down $90 for a skybox seat in a potentail October matchup versus some pushover from the NL, I'm thinking I'd rather spend that money on a Michigan-Ohio State ticket- which is running anywhere from $500-$2,000 on Ebay right now. And it's only three games into the season!

This coming from a guy who has already spent $500 on two sets of season tickets. One for Michigan, one for Michigan State and a couple scattered games for Central Michigan, Boston College, Western and hopefully the Tennessee-LSU game later this season.

After all that, I don't know why I don't feel inclined to at least try for a World Series ticket. Especically since I paid for 16 seperate tickets to 16 games in 2004 at Comerica Park where the Tigers went 0-16, including two more losses against the White Sox during a July road trip.

Then again- I don't know anyone in their right mind who would go see the Tigers play to an 0-18 record if football season was going on which makes me think that even though the Tigers are sweet, and I'll be excited over them in April, Michigan football is where it's at in the fall.

Of course I haven't been able to say that in a while considering Michigan dropped it's previous six road openers leaving them out of the national title race befrore the thick of the Big Ten race. But now things are different. The win against Notre Dame proves that new defensive coordinator Ron English is on to something. His "Old English D" has me seeing shades of a 1997 team that led the nation in defense and subsequently defeated Washington State for a Rose Bowl win and share of the national title.

Michigan still has a few key matchups to go undefeated  into their rivalry match with Ohio State-Wisconsin being one of them. I will preview that later on this week-but now its time to watch the Tigers