We screwed up the University of South Florida by publicizing their (at the time) undefeated season and climb to second place in the BCS rankings. Of course once we (and a cover story by Sports Illustrated) were published, the upstart Bulls went on to lose three straight contests and plummet from the collective minds of American sports fans.
Now we have the opportunity to do the same to the nine win - no loss Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. The team led by superstar quarterback, Colt Brennan, is desperately trying to earn a high pay BCS bowl bid. But this time we truly are rooting for Hawaii's best. There is always nothing better than seeing an outsider crash the BCS/ Fox TV billion dollar bowl extravaganza. Until college football has an equitable bowl/playoff system, die hard fans and anti-capitalists should do all in their power to bring the current system down.
Briefly, the BCS championship promises a place in one of their five bowl games to the winner of the six "top" divison one conferences - Big Ten, Big Twelve, Big East, Southeast, Pacific Ten, and Atlantic Coast. The winners of the other five division one football playing conferences - the Western Athletic, Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Mid-American have no guarantee for prime time exposure and a big payday. In fact, the only way one of these poor cousins can even get into the picture is by producing a perfect twelve win season.
Last year, Boise State was the cinderella story. This WAC team not only finished the year with thirteen straight wins but defeated the mighty Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl. Now Hawaii is trying to replicate this accomplishment. The road ahead will not be easy as the Warriors play Nevada, the always tough Boise team, and the Pac Ten's Washington Huskies to close out their year. But if they do ...
The controlling powers are going to make it a tough hurdle for Hawaii. They are ranked outside of the top twelve (the point needed for a non BCS team to get into the big show). There should be no doubt that if Hawaii wins out they must be involved in the bowl system. What more can a team do? If Hawaii and the teams that are in the five non BCS leagues can not gain entry than why should they be allowed to play in the top tier of division one. There is a lower bracket (with a playoff system) for other division one schools. These five conferences are spending great deals of money and effort to play at the top levels of their sport. Congressional inquiries have been held into the practices of the big six in their exclusionary system.
Almost all of us want a true playoff to take place in big time college football. When teams like Boise State and Hawaii knock on the door, it shows the weakness and hypocrisy of a sport often tainted with corruption. College sports should not be controlled by sports cartels and dollar rich television networks. Return to your roots - let the champions be crowned by play on the field and not by a defense set up by players in board rooms who wear suits and ties instead of pads and cleats.
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