since moving out to good ole Georgia, I've been forced (partly because of academic calendars but mostly because of disgustingly-exorbitant airline fares) to stay home during the Thanksgiving holiday instead of heading back to the promised land of the Lone Star State, where virtually my entire family resides. I've dealt with this in a myriad of ways, first by house-sitting, and also by hosting other similarly-displaced graduate musicians for a makeshift Thanksgiving feast of my own. These last two years, however, have been especially sweet, seeing as my good friend cbrad was able to come down from Virginia to eat a ridiculous amount of Texas chili, pork chops, chicken breasts, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, cornbread, etc. with me while watching copious amounts of football and sharing a couple of good cigars.....
without a doubt, my favorite part of Thanksgiving weekend (the whole family and friends thing aside) is the veritable cornucopia of college and professional sports than inundate our televisions seemingly 24-7 during this blessed week. And to those of you who know me even just slightly, this should come as no surprise. The fact that Texas and Dallas are as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and stuffing just makes it that much more special. After watching Dallas win their traditional holiday contest, cbrad and I witnessed (along with most of the rest of the sports-watching demographic of our country and their dragged-along families) one of the best Thanksgiving football games that I can ever remember. It reminded me why Texas football is the best in the country. It reminded me why I'm still so proud of having grown up in 'Friday Night Lights' country and having played football for nine years in the dust bowl that is the high school football capital of the world.....
all that nostalgia and pride aside, I was utterly shocked to see so many articles this morning, not 12 hours after the Horns locked up their first 12-win regular season in school history, hailing criticisms of Texas for giving up so many yards and points to the Aggies despite their victory. And it was then that I realized: college football has become a beauty pageant, plain and simple. But worse than that, it has become a beauty pageant in which prettiest girl doesn't necessarily win. You don't have to look very far to find these
mass indictments of
Texas' apparent failure to be beautiful enough despite running the table. And then something struck me: where were these indictments when Florida was struggling with Tennessee, having a terrible first half against Vandy, and needing help from the refs to beat Arkansas at home? Where were the pundits saying Alabama may not be one of the best three teams in the nation when they struggled with Carolina early, needed a big play late to beat LSU, and required not one, but two blocked field goals to beat Tennessee at home?
In none of the six games mentioned above did any Florida or Alabama player do what Colt McCoy did last night, that is, have their best game of their entire career against your oldest and most bitter rival.....on the road. Why then, is the collective punditry of college football decrying the travesty of Texas' clear path to Pasadena by winning out? Even after multiple close calls and poor showings by both Florida and Alabama, no one was declaring that TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise were better squads, or that they were even in the same league as the SEC's heavy-hitters. Yet that it exactly what it happening to Texas this morning, less than 24 hours after their win at Kyle Field. Double standard, anyone....?
now, I've never been a big proponent of playoffs in college football, but
I've been tempted. I wouldn't mind seeing something that takes our current bowl system and then just allows the top 8 teams to play a simple playoff. Something, anything to assure college football fans that they aren't getting shafted. Imagine if there are FIVE undefeated teams at next weekend's end. Imagine how amazing it would be to see those five squads battle it out along with the Pac-10 champ, the loser of the SEC championship game, and the ACC champ/OSU to once-and-for-all settle this whole championship thing on the field.....
how cool would that be....?