After a relatively controversial college football season, with major suspensions being handed out (albeit a bit curiously) at Ohio State, investigations involving money with Auburn's all-everything Cam Newton, and slick agents interfering with major players at North Carolina and Alabama, a national champion was finally crowned with the Auburn Tigers hanging on to knock off the Oregon Ducks. While most around the country were anticipating a high-scoring affair, both defenses rose to the occasion and used the time off to slow down each other's high powered attacks.
Oregon never could quite get enough going on the ground to keep Auburn on its heels. The Tiger's defensive front proved to bee too much for the slight in size Duck line, taking away the middle of the field on option plays, forcing Oregon to go outside where they never had a chance to get past Auburn's linebackers. The passing game worked relatively well for the Ducks, although a good portion of the yardage came on a long pass to Jeff Maehl. The real problems occurred in the red-zone. Oregon had a couple empty visits that really hurt them in the long haul. Darron Thomas statistically outplayed the Heisman winner, but his forced passes into double coverage and interceptions gave Auburn too much help.
The Tigers did enough on offense to hold on to the game, including a game winning march at the end of the game to seal their national title fate. Cam Newton was bottled up for most of the game, but converted on key third downs when he needed to, showing great poise instead of frustration. Auburn did not overwhelm Oregon by any means, but their strength on the offensive and defensive line did wear on the Ducks (although Oregon's play calling did have the Tigers with their hands on their hips quite often). It helped that they had Newton to count on when it mattered, with less timing and precision to worry about like Oregon. It wasn't SEC dominance, but it did prove again that a team that relies on its offensive scheme to win games has a hard time getting into rhythm after a long layoff (i.e. 2008 Oklahoma, 2001 Florida State stand out the most. Also 2003 and 2004 Oklahoma, 2002 Miami, 2006 Ohio State, 2009 Texas...).
TCU fans feel a little bit like Auburn fans did and 2004 and Oregon fans did in 2001: missing the chance to prove they belong amongst the elite and a chance to knock off the top team in the country. Can we please get this playoff ball rolling? Like I mentioned before, just take the Top 8 teams in the final rankings of the BCS, have a three-round playoff starting New Year's Day, and have at it. This year, it would have looked like this:
1. Auburn
8. Arkansas
4. Stanford
5. Wisconsin
3. TCU
6. Ohio State
2. Oregon
7. Oklahoma
One could argue that the Big East and ACC deserve automatic invites, but Connecticut and Virginia Tech were less than impressive in their bowl games. Based on the way the teams played in their bowl games, Auburn probably would have made it past Arkansas and presumably Stanford. On the other side, the Ducks may have struggled with Oklahoma, and TCU would have also had issues dealing with Pryor and Ohio State. But we will never know, as BCS representatives pretty much hinted that the system would go back to the old "Poll and Bowl" system rather than progressive towards a playoff. Such a shame.
Now that the SEC has won the last five national titles, the love fest will continue into next season. With a changing of the guard at Florida, Alabama losing all of its play makers, Arkansas presumably losing its star QB, Auburn all but certainly losing Cam Newton, and Georgia and Tennessee a shadow of their former selves, the conference could be down next year (relatively). Look for the West region of the country to keep rising to the top of the college football world (Oregon, Stanford, TCU, Boise State, and Nevada all in the Top 11) and making another push at putting another team in the National Championship game. Not to mention Eastern Washington won the FCS National Title.
Next season also marks the beginning of the conference shape-shifting across the nation. The Pac-10 will be the Pac-12, the Big Ten will have 12 teams and the Big 12 will have 10 teams. Confusing? BYU will be an independent, the Mountain West will get Boise State in 2011 and Fresno State, Nevada and Hawai'i in 2012. TCU will join the Big East in 2012 (TCU, for the record, is in Texas, which last I checked was in the Southwest...but I digress). A lot of old rivalries collapsing and hopefully new ones igniting. Let's hope next season brings a little less hullabaloo but keeps delivering on Saturdays with the upsets and passion that make college football so exciting to watch.
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