Thursday, January 8, 2009

That, Was College Football

If you're feeling underwhelmed after watching the BCS Championship, don't worry, most of us are feeling that same way.

This game, now for the third straight year, has been uninspiring and uninteresting.  Despite efforts to make Tim Tebow out to be the next Mother Theresa (good for him that he does all of these wonderful off-field activities) the game just didn't have much juice. 

There weren't many players in the game that you'll likely be hearing much exciting news from on Sundays.  There weren't many big plays (only 7 or 8 by FOX's count).  There wasn't that game-defining drive.  And, the two main players in the game, Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow, displayed their weaknesses.  Tebow's being the inability to throw the ball consistently, Bradford's being the same, only his difficulty came when under pressure.

There was a lot of running, a lot of option play, and a lot of heart.  I hate to use that phrase, but, how else do you explain an entire team rooting together while standing on the bench?  Ever seen that in the NFL?

Clearly, this isn't the epitome of college football.  This game isn't the best that it can be, but, more accurately, it's what it more than often is.  Good, go-and-get-em, determined football.  Sometimes extremely (read:  NFL) talented.  Sometimes not.

Tim Tebow likely won't be playing on Sundays in the future.  And if he does, he almost certainly won't be doing it from behind center.  

Tebow's a college quarterback, at least in this generation, through and through.  He's big, he can run, and he can make a throw when he needs to.  

That option Florida runs where Tebow can either take it himself, pitch it to a back on the outside, or shovel it to another back on the inside simply wore out Oklahoma.  And while Tebow seems to have gathered many detractors (namely because nearly everyone doesn't see him as an NFL QB, not that I argue the point, but still), credit should be given where credit is due. 

In that second half, he ran the ball like a man possessed, taking on hits like he was the safety, and not the quarterback.  Then again, at 6'3" ,240 lbs., he practically is.  He hooted, he hollered, he got his fans into the game.  Save that one awful INT he threw basically into the chest of an Oklahoma linebacker, he played a real nice second half.  No complaints.

However, it wasn't spectacular.  It wasn't season, or legacy defining.  And, for the third year in a row, you were left, if you watched this game, feeling like something had been forgotten.  

The SEC has now won three straight BCS Championships, two of which were absolute beat downs.  Not since that memorable Rose Bowl, with Vince Young and Reggie Bush, did you really felt like you got your money's worth.  But, then again, sometimes, that's college football.  Running quarterbacks and undersized backs trying their hardest, knowing that nothing other than immediate glory lies in their futures.  There is no NFL, there might not even be a place in fans memories.  But, there is that championship on the line.

Sometimes that's enough.  But, more often than not, it just isn't.  And when that happens, you're left where you find yourself now.  Waiting for next season, praying for a miraculous tournament, and at least hoping that next year's better than this year.

1 comment:

  1. So maybe I'm off base, but why wasn't this a great game? I saw two top tier teams going blow for blow with some excellent execution. The defenses were mixing well, adjusting constantly, and holding two offensive juggernauts to 38 combined points (17 of which were in the 4th quarter). Put aside all the hype for a second. What do you want to see in a college championship game? For me, I want to see two teams that are the best at what they do, but can actually challenge one another throughout the entire game. Oklahoma's defense made Tim Tebow look average throughout the first half. He wasn't putting the ball where his receivers needed it to be and he couldn't get anything going with his legs. Oklahoma, with their offense that put up 700 something points this season, sliced through Florida's defense, but faltered in the red zone. The teams were throwing everything they had at one another and, while it may not have been their formula against lesser teams, defense and ball control prevailed. I enjoyed the game, I enjoyed seeing these teams struggle a bit and adjust, and I don't see why this game wasn't great in its own right.

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