Tracing the roots of my unhealthy obsession

In the process of moving myself to a northern suburb of... wait for it... Columbus, Ohio, I happened to uncover one of the very first pics I ever snapped at a Michigan football game (see right).
This photo was taken during the Wolverines' 49-13 rout of the Indiana Hoosiers on November 3, 1973. I captured it with an Argus C3 35mm land camera, a camera with no telephoto lensing capabilities to speak of, and from what I recall this was the clearest, best shot of the whole lot. As such, I felt it was worthy at the time for an 8x10 enlargement, so I blew it up myself at a photo studio owned by a photographer my dad worked with frequently. (Pops was a commercial art rep and he had only one or two photographers he preferred using, so his kid being interested in photography and junk got to know them pretty well... well enough to have access to their darkroom equipment).
Anyway, about the game where the photo was taken. Indiana was in a familiar formation, that being punt formation. From the length and position of the shadows I would guess that this is third quarter action, with Michigan leading 42-7 (the halftime score) or 49-7 (the score at the end of three quarters).

Now compare this to a photo shot from a similar location during, say, this year's game against Air Force. Has much really changed in 40 years of football at the Big House?

Fab Five redux

Spike Albrecht. Mitch McGary. Glenn Robinson III. Nik Stauskas. Chris LeVert. They're Fab. They're Five. They're Freshmen. And they're capable of not only taking the court at the same time, but holding their own while they're at it.

Do we dare?

In other words, should the third-ranked Michigan Wolverines let bygones be bygones and honor coach John Beilein's freshman class as the second coming of the Fab Five? Well, in light of corrupt Buckeye head football coach Jim Tressell leaving Ohio Stadium on the shoulders of his former Buckeyes last month, why not?

The crew doesn't lack talent, that's for sure. In Saturday's convincing 80-67 victory over Arkansas, Robinson and Stauskas were two of the five Wolverines in double figures, scoring 17 and 12 points respectively, with Stauskas logging a team-leading 36 minutes. McGary played 16 minutes, scoring six points on 3-of-6 shooting. Albrecht and LeVert combined for 14 minutes on the court, in a contest full of just about anything but garbage time.

It's hard to fault them for the star power that's in front of them. While Webber, Rose, Howard, King and Jackson landed in Ann Arbor in the fall of 1991 with essentially five vacancies in the starting lineup, Fab Five part deux don't really have any on Saturday either. The powerful backcourt tandem of Tim Hardaway, Jr., and Columbus transplant Trey Burke aren't shy about calling the shots, whether they're on the court or not. The pair were just 9-for 23 from the floor, but their 30 total points kept the Razorbacks honest for much of the game, allowing the inexperienced Wolverine reserves to go from spot duty to active status in a flash.

[still writing the rest of the story so stay tuned!]

Bleeding maize and blue from the nose-bleeds

Do they take care of me at The People's Blogger headquarters or what?

In all the coverage and put-you-right-in-the-action photography I've provided, I neglected to mention that the aforementioned lucky ticket I scored for last week's Michigan-Ohio State game led me to the pristine location of last row in the visitor's section (see right). And the visitor's sections in Ohio Stadium are about as far away from football as you can be in that historic, decrepit facility.

You know those ROTC guards they have stationed way up atop each of the four posts inside the stadium? I looked down on them. Actually, I could turn around and look down on pretty much all of Columbus—from crowds gathered around the Jumbotrons that lined the stadium's perimeter, to nearby St. John Arena, former home to Buckeye basketball, and its current home, the Schottenstein Center a few blocks away.

And to my right, downtown Columbus, eighteenth largest city in this fine nation of ours, its skyline peaking over the stadium's top rim (see pic below). Sitting quietly before the cityscape, Nationwide Arena, home to the NHL's perennially futile Columbus Blue Jackets, pouts dormant and gray, its cancelled All-Star Weekend the latest casualty of the league's season-threatening lockout.

It was my own virtual sightseeing tour, and it was my free bonus for having a seat location just a row or two in front of parking deck B.

Nonetheless, it still afforded me a chance at some history of my own... and the opportunity to immortalize myself in the video history of college football's biggest rivalry.

After Denard Robinson's electrifying touchdown run put Michigan ahead 20-17 pending the point-after-touchdown, ABC cut to a long-angle shot of the jubilant Wolverine fans high up in the closed end of the 'Shoe. And there I was, in all my glory (see below; circled fan in last row to be exact). In fact, you can clearly see that I am already hard at work, generating some of the stunning photographs you would soon be seeing on this very site.

(By the way, I'm still wearing the oh-so-stylish "HAIL" shirt, it's just hidden deep inside my large gold-and-gray parka... did I mention it was cold outside?)

Emails hit my phone with screen grabs from the broadcast. Sure, the title lines may have had "LOL" or "WOW UR SEATS SUCK!" And most couldn't even identify me due to the images being so tiny and distant. But it's very clearly me. If you can imagine me wearing enough thermal gear to make a channel-surfing Eskimo stop and think, "Oooh where'd he get that?"

Yet I couldn't help but reminisce about one of my favorite commercials of all time, a classic Miller Lite spot featuring baseball's most familiar nobody, Bob Uecker. Speaking to camera inside a baseball park, he covers the obligatory product features while seating himself in a prime lower-deck box (see below).

His monologue is interrupted by a ticket usher kicking him out of the seat he's chosen. To which Uecker replies, "Oooh... I must be in the front row!"

Following a gratuitous condescention-covered product shot, we cut to a far-away shot of an empty upper deck. We see only two people in the stands, and it takes a camera zoom to reveal that one of them is Mr. Uecker. "Great seats, eh buddy?" he says to the other fan, before jumping up with outrage at a close play at the plate a quarter mile below. "He missed the tag! He missed the tag!" he screams.

I feel ya, Bob.

Second verse, same as the first

In light of the spectacle witnessed in the north end zone during last week's game—where members of the 2002 mythical national champion Buckeye team carried their coach, the recently shamed and admitted liar Jim Tressell, off the field—I thought I'd share a little poem I penned for the occasion.

Congratulations, Ohio State,
You finished undefeated.
Good luck in the BCS Championsh—
Oh yeah that's right, you cheated.

Nigh In The Middle: Ohio State 26, Michigan 21

At halftime on a bone-chillingly cold November Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, 105,000 football fans had lost all feeling in their outer extremeties. Underneath the stands along the western sideline of Ohio Stadium, the Michigan Wolverines' coaching staff was busy losing all feeling in their frontal lobes.

Their team had just scooted off the field with a high-octane 21-20 lead over the men in the scarlet throwback unis. (For the record, the only way these duds were ever "throwbacks" would be that they were pulled from the replica jersey aisle at Walmart back in 1983.) The Wolverine offense, whose booster rockets were lit with the re-introduction of shifty Devon Gardner (left and below) as quarterback, appeared unstoppable, tearing up the tattered Ohio State defense for three touchdown drives impressive as much for their length as their relative simplicity.

Denard Robinson, clearly enjoying the liberty of his new role as mere offensive weapon, had already amassed 120 rushing yards, much of which occurred on a head-shaking 67-yard burst through the bewildered Buckeyes with a minute and change left until intermission. Gardner's 107 passing yards included a turbo-charged 75-yard catch, run, cut and run by receiver Roy Roundtree.

Both touchdowns, and most of the success they had enjoyed, resulted from pushing themselves outside the tackles and exploiting their speed advantage on the outside lanes. Being that all the halftime speeches in the world can't overcome a speed disadvantage, the second half would seemingly pick up where the first left off.

Thats' what I thought. That's what the tiny huddled group of shivering fans in sections 6C and 8C thought. Hell, that's what 105,000 spectators and any football fan in the United States with basic cable thought. But that's not what Wolverine offensive coordinator Al Borges thought.

Big Al was tired of driving around the mountain. In these final two quarters, men, WE'RE GOING THROUGH.

Time after time, Ohio State stacked the line of scrimmage. And time after time, Michigan ran into the wall (right), hoping to move the substrate a foot or two downfield. The futility began with good intensions, as the opening drive of the second half brought Michigan to their own 46 with a fourth and two situation. After a timeout, one they really could have used at game's end, they chose to roll the dice and smash away. The Buckeyes held and used the benefit of a short field to drive for what would be the game-winning field goal.

Borges' sudden, utterly mystifying obsession with the dive play took me back to 1972, when a feisty and equally stubborn Bo Schembechler led his unbeaten Wolverines into "the Snake Pit", as Bob Ufer called it. Twice, his insistence on moving the immovable object with his irresistable force left the Wolverines at Ohio's one-yard line, short on downs and light on logic. They would ultimately lose by three points, 14-11. A successful field-goal attempt on either fourth-and-goal situation would have tied the game, giving Michigan a tie for the Big Ten championship and a trip to Pasadena. Two successful field-goal attempts would have given them the outright title.

On this day, a long punt would have given Ohio State 80, possibly 90 yards to cover on their first drive of the half. Instead, the Wolverines now trailed, 23-21.

The offense, who sprinted north and south so effortlessly in the first two quarters, was held to 61 total yards after the break. Michigan had five more second-half possessions, three of them ending with crushing turnovers (left)—two fumbles and a game-ending interception. Can't blame the coaches for that. The stout Wolverine defense did their part, however, holding an Ohio State offense that was just as prolific in the first half to 151 yards.

And the scoring fireworks that wore out the coordinator's hand-held whiteboards on both sidelines and light bulbs on both sides of the scoreboard? Michigan was held scoreless, while all the Buckeyes could muster was the third and fourth field goal from kicker Drew Basil (below). The first Buckeye to kick four field goals against the Wolverines since 1974, when an unknown European sidewinder named Tom Klaban shattered #2 Michigan's hopes for Pasadena and a shot at the national championship.

But enough throwing back. It's been a while since this rivalry has both teams revving up and pointing their noses forward. One school's coach has yet to lose at home. The other school's coach has yet to lose, period. And both have once again put their names among the top schools in the nation each year in recruiting.

For the Buckeyes, they now have a chance to make a clean break from a history of lies and corruption for the sake of winning that marked the Jim Tressell regime. The new sheriff in town is Urban Meyer, and winning is all he has done since landing in Columbus this past spring. He ended his first campaign by guiding the probation-ridden Buckeyes to an imperfect 12-0 record, finishing off that school up north just like his predecessor had done with regularity. In fact, the score was just a point off the 26-20 win Tressell promised to Buckeye Nation in 2001 that solidified his place in the heartless hearts and twisted minds of the scarlet and gray faithful.

And for the Wolverines? They enter coach Brady Hoke's third season with its biggest question—how on earth are we going to fill the void left by Denard Robinson—already answered. The Devon Gardner era may be a short one, but he's already ready to go. The Wolverines' big games against Ohio State, Nebraska and America's current #1 Notre Dame are at all the Big House. And there is hope that Hoke's third season may turn out the way Lloyd Carr's third season did, back in 1997.

Talk about your throwbacks.

I've got a golden ticket

I never thought my life could be
Anything but catastrophe
But suddenly I begin to see
A bit of good luck for me

'Cause I've got a golden ticket
I've got a golden twinkle in my eye

I never had a chance to shine
Never a happy song to sing
But suddenly half the world is mine
What an amazing thing

'Cause I've got a golden ticket
I've got a golden sun up in the sky

I never dreamed that I would climb
Over the moon in ecstasy
But nevertheless, it's there that I'm
Shortly about to be

'Cause I've got a golden ticket
I've got a golden chance to make my way
And with a golden ticket, it's a golden day

Good morning, look at the sun!
'Cause I'd have said,
It couldn't be done
But it can be done

I never dreamed that I would climb
Over the moon in ecstasy
But nevertheless, it's there that I'm
Shortly about to be

'Cause I've got a golden ticket
I've got a golden chance to make my way
And with a golden ticket, it's a golden day!

Underwhelming At Home

Who would have thought heading into the 2012 season, with hopes so high in East Lansing, that we would look back in late November and say that Michigan State's most impressive performance occurred in August? That was that Friday night when the nationally ranked Spartans pounded out a tough 17-13 win over nationally ranked Boise State (see my pic at right) in Andrew Maxwell's college debut, behind 210 yards by workhorse tailback Le'Veon Bell.

Seems so, so long ago. Since then they've lost at home to Notre Dame, Ohio State, Iowa (on homecoming) and Northwestern this past Saturday. Not to mention that other in-state loss to the school with the funny helmets. Who knew that the Sparty team many picked to win in December in Indianapolis would be heading to Minneapolis on the last weekend of the season, still searching for bowl eligibility?

The Ultimate Quarterback Nontroversy

Seldom has such a highly sought position been so benevolently fought for.

It's Ohio State week, and the least of Michigan's concerns in August—who will be quarterback?—has become the hottest of hot-stove issues for the Wolverine coaching staff.

In one corner, Denard Robinson. The man who has single-handedly unnerved defensive coordinators throughout the Big 10 (and in South Bend), riding the day-to-day status of the nerve-damaged elbow of his throwing arm. The man who has gained over 10,000 yards of offense in his college football career, despite injuries that kept him on the bench for parts of two seasons and a flashy flash-in-the-pan freshman named Tate Forcier who benched him for part of another.

In the other, Devon Gardner. The talk of Spring Games past, the understudy who, having yet to take a day's worth of snaps, was given the starting nod three weeks ago in Minneapolis and has yet to look back since. Who in last week's 42-17 rout of Iowa threw for over 300 yards, scoring three touchdowns through the air and three more on the ground. The man who represents the future of Michigan football, if not for the distant future (his redshirt status for 2014 is still uncertain) for next season at least.

Just two short months ago, Denard was throwing to Devon. On Saturday, Devon was handing off to Denard. Yet as crazy as it seems that this swap has worked for the Wolverine offense, as unlikely as this late-season controversy has been for head coach Brady Hoke, it's been overshadowed by each player's outright lack of concern concerning his own campaign for the job. It's all a sign of the selflessness drilled into them by Brady Hoke and his staff.

One can only wonder how things would have turned out in Lincoln last month if, instead of Russell Bellomy, Gardner took over and ran the offense. Even without having any reps, his presence alone would have added another dynamic to a team sorely in need of something dynamic.

Suddenly the post-Shoelace future for the Wolverines doesn't look so iffy. In fact, given the imminent arrival of five-star recruit Shane Morris to the team next fall, it now appears to be a strength.

Let the turnaround begin: Michigan 43, Purdue 16

After a blowout loss to Alabama, a defenseless effort against Air Force, a thorough yet unrevealing defeat of UMass and an inept offensive display at South Bend, the Michigan Wolverines have had a week to collect their spirits and set their sights on the Big 10 conference. But how they would fare was a question as big as the drum banging away in the southern end zone at Ross Ade Stadium on an unusually warm and sunny late afternoon.

But in the two hours and forty minutes that followed, coach Brady Hoke's Wolverines grabbed hold of their 2012 season, creating opportunities and taking control of their fortunes in a 44-13 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers, most everyone's favorite upset special pick of the day. [still writing the rest of this article, stay tuned]

Undeniably Good: Michigan 12, MSU 10

Ultimately, that which can no longer be denied, must be.

This rule appeared to be in force last night as Brendan Gibbons' third field goal kick, Michigan's fourth of the game, left his foot and sailed to the right of Michigan Stadium's north end zone uprights. The ball's draw pulled it back between the posts, propelling Michigan to victory at last, 12-10 over their rivals from East Lansing, and causing an emotional explosion reminiscent to what happened after last season's epic last-second win over Notre Dame.

Gibbons' final act was only made possible through the heroic events of a determined band of Wolverines. First, the reinvigorated defense. Since the season's first two weeks, which saw them surrender a bountiful 33 points per contest, Greg Mattison's troops have dug in their heels up front, clamped down on the ends and blanketed the secondary, bottling up offenses and lifting Michigan's hopes back to sea level. Their last five opponents have crossed the end zone a total of four times. In fact, Michigan State's 80-yard march in the third quarter that gave them a 7-6 lead is the only touchdown the unit has allowed in the last ten quarters.

Twice the Wolverines were called on for game-saving stops, and twice they delivered. The first followed a deftly timed 26-yard fake punt called by the Spartans' coach and trick-play mastermind, Mike Dantonio. It turned a fourth-and-nine situation into new life and ultimately a first-and-goal situation for the Spartans, who trailed 9-7 and looked to gain what would seem to be an insurmountable five-point lead with under seven minutes to play.

But the winged helmets prevailed, breaking up a Maxwell-to-Derek-Hoebing certain touchdown in the left corner on first down, bottling up Le'Veon Bell (who gained a mere 68 yards on 26 carries) on second down and outrunning Bell as he swept right on third down, forcing the junior warhorse out of bounds four feet short of the prize.

Following a chip-shot field goal that put Michigan State up 10-9, Michigan drove valiantly but self-destructed from two crushing penalties. So with 2:30 remaining, the D was called upon once again to keep the Spartans from gaining a first down, and with it a fifth straight win over the maize and blue.

Again they answered. Bell was stopped for no gain. Maxwell was chased and forced into a low-percentage pass over the middle, just outside the reach of freshman wideout Aaron Burbridge--an incomplete pass that, as it turned out, would stop the clock and allow Michigan to keep their final timeout. And on third down, sophomore linebacker phenom Jake Ryan (#47, above) bottled up an inside pass to back Larry Caper, forcing a fumble. While MSU gathered the ball back for their second fourth-quarter fumble deep in their own territory, they couldn't avoid the disaster that was about to strike them after their change of possession.

On strode the day's other heroes. First, beleaguered quarterback Denard Robinson, whose 10,000+ yards are more than anyone had gained in Big Ten history yet whose one defining aspect of his career may be the albatross that lay before him, the inability to perform well much less defeat his in-state rival.

The yellow-pom-pon portion of the 113,000 buzzed fans in attendance were still abuzz over Robinson's electrifying 44-yard burst on the previous drive, awakening hope that maybe this is a sign that the Spartan stranglehold on this series may soon be broken. (Denard gained just 42 yards in last year's 28-14 loss.) This time the kid without laces used every weapon imaginable to put the Wolverines in position to win it. Vincent Smith slashed his way for 12 yards, then caught a pass for three more. Robinson himself rolled left on third down, gaining the necessary two yards by stretching the full length of his body and extending the ball to the mark (see photo at top).

Then, in the most important play of the season so far, Denard dropped back and bounced around, gaining him the time to spot another hero of the day, Drew Dileo. The well-covered junior receiver crossed over the middle near the 20-yard line and opened up enough room between defenders for Robinson to drop a dart of a pass. It was Dileo's forth reception of the day for a career-high 92 yards.

More than that, it was enough to give Michigan's "Fat Jesus" another chance to lead his team to the promised land (see my pic above).

Gibbons put the final points on a dazzling 11-2 season in 2011 with his overtime kick to beat Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. This time, however, the stakes were even higher. The Wolverines hadn't beaten their neighbors to the northwest since the 2007 season. That was two coaches ago. George W. Bush was in office, flipping real estate was the norm and the very first iPhone had just been released. Spartan fans walked the University of Michigan golf course all afternoon saying "Four more years!", and it had nothing to do with supporting Obama's re-election. For everyone connected with the university and Ann Arbor in general, this kick had to be good.

From 38 yards away, Gibbons ball arced and ultimately, undeniably shaved the inside of the right upright. Righting a rivalry that had threatened to run away from the Wolverines.

If only people cared when it happened to Michigan

Funny how similar the Seattle Seahawks' controversial game-winning touchdown last night against the Green Bay Packers was to the original "Phantom Touchdown."

In the 1979 Rose Bowl, with USC leading Michigan 7-3 and on the Wolverines' three-yard line, Charles White got the call and launched himself over the pile of linemen before him, a move made popular (and prolific) by Sam Cunningham, who scored four TDs in the Trojans' 1973 Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State.

As White left the ground, he was met by Michigan linebacker and co-captain (and fellow Bloomfield Hills Andover grad) Jerry Meter. Mete's shoulder hit White's arm at the two and immediately dislodged the ball, which fell about five feet from the goal line. As the Wolverines scurried to recover the ball, White continued his trajectory and landed empty-handed in the end zone.

As was the case in the Seahawks' last-second "touchdown", the Rose Bowl referees sent out mixed signals. One ref signaled touchdown USC, while another signaled first down, Michigan. The ball never actually crossed the goal line at all, didn't come within a yard of it, ever. Yet Southern Cal was awarded a touchdown.

Just as the blown call in Seattle was the difference between victory and defeat, this blown call was the very difference in a 17-10 victory that propelled USC to a share of the 1978 national championship. Or, the very difference in a 17-10 defeat that denied Michigan a share of the 1978 national championship. Depends how you look at it.

With all their similarities, one thing separates these two catastrophic calls. One is seen as nothing more than a bunch of Michigan fans whining, while the other is being considered as one of the worst injustice in the history of professional football.

Painting the basketball world crimson

Sometimes choosing Harvard isn't the smartest move a man can make.

Particularly if that man is seeking a basketball head coaching position, after establishing himself as a bonafide major college coach on a national level over the previous decade. To Tommy Amaker, however, taking over the Crimson men's basketball program was a challenge too good to pass up. The prestigious Ivy League university had not so much as sniffed the NCAA postseason tournament in 65 years. To them "March Madness" is that unbearable sense of anticipation they feel before the release of corporate first-quarter earnings reports.

But the man who took down the "Help Wanted" sign five years ago is fixing to change the mindset of some of the nation's brightest intellects. After an 8-22 campaign in '07-08, Amaker's boys are now the talk of virtually every reputable dining establishment in the greater Cambridge area. The Crimson are currently ranked 21st in the nation, with a perfect 6-0 record in the Ivy League and a non-conference resume that includes an impressive win over #20 Florida State. Their two losses were to #9 UConn (understandable) and Fordham (not so much).

While last week's 57-52 win over Columbia assured Harvard of an unprecedented third straight 20-win season, the rise of the Crimson under Amaker also spawned the school's first NBA player in over a half century, Jeremy Lin (left), who has taken the league by storm. Cracking the starting lineup after the injury to Carmello Anthony, Lin has been nothing short of phenominal, most recently besting Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers earlier tonight with a 38-point explosion.

No other school can claim more NCAA tournament losses than NCAA tournament appearances (see explanation below). But then, not many schools bring up FDR when referencing their most recent postseason history. So what Amaker has done is nothing short of historic. At the very least, it should earn him a New Deal (sorry couldn't resist).

In fact, if the Crimson hold on and win the Ivy League championship, it could be the first time in NCAA history that three teams with former Wolverine head coaches have made the tournament. The 13th-ranked San Diego State Aztecs, led by the almighty coach Steve Fisher (left), are currently 20-3 and a lock to make it to the dance.

The only other former Wolverine coach who’s still actively coaching is Brian Ellerbe, as in “poor Brian Ellerbe. Remember him? His 1997 Wolverines beat top-ranked Duke and went on to win the first-ever Big 10 conference basketball tournament. He went on to coach Michigan until 2001, when he was released of his coaching duties amid the infamous basketball scandal that ultimately let to the forefiture of every game in his first two seasons. (Ellerbe was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing, as the violations occurred prior to his tenure as coach.) Ellerbe is currently an assistant coach at Depaul, and unless they make a run of historic proportions to win the Big East Tournament, the 11-12 Blue Demons need not cancel their plans and clear their schedules for NCAA basketball postseason travel.

As for the current Wolverine coach (right), he's got his Michigan men rolling along with an 18-7 record this season. And while that doesn't yet ensure them of a postseason berth, no one's gonna tell the guy that he can't dance.

MORE LOSSES THAN APPEARANCES? HOW SO? As I mentioned, Harvard holds the distinction of being the only college basketball team with more tournament losses than tournament appearances. How can that be, you ask? Back in 1946, the NCAA regionals had consolation games. So after Harvard lost to Ohio State in the regional semis (which was a first-round game back then), they still had another game to play. And lose as it turned out, as the Crimson fell to New York University in the third-place game.

.

Tide Up in Texas

For those who felt Brady Hoke's resurrection of the Michigan football program was moving a tad slowly, this is for you. On September 1, the Wolverines will start the season in the NFL's Big House—Cowboys Stadium in Dallas—as they take on the likely #1 team in the nation, Alabama's Crimson Tide.

Just a year away from having the worst defense in school history, Michigan will face arguably the nation's most grueling road schedule. After withstanding the fury that is "Bama", the maize and blue will travel to such places as South Bend, Indiana; Lincoln, Nebraska; and a certain central Ohio city from which I'm wriitng this very post.

Like pops used to say, you don't grow up by reading about it.

.

Yet another "Here's my college football playoff" article (but you'll like this one...really)

At some point, even the ones who benefit from a broken system must admit it's broken.

Something has to be done with the way we determine major college football's champion. After the almighty LSU Tigers—against which no team could even take the field much less compete—were flat-out embarrassed by the conference's third-place team (see coach hoisting crystal at right) in last week's BCS Championship, SEC commissioner Mike Slive now admits (reluctantly, of course) that there may be a better way out there, and has begun discussions on an alternative system. Most likely it will be some form of a BCS-controlled "plus one" format, with an extra game being played after the BCS bowls, with teams being determined by the BCS. "The NCAA major college football title game. Brought to you by the letters B, C and S."

It's 2012, and it's time for the injustice to stop.

NCAA major college football is the only men's or women's collegiate sport on any level where a school can win every one of its games and not be allowed to even play for a national championship. It's the only men's or women's collegiate sport on any level where the teams who play for its national title are determined by a vote rather than direct competition. And why is this? Because the people who are in control happen to be the people who benefit from the revenue it generates. So getting them to open their minds about an actual on-field playoff much less change them? About as likely as getting Egypt's royal family to embrace democracy.

There's a simple, fair and exciting option out there. A real playoff, to determine the division's first true national champion. A system that, if executed the way I propose, will cause nary a disturbance to the present state of the college football postseason. In all the debates and microanalyses, that's one factor most playoff proponents ignore. The trick isn't merely creating a flawless, utopian playoff structure. The trick is building a system that appeases the various unyielding forces who are in charge. The forces who want the bowl system to remain intact. The forces who want the Rose Bowl tie-ins to remain intact. The forces who don't want the season to go any deeper into January. In the end, the ultimate answer won't come to fruition through the science of statistical perfection but rather, the art of negotiation.

One guiding principle drives the solution I am about to present: minimize the words and maximize the deeds. The difference between games and polls is that polls can be manipulated. Just ask Michigan. In 1997 the unbeaten and top-ranked Wolverines won the Rose Bowl (left) and DROPPED to #2 in the USA Today coaches poll. Second-ranked Nebraska had been campaigning for a share of the title as a going-away present for a retiring Tom Osborne, and it was revealed that a number of coaches had to drop Michigan to third on their ballots for it to happen.

A similar fate awaited the Wolverines in 2006 after their heartbreaking 42-39 loss in Columbus to #1 Ohio State, twenty-four hours after the sudden passing of coaching legend Bo Schembechler. While remaining #2 in the AP, the maize and blue ended their season ranked third in the BCS poll behind USC. One loss by the men of Troy was all they needed for a national championship rematch. When UCLA shocked the heavily favored Trojans, the title shot was seemingly theirs--until the nationally televised pleas of Florida coach Urban Meyer (right) after their convincing SEC championship win over Arkansas, convinced voters to move the Gators ahead of Michigan. Despite not playing, the 11-1 Wolverines fell out of contention for the BCS championship.

That wasn't right. It wasn't right when Oregon got the shaft in 2000, when Auburn's undefeated War Eagles were stood up in 2004, when Oklahoma State got left behind this past year, or when Boise State was passed over... perennially. A change is needed. So, in my humble opinion, I hereby submit the best idea out there: presenting The People's Blogger's Playoff!

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK (on the first weekend of December)

The point where it all begins, the championship games of all six Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences—Pac 12, Big 12, SEC, ACC, Big 10 and Big East. Six of the NCAA college football national playoff's eight berths are at stake.

This is exactly what the conferences need. Enthusiasm has leaked from these games like so much air from an over-used spare. So much so that LSU prepared for last month's SEC championship game in Atlanta knowing they could lose and still play for the BCS title. They could actually rest their starters if they wanted. Oregon entered their PAC-12 championship "battle" with UCLA as a modest 31 1/2-point favorite. Absolutely ridiculous. Given that the Bruins were 6-6 and coming off a 50-0 loss to cross-town rival USC, the Ducks—who were also playing at home—should have been given the respect of a 35-point spread.

In my proposed playoff system, Championship Week would be transformed into the college football equivalent of six Game 7s. Each game inside a packed house, each at a neutral site, with the whole nation watching. Win and you're in, guaranteed. Can you imagine the excitement? The ticket demand? The TV ratings?

Then, once the six conference champions have been crowned, the two "at-large" berths can be awarded. These bids would ideally go to an undefeated or one-loss non-AQ (automatic qualifying) conference champion or independent. But a highly ranked FBS school who didn't win their conference for one reason or another could qualify as well (such as 11-1 Alabama from this past season). This may be the one instance where the polls could come in handy. The berths could simply go to the two highest ranked non-invites. Or there could be a threshold imposed (example: a non-AQ conference champion would need to be ranked in the top 10). I would give priority to any major college team who finished their season undefeated, but that's just me.

BOWL SEASON (mid-December through New Year's Day)

Here's where many of the massive playoff overhauls miss the boat: YOU DON'T NEED TO CHANGE THE PRESENT BOWL SYSTEM. I'd prefer to have less than the current number of bowl games—a staggering thirty—but that's for others to decide. In my proposed playoff system, the bowl system remains intact. In fact, they culminate with The Granddaddy Of Them All, the Rose Bowl (left), which would STILL feature teams from the Big 10 and Pac 10. Once a team makes it to the conference championship, they know they're guaranteed of at least a trip to Pasadena. I'd like that.

THE NATIONAL QUARTERFINALS (the weekend closest to Christmas)

We have eight qualifying teams, with eight dissimilar paths to the national playoff. Much like the College World Series, these teams need to be re-seeded. The polls can be used, but I think this would be better handled using a more analytical basis. The NCAA basketball selection committee hems and haws and wrings their hands every March without much rancor, and that's a 64-piece puzzle they're building. Seeding eight teams, each of whom have played no more than a dozen or so games, shouldn't be too much of a problem.

At any rate, the significance of getting these seeds right cannot be understated. Why? Because the top four seeds will host each of the four national quarterfinal games.

Imagine this scenario. Top-seeded LSU hosts Virginia Tech in Baton Rouge. West Virginia travels to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide. Oklahoma State welcomes Boise State and Kellen Moore (right) to Stillwater. And Wisconsin battles the mighty Ducks of Oregon. Yeah I know. But this time it's IN Oregon. Nothing beats the excitement of a football Saturday on a high-energy college campus, particularly when it's a matchup of highly ranked teams, right? Now add to that the specter of a berth in the national semifinal game. Then picture four of these games on the same weekend. Yeah, like that.

[For those who think winter weather would be too much of a factor, a solution could be to hold these games at the nearest professional football venue to the home school's campus. These stadiums typically have heated fields and are otherwise equipped to handle the more severe seasonal effects. Anyway each FBS school would have a "playoff venue" assigned to it, should the team ever make it into the national playoff.]

THE NATIONAL SEMIFINALS (the weekend closest to New Year's Day)

Four teams have emerged from the quarterfinals. They have a week to get ready for the semis, which will be held at either the Sugar Bowl, the Orange Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl. These were the venues for the other three BCS bowl games (in addition to the Rose Bowl, which we've already discussed), which will host the national semifinals and national championship game on a rotating basis. So, not unlike the current system, every three years one of these bowls will host The Big One.

These games could be played much like they are played now, with the first semifinal immediately following the Rose Bowl and the second the next night. It may seem like Pasadena is being put on the undercard, but they've played that role for decades when the Orange Bowl was in its heyday.

THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (the second week of January)

The winners of the two national semifinals will get set to play their third game in as many weeks. But this time its for the NCAA national football championship. And when we're talking NCAA college football, the next national championship will be the first. This would be a true national championship game. There's nothing to be "shared". No split polls. No qualifying acronyms like AP. UPI. Or BCS. This belt's for the undisputed title.

The game is played after the first full week of January—pretty much the same time the BCS championship is currently played. I'd push for the second Saturday in January to be exact. The BCS title games get lost on a Tuesday, especially when they don't kick off until 9:00 or so, and continue long into the night. Play it the day before the NFL's conference championships, so there's no overlap. Drive the ratings through the roof. Get the world watching like they do for the Super Bowl. Or better yet, like Canada does for the Stanley Cup (left). Give them the chance to watch at least. I guarantee it would outdraw the current title game.

So there it is. A system where the champs aren't chosen. Where the votes and voters vanish. Where a three- or four-loss school could win it all, but they'd have to put together a string of monumental upsets to do so... and each would be a classic, an indelible piece of college football history. The fans are ready for it. The schools are ready. The conferences are ready. The NCAA is ready. The world of intercollegiate sports is ready. But most of all, I'M ready!