alternatehistory.com
2008-9
Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Nov. 8th, 2008
High ranking teams do not simply walk into Kinnick stadium and emerge victorious. The visitor's locker room, and everything in it, is painted a pacifying pink (though a recent stadium upgrade has seen that the hot water is more reliable at least). The hostile fans are powered by AC/DC and beer that had to be smuggled into the “dry” stadium. Perhaps more importantly, Iowa had a solid defense, a dogged running game, and a tendency to play down or up to the competition that could keep them in any game, especially at home (their 4 losses by a combined total of 12 points). So when #3 Penn St traveled to play 5-4 Iowa, the result was far from given.
True to form, Iowa's defense and a workhorse performance from running back Shonn Greene (28 carries, 117 yards, 2 TD's) kept them in the game, just down 21-23, with the ball and one last chance to win it. But on a crucial 3rd down and 6 at Penn St's 25, the ball slipped from QB Richard Stanzi's hand as he dropped back to pass, Iowa recovered, but was forced to attempt a 45 yard field goal to win the game. When the hurried attempt by the back up kicker sailed wide right, Penn St had survived Kinnick Stadium.
Big 12 South and BCS Controversies
A great regular season in the Big 12 saw the South division end in a 3 way tie with Texas, OU, and Texas Tech all finished with identical 11-1 (7-1) records. Texas had bested OU 45-35 in the Red River Shootout on Oct, 11th, Tech defeated Texas in dramatic fashion in Lubbock 39-33 Nov. 1st, and OU had shredded Tech in Norman 65-22 on Nov. 22nd. The Big 12 tie breaking procedures, to see who would represent the South in the conference championship game, were inadequate for the task and defaulted to final tie-breaker: whoever was ranked higher in the BCS standings.
Voters were aware of this heading into the final week of the regular season in which all 3 teams won. Perhaps due to Mac Brown's public plea that they should be ranked ahead of OU since they beat them on the field (WHICH WAS A REALLY STUPID ARGUMENT SINCE IT WAS A 3-WAY TIE AND BY THE SAME MEASURE TECH SHOULD BE RANKED AHEAD OF UT), the final week saw Texas move back ahead of OU in the Harris poll to #5 (OU had passed them after UT's loss to Texas Tech). In the Coaches' poll Texas made up a lot of ground, but fell one point short of OU to #4, meaning if even one voter had switched Texas ahead of OU on the ballot Texas would have been ahead of OU in both polls and had gone to the Big 12 title game (or if one had moved UT up a spot or OU down a spot from their submitted ballot, the schools would be tied and UT would be ahead in the BCS). Texas Tech, which had lost last and worst and didn't have the same brand power, was at #9 in both polls.
Since the BCS took the polls by rank instead of percentage of points possible beginning in this season, the computers broke the tie and decided in favor of Oklahoma. The complaints from Austin were loud indeed. The 1 point difference in the coaches poll wouldn't have mattered as much in the systems used before this season, as OU's lead in the computer polls was enough to overcome Texas' lead in the Harris poll and a hypothetical Texas lead in the Coaches' poll. But in the new system that single point was everything. The “it was decided on the field” argument was silly, but there were some very valid complaints about the Coaches' poll. Brown alleged that coaches with connections to Stoops voted Texas lower on purpose to keep them out of the Conference championship, and perhaps that Stoops was more popular nationally and that that played a factor. And indeed Kansas coach Mangino and Texas Tech's coach Mike Leech, both who coached under Stoops, voted OU ahead of Texas with several teams in between, which was somewhat questionable, but not indefensible. Mangino refused questions on the issue, but Leech was open on the subject. “We beat Texas. OU kicked our asses. So obviously I put OU ahead of us, and then I put us, and then I put Florida (who was also 11-1) and USC (10-1) because they've both had great seasons, and then I put that school in Austin. Seemed fair. Maybe I should have had Utah (12-0) and Boise (12-0) higher. I don't know”.
That wasn't the worst from the Coaches' poll however. Although it was the worst kept secret in sports that many coaches didn't actually fill out “their” ballots, Baylor coach Art Briles' comments ignited a fire storm. When a reporter asked him why he had OU 3rd and Texas 7th, he answered, “Well I didn't. Look, I never lie. I didn't vote, I passed the ballot along to the sports information director, presumably he voted.” Texas fans were outraged and fans around the country could no longer ignore the issue of coaches not actually voting in the coaches' poll. Texas president, William Powers Jr, called for Briles' vote to be tossed out due to his confession and for the poll to be recalculated, which would put Texas in the Big 12 title game instead of OU. But there was no procedure to do so and, of course, it was a certainty that many of the votes that placed Texas ahead of OU weren't from actual coaches either.
In any case, it was Oklahoma that went to the Big 12 title game and beat #20 Missouri. And then the expected title game between undefeateds Penn St. and Alabama was derailed by Florida's win over Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Florida had already been ahead of Oklahoma (and Texas) in the Harris poll, and expected the win would over #1 Alabama would propel them over Oklahoma, who had only beaten #20 Missouri and whose selection for their conference title game was controversial. But they fell short in the coaching poll. By one point. And with the polls split, the computers once again choose Oklahoma, and so they finished 2nd in the BCS and would face Penn St in the title game. Florida fans were upset of course, and SEC fans in general were as their champion kept getting left out of the title game, in part because of the strength of their conference. Alabama coach Nick Saban was particularly irate, noting that if the SEC didn't have a championship game, like the Big 10 didn't, that they would be in the title game, and that everyone should have to play by the same rules. Undefeated Utah and Boise St were not particularly moved by this argument. Some pointed out that this situation would be better resolved with the new plus one plan that would start in 2 years, but of course that was not certain as the bowl matchps would have been different.
And when Penn St's defense proved no match for Sam Bradford and Oklahoma's offense in OU's 47-24 win the controversy got even stronger. OU won the BCS trophy and on the basis of finishing first in the Coaches' poll (who by contract were required to vote the title game winner at #1) won that share of the national title. Florida had entered the bowls at #2 in the AP poll, which determined the other half of the most recognized title awarders. After Penn St's loss they had hoped to get a share of the title via the AP poll as USC had done in 2003-4 when LSU defeated Oklahoma in the BCS title game. But it wasn't to be as Oklahoma's high octane win over undefeated Penn St moved them pass Florida who had a tougher than expected contest with a like under regarded Utah.
2008-9 College Football Major Bowls
Title Game: (2) Oklahoma over (1) Penn St. 47-24
Fiesta Bowl: (4) Texas over (6) Alabama 27-21
Orange Bowl: (19) Virginia Tech over (12) Cincinnati 20-7
Rose Bowl: (5) USC over (10) Ohio St. 34-17
Sugar Bowl: (3) Florida over (7) Utah 31-28
Notes: OTL Stanzi passed for a first down on the play and they were able to attempt a shorter field goal, which they made. With the loss Penn St didn't make the title game, and Florida won the title over Oklahoma.
Next time: Delaney drops the R bomb.
High ranking teams do not simply walk into Kinnick stadium and emerge victorious. The visitor's locker room, and everything in it, is painted a pacifying pink (though a recent stadium upgrade has seen that the hot water is more reliable at least). The hostile fans are powered by AC/DC and beer that had to be smuggled into the “dry” stadium. Perhaps more importantly, Iowa had a solid defense, a dogged running game, and a tendency to play down or up to the competition that could keep them in any game, especially at home (their 4 losses by a combined total of 12 points). So when #3 Penn St traveled to play 5-4 Iowa, the result was far from given.
True to form, Iowa's defense and a workhorse performance from running back Shonn Greene (28 carries, 117 yards, 2 TD's) kept them in the game, just down 21-23, with the ball and one last chance to win it. But on a crucial 3rd down and 6 at Penn St's 25, the ball slipped from QB Richard Stanzi's hand as he dropped back to pass, Iowa recovered, but was forced to attempt a 45 yard field goal to win the game. When the hurried attempt by the back up kicker sailed wide right, Penn St had survived Kinnick Stadium.
Big 12 South and BCS Controversies
A great regular season in the Big 12 saw the South division end in a 3 way tie with Texas, OU, and Texas Tech all finished with identical 11-1 (7-1) records. Texas had bested OU 45-35 in the Red River Shootout on Oct, 11th, Tech defeated Texas in dramatic fashion in Lubbock 39-33 Nov. 1st, and OU had shredded Tech in Norman 65-22 on Nov. 22nd. The Big 12 tie breaking procedures, to see who would represent the South in the conference championship game, were inadequate for the task and defaulted to final tie-breaker: whoever was ranked higher in the BCS standings.
Voters were aware of this heading into the final week of the regular season in which all 3 teams won. Perhaps due to Mac Brown's public plea that they should be ranked ahead of OU since they beat them on the field (WHICH WAS A REALLY STUPID ARGUMENT SINCE IT WAS A 3-WAY TIE AND BY THE SAME MEASURE TECH SHOULD BE RANKED AHEAD OF UT), the final week saw Texas move back ahead of OU in the Harris poll to #5 (OU had passed them after UT's loss to Texas Tech). In the Coaches' poll Texas made up a lot of ground, but fell one point short of OU to #4, meaning if even one voter had switched Texas ahead of OU on the ballot Texas would have been ahead of OU in both polls and had gone to the Big 12 title game (or if one had moved UT up a spot or OU down a spot from their submitted ballot, the schools would be tied and UT would be ahead in the BCS). Texas Tech, which had lost last and worst and didn't have the same brand power, was at #9 in both polls.
Since the BCS took the polls by rank instead of percentage of points possible beginning in this season, the computers broke the tie and decided in favor of Oklahoma. The complaints from Austin were loud indeed. The 1 point difference in the coaches poll wouldn't have mattered as much in the systems used before this season, as OU's lead in the computer polls was enough to overcome Texas' lead in the Harris poll and a hypothetical Texas lead in the Coaches' poll. But in the new system that single point was everything. The “it was decided on the field” argument was silly, but there were some very valid complaints about the Coaches' poll. Brown alleged that coaches with connections to Stoops voted Texas lower on purpose to keep them out of the Conference championship, and perhaps that Stoops was more popular nationally and that that played a factor. And indeed Kansas coach Mangino and Texas Tech's coach Mike Leech, both who coached under Stoops, voted OU ahead of Texas with several teams in between, which was somewhat questionable, but not indefensible. Mangino refused questions on the issue, but Leech was open on the subject. “We beat Texas. OU kicked our asses. So obviously I put OU ahead of us, and then I put us, and then I put Florida (who was also 11-1) and USC (10-1) because they've both had great seasons, and then I put that school in Austin. Seemed fair. Maybe I should have had Utah (12-0) and Boise (12-0) higher. I don't know”.
That wasn't the worst from the Coaches' poll however. Although it was the worst kept secret in sports that many coaches didn't actually fill out “their” ballots, Baylor coach Art Briles' comments ignited a fire storm. When a reporter asked him why he had OU 3rd and Texas 7th, he answered, “Well I didn't. Look, I never lie. I didn't vote, I passed the ballot along to the sports information director, presumably he voted.” Texas fans were outraged and fans around the country could no longer ignore the issue of coaches not actually voting in the coaches' poll. Texas president, William Powers Jr, called for Briles' vote to be tossed out due to his confession and for the poll to be recalculated, which would put Texas in the Big 12 title game instead of OU. But there was no procedure to do so and, of course, it was a certainty that many of the votes that placed Texas ahead of OU weren't from actual coaches either.
In any case, it was Oklahoma that went to the Big 12 title game and beat #20 Missouri. And then the expected title game between undefeateds Penn St. and Alabama was derailed by Florida's win over Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Florida had already been ahead of Oklahoma (and Texas) in the Harris poll, and expected the win would over #1 Alabama would propel them over Oklahoma, who had only beaten #20 Missouri and whose selection for their conference title game was controversial. But they fell short in the coaching poll. By one point. And with the polls split, the computers once again choose Oklahoma, and so they finished 2nd in the BCS and would face Penn St in the title game. Florida fans were upset of course, and SEC fans in general were as their champion kept getting left out of the title game, in part because of the strength of their conference. Alabama coach Nick Saban was particularly irate, noting that if the SEC didn't have a championship game, like the Big 10 didn't, that they would be in the title game, and that everyone should have to play by the same rules. Undefeated Utah and Boise St were not particularly moved by this argument. Some pointed out that this situation would be better resolved with the new plus one plan that would start in 2 years, but of course that was not certain as the bowl matchps would have been different.
And when Penn St's defense proved no match for Sam Bradford and Oklahoma's offense in OU's 47-24 win the controversy got even stronger. OU won the BCS trophy and on the basis of finishing first in the Coaches' poll (who by contract were required to vote the title game winner at #1) won that share of the national title. Florida had entered the bowls at #2 in the AP poll, which determined the other half of the most recognized title awarders. After Penn St's loss they had hoped to get a share of the title via the AP poll as USC had done in 2003-4 when LSU defeated Oklahoma in the BCS title game. But it wasn't to be as Oklahoma's high octane win over undefeated Penn St moved them pass Florida who had a tougher than expected contest with a like under regarded Utah.
2008-9 College Football Major Bowls
Title Game: (2) Oklahoma over (1) Penn St. 47-24
Fiesta Bowl: (4) Texas over (6) Alabama 27-21
Orange Bowl: (19) Virginia Tech over (12) Cincinnati 20-7
Rose Bowl: (5) USC over (10) Ohio St. 34-17
Sugar Bowl: (3) Florida over (7) Utah 31-28
Notes: OTL Stanzi passed for a first down on the play and they were able to attempt a shorter field goal, which they made. With the loss Penn St didn't make the title game, and Florida won the title over Oklahoma.
Next time: Delaney drops the R bomb.
- Jasen777
- Word Count: 1.5k