Auburn wins Sugar Bowl, joins Utah as co-faux-national champs

ABC TV and the Bogus Championship System | 1/3/05 | French figure skating judge

[Diddle E. Squat]

Auburn beats VA Tech in the Sugar Bowl, 16-13, to finish the season undefeated. 2 days ago Utah whipped Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl to also complete an undefeated season.

USC and Oklahoma play tomorrow night in the bogus national championship game, but in truth, once again no one will know who was the best team this season.

[Arkinsaw]

The SEC dirty? They are virgin-pure compared to the old SWC. At one point most of the Conference was on probation, SMU got the death penalty, and the Governor of Texas was caught authorizing payments to college players. When it comes to corruption in college football, everything is truly bigger in Texas.

And being the only non-Texas team in that conference was an interesting experience for sure.

[Ready4Freddy]

When was that? What teams?

At one point most of the Conference was on probation,....

[TheBigB]

We did get another title under Gene Stallings. That one was special because we weren't supposed to. :) Only one sportswriter was voting Bama #1 all year...all the rest voted Miami. That guy was getting hate mail from Miami fans until the Title game when Bama spanked those dreadlocked criminals.

[panzer_grey]

Auburn has known about this schedule problem since late 2002. In fact, in early 2003 West Virginia offered to play Auburn IN Auburn on 25 September 2004, but Auburn turned them down. Auburn later scheduled the Citadel. West Virginia then scheduled James Madison for 25 September. Auburn scheduled the Citadel so they could have an easy game between LSU (18 Sep) and Tennessee (2 Oct). On 25 September 2004, West Virginia defeated Div-1AA James Madison 45-10 and Auburn defeated Div-1AA The Citadel 33-3.

[Dolphy]

I don't think they would agree to play with only a week of preparation. Heck they have had a month or more to prepare for these Bowl Games. I know the current system is full of flaws but so will be any system. The conferences vary in strength, schools non-conference games vary in strength and on and on. In basketball, besides the automatic bids, they are able to factor all of these things in during selection. And even with that there are arguments each year regarding some region being tougher than another.

I understand what you are saying though. If they wanted a playoff system, it's within reach. Of course then they might have to come to grips with the fact that college football is a business onto itself and they should end the charade of student athlete.

[cksharks]

My grandaughter gave me a shirt for christmas called the grand slam. I am sure you know the meaning of that. I had the same bet ($50)for thirty five with a friend, untill he died 7 yrs ago.

[Diddle E. Squat]

until the Title game when Bama spanked those dreadlocked criminals.

Yep, that was a thing of beauty, right up there with Penn State's Fiesta Bowl exposing of the Miami hype-fraud.

[ArmedNReady]

"And the growing sentiment for a playoff has reached a point that really the only real obstacle are the (mostly liberal) college presidents."

I'm surprised that some of them haven't decided that it isn't fair to keep score during a game and that the real winner is the team who is nicest to the other team.

[You Dirty Rats]

Which conference wins the bowl series competition, based on win percentage, if USC wins tomorrow?

I don't know. It's not a fair measure, as all bowl opponents are not created equal. Oregon State's victory over the Domers, for example, isn't as impressive as Texas beating Michigan.

The Mountain West finished at 2-1, so I suspect they will have the best percentage.

[Military family member]

The Cardinals would be the champions of baseball right now if we had "picked" a baseball champion this way

Not in my house. My sone and I went to game three and cheered our hearts out for the Red Sox.

[TheBigB]

"Miami will blow away Alabama"
Los Angeles Daily News article by Michael Ventre
Jan. 1, 1993

NEW ORLEANS -- Miami is No. 1. It will stay that way. Alabama doesn't have a hope, or a prayer, or a shot in the dark of upsetting the Hurricanes for the national championship in tonight's Sugar Bowl. And it won't even be close. Alabama will be trounced, clobbered, mauled, devastated, humiliated and left for dead. The Crimson Tide will not roll, not even a little bit. Tonight you will experience low Tide. Probably even ebb Tide. You wouldn't even have to hike up your pant legs to wade in what be left of this Tide after the Hurricanes pass through.

Heh. Heh. Heh. :-)

[Little_shoe]

Given the fact that there are so many undefeated teams this year(Utah, Auburn and either Okla or USC), I think that many people have overlooked a 10-2 record by the Navy Midshipman.

"Navy has won 18 games the past two seasons and this may have been the most significant on a national scale. While it didn't mean as much to the Midshipmen as beating Air Force and Army, it sent a message loud and clear to the college football media.

Soundly beating the runner-up finisher from the Mountain West Conference in a nationally televised bowl game may have caught the attention of those who wondered if Navy was for real.

Consider that New Mexico finished second in the MWC to Utah, which qualified for the Bowl Championship Series. Or that New Mexico defeated Texas Tech, which walloped BCS contender California in the Holiday Bowl.(http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2005/01_02-16/NAS)"

Unlike many other teams in College football, Navy and the other academies are the last bastion of the true amateur athletics. It is to their credit how they were able to completely dominate a larger and more talented New Mexico Team. This was the first 10 win season in since 1905. They deserve some love and respect from the media and most college fans. They are following in the footsteps of Pat Tillman forsaking the money and glamor of the pros for the burden of Command.

Go Navy Beat Army

[cksharks]

This coming from two al pansies. Check out your last four hires for coach.

[You Dirty Rats]

James Madison is the only true Division I Champion this year. They actually won a playoff.

We can't have playoffs in Division I-A, though, because the schools in I-A are so much more series about academics and the welfare of their student-athletes compared to Divisions I-AA, II, and III -- not to mention girls' field hockey, soccer, and ultimate frisbee which also all have playoffs.

[Military family member]

Didn't Forrest Gump play running back for the Tide?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Hmmm, sounds a lot like "USC or OU would blow Utah away"...

[Utah Girl]

The Wyoming-UCLA game made my night when Wyoming won. And BYU (my alma mater) beat Notre Dame this year, even though BYU had a lousy record this year (5-7). I'm still rooting for USC tomorrow night, Norm Chow is the offensive coordinator.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Yep, kudos to Navy for an excellent year. Even more impressive considering that weren't they were winless just 3 years ago?

Thanks for mentioning Navy, it was a great season and a good bowl win for the good guys.

[dfwgator]

Division I-A decides it's champion the same way they decide a figure skating champion. The other divisions have playoffs, this is so bogus....DEATH TO THE BCS!!!! Congrats to the Auburn Tigers and the Utah Utes for their perfect seasons.

[dfwgator]

LOL I was in Miami that night when Bama beat Miami, it was so much fun to see all the disgruntled Hurricane fans that night.