In one of the more impressive beat downs of the college season, No. 4 TCU beat Utah like a rented mule on Saturday night. The Horned Frogs jumped out to a 38-14 halftime lead, in route to a 55-28 victory.
TCU dominated every phase of this game, while racking up 342 rushing yards and holding Utah to just 284 yards.
Let me repeat that: TCU GAINED 342 RUSHING YARDS. Three hundred and forty two. Three…forty…two. That’s an ass-kicking of epic proportions.
TCU proved tonight that Utah didn’t belong on the same field as them. I don’t know how the Utes scored 28 points, because the Horned Frogs flustered freshman Jonathan Wynn (16-of-32 219 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) the entire night, even if his final stats would suggest otherwise. Utah had no clue how to stop TCU and the Utes didn’t help themselves by allowing TCU to block a punt and return an interception for a touchdown.
I would love to see what TCU could do against Florida, Alabama or Texas. Some might suggest that they would get blown out, but don’t forget that Utah handled Alabama last year in the Sugar Bowl when nobody thought a Mountain West team could beat a SEC squad. So don’t jump to conclusions and assume the Horned Frogs couldn’t go toe to toe with one of the top three teams in the nation.
If you haven’t seen this TCU team play yet, you’re missing out. The Horned Frogs have one of the fastest, most aggressive defenses in the nation and an explosive offense to match it. Most would disagree, but I think they could match what Florida, Alabama and Texas bring to the table.
Thanks to the success of Utah and TCU this season (along with the continued success of BYU), the Mountain West is making a push to receive an automatic BCS bowl bid for upcoming seasons.
“I would not be optimistic,” Thompson said. “As I explained to them (the Mountain West presidents), it’s a series of legal contracts among 11 conferences, four bowls, two TV partners with yet another TV partner coming in. I would not see much of a relaxation.”
Conference champion Utah finished second in the AP Top 25, earning 16 of 65 first-place votes after it finished an undefeated season by beating Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl.
But the Utes had to force their way in to the four big-money games, which also include the Fiesta, Orange and Rose Bowls.
Only champions of the six BCS conferences—the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC automatically qualify.
Two other successful Mountain West teams this season, TCU (11-2) and BYU (10-3), had to settle for lesser bowls. TCU beat then-undefeated Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl and BYU lost to Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Utah was the first team from one of the five non-BCS leagues to qualify for the BCS a second time. The Utes beat Big East champion Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl after an undefeated 2004 season.
The Mountain West doesn’t deserve an automatic BCS bowl bid because quite frankly, no conference deserves an automatic BCS bowl bid. There should be a playoff system in place and that should be the only thing that determines what teams are the best in the country.
But staying on topic, yes, the Mountain West had a great year. Had both Utah and TCU received an automatic BCS bid this year, they would have done very well. But last year, BYU won the Mountain West and barely beat a 6-7 UCLA team in the Las Vegas Bowl. Had the Cougars gotten an automatic bid, they probably would have been stomped by an SEC or Big 12 team. (I said probably. I know everybody said Utah couldn’t beat ‘Bama this year and it happened, but I don’t think the ’07 BYU team was as talented as the Utes were this year.)
The problem with automatic bids is that conferences change from year to year. This season, the Big 12 was arguably the best conference, along with the SEC, of course. But the ACC and Pac 10 were weak as a whole, so why should any team from those conferences receive an automatic bid? Nothing against VA Tech because they finished well this season, but why did they deserve an automatic bid over an undefeated team like Utah?
Automatic bids are just another example of how messed up the BCS is.
8. The BCS is an “unfair” system. Want to talk “unfair”? How about the Patriots — who finished with 11 wins — sitting home in January while the 8-8 Chargers, 9-6-1 Eagles, and 9-7 Arizona Cardinals all play in the postseason. My guy Kevin Hench can talk (er, whine, kick, and scream) about this far more passionately, but in the same year everyone cried about the BCS, the NFL’s postseason system left an 11-5 team out in the cold. The Texas Longhorns weren’t the only ones who got a raw deal this year.
The Texas Longhorns weren’t the only ones who got a raw deal this year.
No sh*t – so were the Utah Utes.
Yeah, the Patriots were jobbed big-time this year and the Browns were screwed last year. But those are just two teams – one team per season – over the past two seasons. The BCS continuously bends multiple teams over on a yearly basis and people still defend it.
Schrager’s comparison is freaking laughable and when you consider the Chargers made it to the divisional round, the Eagles made it to the NFC Championship and the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl, it weakens his point even more.
Depending on the poll, 85%-90% of football fans would like to see some sort of a playoff. For now, we’re stuck with the BCS, which gave us Florida and Oklahoma in the title game. The problem is, now that the bowls are finished, there are three other teams (not including Florida) that have a legitimate argument that they are the #1 team in the country. Utah finished the season undefeated and beat two teams that are ranked (or will be ranked) in the top 10. USC beat up Penn State and looked great doing it. And Texas put away a feisty Ohio State team in the Fiesta Bowl…oh, and they beat Oklahoma as well. Or is the #1 team Florida, who only looked so-so in their win over the Sooners?
The Gators received 48 first-place votes and 1,606 points in the poll released early Friday, after they beat Oklahoma 24-14 in the BCS national title game.
Utah, the only team in major college football to go undefeated this season, got 16 first-place votes and 1,519 points.
“I thought we had an outside chance,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in a telephone interview with the AP. “There was enough national sentiment, I thought we might get the No. 1 slot. It wasn’t to be.”
Florida won its third AP national championship and second in the last three seasons. Steve Spurrier and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel led the Gators to the 1996 title.
No. 3 USC received one first-place vote. Texas was No. 4, and will have to settle with finishing ahead of fifth-ranked Oklahoma.
The Utes from the Mountain West Conference swept through their regular season, while Florida and Alabama from the SEC, Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 and Southern California from the Pac-10, jockeyed for position in the national title chase.
The Mountain West does not have an automatic bid to the BCS — it’s not considered a strong enough league to deserve one — but the Utes earned their way in.
Utah was seventh in the final regular-season poll, but that perfect record looked much more impressive after the Utes beat Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl last week.
The Pac-10 should do the right thing and bring Utah and BYU (or TCU?) into its conference. Then they could have a conference championship game and Utah and BYU (or TCU?) could show how good they really are.
Imagine if the NFL had the same system college football has. We wouldn’t have had the opportunity to witness one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time when the Giants beat the Patriots last year, because the Giants would have been ranked No. 6 in the polls.
Let there be no doubt, or sour-grapes discussion today, about a national championship left unresolved.
Let there be no rote resumption of complaints against the Bowl Championship Series or a renewed cry for a playoff.
The BCS got it right this time, and the right team won. The better one. The best one.
Anybody who doubts that today must be from Texas or Southern Cal or Utah. Or perhaps an idiot on general principle.
The Gators flat-out won this game and this title, and all the more impressively because it was less by Tebow’s magic (though he was voted game MVP) than by his defense defusing the other team’s epic offense.
Bradford had thrown 48 touchdown passes this season. His offense ran on jet power.
Florida made that offense look more like Oklahoma’s symbol: the Sooner Schooner, a covered wagon pulled by two small ponies of the type rented out for kids’ backyard birthday parties.
Let me pause for a second to laugh…
Anybody who doubts that today must be from Texas or Southern Cal or Utah. Or perhaps an idiot on general principle.
Then punch me in the face and call me an idiot, Greg, because I certainly doubt that the BCS has ever got it right. And that’s not a knock against Florida because they were amazing after losing to Ole’ Miss earlier in the year, but how could anyone in their right mind say that the BCS got this right? Utah didn’t get a chance to play Florida and neither did Texas. And saying that the “Gators flat-out won this game and title” is a bit of a stretch considering that if Oklahoma converts in the red zone, I don’t know if Florida comes back with the way their offense played for most of the night. (Again, not to take anything away from the Gators’ defensive play.)
No, no, no, no – NO! This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. There should be a clear cut winner and no debate that follows. Their should be a playoff, where all the deserving teams get a shot and then (and only then) can we say that a team “flat-out won this game and this title.”
1. These were the best two teams in college football?
One game shouldn’t make or break how teams are perceived for an entire season (Florida and Oklahoma had tremendous years). But if college football refuses to implement a playoff to determine what teams are the best in the country, than the BCS needed a better showing than that. That was one hell of a sloppy football game, complete with stupid penalties, ugly turnovers and bad decisions by both players and coaches. To say that that wasn’t a cleanly played game would be a gross understatement and anyone from the BCS that can unequivocally state that Florida and Oklahoma were the two best teams in college football after that mess should be embarrassed. This game did nothing to support the notion that college football doesn’t need a playoff system.
2. Utah could play with both of these teams.
There’s no question that Utah’s performance over Alabama was more impressive than Florida’s win over Oklahoma. Again, without a playoff system, how can anyone from the BCS say without question that Utah isn’t the best team in the nation? They were the only team to go undefeated, beat two teams that did/will rank in the top 10 (Alabama and TCU), and they won their BCS game in convincing fashion. The Gators, who absolutely bulldozed everyone in their path after losing by one to Ole’ Miss earlier in the season, lost a game and didn’t look particularly sharp in their BCS victory. Who knows, maybe Florida would shit-stomp Utah on a neutral field next week. Maybe the Utes would run the Gators over like they did ‘Bama. We’ll never know and that’s the problem with the current college football system – it leaves too much to debate.
3. What happened to the shootout?
One word: pressure. Both of these teams did a great job of pressuring the quarterback and disrupting the rhythm of the opposing offense. Oklahoma didn’t see a defense as good as Florida’s all season. But you know what? Florida didn’t see a defense as good as the one Oklahoma trotted onto the field tonight, either. While the offenses played awfully sloppy, you have to give it to the defensive minds on both sides for coming up with great game plans. Tebow and Bradford could hardly set their feet and that’s the main reason why the final was 24-14 instead of 44-38 like most people expected. (Of course, Oklahoma’s struggles inside the red zone played into the low score, too.)
4. Percy Harvin was more valuable to Florida tonight than Tim Tebow.
Harvin (9 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD) was the best athlete on the field tonight – period. And the funny thing was, he played on a bum ankle. With all due respect to Tebow, without Harvin the Gators don’t win tonight. He provided a spark to an offense that seemed to be off all night, he provided Florida with its biggest plays and he opened the door for Tebow in the running game in the second half. Oklahoma’s defense was pretty damn good tonight, but Harvin was even better. I shutter to think how well he would have played if he was completely healthy.
4A. Chris Brown is lighting in a bottle.
Percy Harvin’s play out shadowed him, but Brown was absolutely phenomenal tonight. He was the backbone of Oklahoma’s offense and he picked up some much-needed first downs in the second half. Too bad Bob Stoops and the OU coaching staff decided to run what looked like the same damn play on the goal line when he was stuffed on consecutive 3rd and 4th down plays, because I would have loved to see if he could have scored on a screen pass. He’s so quick.
5. Sam Bradford is the real deal.
Bradford’s final numbers (26 of 41 for 256 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) certainly weren’t as dazzling as they have been all season. But it doesn’t take a pro scout to see that this kid is loaded with talent and doesn’t get rattled. Florida drummed up some decent pressure at times and Bradford often starred down the heat and delivered the ball in a timely manner. And the two interceptions he threw were hardly his fault considering they both hit his receivers in the hands. I think he should stay at least one more year at school to hone his skills and try for a national title again next year. But it’s pretty clear that he has the intangibles to play at the next level. (I’ll let the people in the know determine whether or not he’s got everything else.)
6. Every team would be fortunate to have a Tim Tebow.
He might have annoyed a lot of Sooner fans tonight with his sideline antics, but Tebow is the kind of emotional leader I’m sure every football coach wish he had. He’s got so much fight and determination that he’s easy to root for and I’m sure he has no problem rallying his team, too. I also love how he’ll lower his shoulder and head to fight for just one more inch – there’s no way he’s running out of bounds. I don’t know if he can be a pro quarterback or not, but there’s no question that he’s quite the football player and has a future playing on Sundays (at whatever position).
I’ll always be the first one to admit when I was wrong and I was dead wrong when I previewed this game in my BCS Bowl Preview.
I thought Alabama would control both lines of scrimmage and wear down Utah over four quarters. Wrong. I said that Saban would shove Glen Coffee down the Utes’ throats for four quarters and that Utah would eventually cave in the second half. Wrong. I said that the Tide’s defense would shut down an explosive Utah offense, but one that hadn’t seen a decent defense outside of TCU’s in the regular season. Wrong.
What happened was that Utah was flat out the better team and they showed it Friday night. They played with more passion, more fight and more determination than any team this bowl season and they proved that they not only belong in the top 10, but they belong playing for a national title.
Utah’s game plan was executed brilliantly. Alabama had one of the best defensive lines in college football this season, but Utah quarterback Brian Johnson neutralized the Tide’s front seven by getting rid of the ball in a timely manner every time he dropped back. The result was a 336-yard, three touchdown performance and more importantly, Johnson didn’t throw any interceptions.
Then in the fourth quarter up by 10, it was Utah who wore down the Tide – not the other way around. Instead of Coffee being shoved down the Utes’ throats, it was Matt Asiata being shoved down ‘Bama’s throats as he picked up important first downs late in the fourth quarter. And Utah wasn’t doing anything unique; Asiata just lined up at quarterback, took a direct snap and rushed right up field. ‘Bama knew it was coming, but they couldn’t do anything about it.
This was by far the most impressive win of the bowl season and I tip my hat to the Utes. They were far and away a better team than I gave them credit for in my bowl preview and they were fun to watch. Too bad college football isn’t smart enough to have a playoff system so we could really see what Utah can do.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban suspended offensive tackle Andre Smith for the upcoming Sugar Bowl for violating team rules. Smith is highly regarded as ‘Bama’s best offensive lineman and a future top 10 NFL Draft pick.
“The University of Alabama, the team and the football program are more important than any individual player,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said in a released statement today. “Every one on our team depends on each other to be responsible, to make good choices and decisions relative to their actions.”
Saban did not specify Smith’s violation leading up to Friday night’s game against No. 7 Utah.
The junior is expected to be one of the top players selected in the NFL draft if he opts to skip his final season at Alabama. Smith has been noncommittal about his future plans, but Saban offered a hint in his statement that the player wouldn’t be back.
“Andre Smith has done an outstanding job in our program as a person, student and a player, and we will do all we can as an institution to support him in all future endeavors,” Saban said.
An instant starter with the Tide, Smith has allowed only one sack this season and seven during his 38-game career.
He won the Southeastern Conference’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy as a sophomore and was a finalist for the Lombardi Award this season.
One can’t help but wonder how this will affect the Tide’s game plan for Utah. ‘Bama definitely had the edge (and might still have the edge) up front, but maybe the Utes will overload one side and bring added pressure on quarterback John Parker Wilson.
Utah’s defense is quick and can fly to the football. Not having to get around Smith will be a huge advantage for them.
On some levels, there might not have been a more underrated team in college football this season than the TCU Horned Frogs. But because of one bad drive in a loss to Utah in early November, TCU will mostly be known this season for knocking off previously undefeated Boise State, 17-16 in the Poinsettia Bowl.
As impressive as it was to hold the Broncos’ explosive offense to only 16 points, the Horned Frogs could have accomplished more this season – much more. And that’s not a knock on what they did achieve, because going 11-2 and defeating the No. 9 team in the nation in a bowl is pretty damn impressive. But imagine if TCU hadn’t wilted in the final minutes against the Utes?
For those who missed the best game in the Mountain West this season, TCU’s defense had stifled a Utah offense that averaged over 35 points per game in 2008 for 57 minutes. But two missed field goals in the fourth quarter kept the Utes in the game down just 10-6 and before you knew it, Utah drove the length of the field, scored the game-winning touchdown and left the Frogs in disbelief. Their 13-10 win essentially became a springboard for Utah to roll through the rest of its schedule and earn a trip to the Cotton Bowl to take on Alabama on New Year’s Day.
TCU’s defense was one of the fastest and most underrated units in college football this year. Their talent was on display Tuesday night, as they came up with big play after big play to contain an otherwise dynamic Boise offense. Even when they trailed 13-7 midway through the third quarter, you got the sense that if the Frog offense could just muster another touchdown that the defense would shut the door.
TCU’s offense eventually added another 10 points and when Boise had a chance to march down the field on its final drive for a win-stealing score, the Frog defense wasn’t going to be beaten the same way they had by Utah earlier in the year.
Nothing against the Utes because they’re another vastly underrated team, but I would have loved to see what TCU’s defense could have done against an SEC team like ‘Bama. But, we were one bad drive away from seeing that matchup.
