That's because in the span of 12 hours or so, the impending mess that is the BCS was resolved by a couple of late comebacks and a couple of costly missed field goals.
Early in the afternoon Friday, Auburn squared off with the defending national champion Alabama. Nick Saban and Co. jumped out to an early 24-0 lead. With Boise State all but certain to win later that night and get past BCS No. 3 TCU, a loss for No. 2 Auburn would have muddied the BCS waters.
Then, Cam Newton struck. The Heisman Trophy front runner and the Tigers came roaring back and won the game, effectively preserving their spot in the BCS championship for the time being.
Later Friday night, No. 1 Oregon seemed to be on the ropes in a cold, rainy battle with No. 20 Arizona. The Ducks, though, stormed back, outscoring the Wildcats 27-0 in the second half. That win all but secures a place in the title game for the Ducks.
The real deal-breaker came even later Friday night — Saturday morning here on the east coast. Boise State traveled down to take on No. 19 Nevada. A win for the Broncos wouldn't necessarily have earned them a spot in the title game. In fact, they'd still be a long shot. But, if either Oregon or Auburn's close calls had turned into losses, the BCS would have a mess on their hands thanks to Boise.
Instead, a pair of missed field goals by Kyle Brotzman gave Nevada the upset of the year, dashing any hopes of a national championship bid for Boise.
It may not be on the level of General Motors, but it's impossible to deny the BCS was rewarded a significant bailout on Friday night.
But whether or not you agree with the current system, you have to admit that the BCS has actually backed into a safe national championship matchup. Arguably the two best teams in the country, Oregon and Auburn will likely meet for the national championship when the dust settles.
Sure, unbeaten TCU will be upset as they make their claim to be in the title game, but there's a huge difference between three undefeated teams and four. It's an even bigger difference when two of those teams are BCS schools and the third is a team from the Mountain West conference like TCU.
Last season, both Boise and TCU had strength in numbers by both having strong cases for a spot in the title game. They instead ended up playing each other. Part of the reason there's so much outcry against the BCS is because of games like these. Nobody wants to see what those two teams can do when they get together. It solves absolutely nothing. Instead, match these teams up against the best of the best and let's settle the issue. After all, arguably the best college football game in the last decade happened when the Broncos got a crack at Oklahoma a few years back and beat them.
There's a chance, though, that we end up with the same kind of problem this season, too. It won't be Boise and TCU again, the Broncos ruined that on Friday night, but imagine this scenario for a second. UConn, a team that's not even in the same breath as TCU or Boise, let alone the the big-time college football powerhouses, will clinch a BCS berth by winning out. The Huskies mind you, are 7-4 after a win over Cicinnati on Saturday. Making matters worse, they lost to Temple this year. Can you imagine a BCS bowl matchup between UConn and TCU? The Horned Frogs would win going away, and thus, prove absolutely nothing, further complicating things more. No, thanks.
The BCS continues to reward big-time programs not for their play on the field, but for their financial agreements off of the field. That is the biggest problem. Usually, those go hand-in-hand, but not when it keeps legitimately great football teams out of the party for one slip-up and rewards subpar teams because of contractual obligations.
A playoff system may or may not be the answer. The BCS as it stands now has a way of matching up the two best teams in the country for the national title. That is a credit to them. Where the real injustices lie, though, are in the teams just below the top two. The BCS is not only robbing them of a chance to at least prove they belong in the conversation and expose the flaws of the big-school system, but it's also doing its part in robbing college football fans of some marquee matchups.
