Whenever the College Football season is about to start its engine at the beginning of September, the rode ahead always appears wild. That path has reached new heights for the 2010 season as a thrilling drive of unprecedented proportions right before the light turned green to go.
The 2009 college football season may have ended with Alabama defeating Texas for the national title, but the sport remained in ESPN headlines throughout the spring and summer.
First began the issues revolving around the USC Trojans, one of the top programs in college football over the last decade.
The program was dealt a huge blow when they were placed on probation after details broke that former running back Reggie Bush and his family allegedly received gifts from a prospective agent. The aftermath: four years probation, banishment from bowl games for two years, the loss of 30 scholarships for the next three years and exclusion of the wins and titles for USC when Bush was on the team.
These actions prompted other programs to restrict agents around their facilities with fears that interaction with players could lead to sanctions against the schools.
Another headline that college football dealt with during the off-season was teams moving to other divisions.
Over the spring and summer, there were many discussions of how various teams were considering switching divisions. Although the moves wouldn’t occur this season, the revamping of divisions featured big alterations for the future of college football.
One of the most notable changes was the split of the Big Ten into two divisions. The division will be split with six teams in two sub-divisions. Along with Nebraska moving from the Big 12 into the Big Ten modification, the biggest feature of the split will be Michigan in one sub-division and Ohio State in the other.
Although there will be a separation of the two colleges, the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry will remain intact as both will be playing each other in season finales for years to come.
Despite the various division changes, USC sanctions and teams banning agents from their facilities, there is still one change that fans are dying to see happen.
A college football playoff.
When the people think of sports, the most enticing attribute about watching them is the post-season. Nothing beat’s watching your favorite team go through playoff series or tournament brackets with hopes of winning to get closer and closer to a title.
A perfect example was watching the mid major Butler Bulldogs rumble through the 2010 March Madness tournament in college basketball. They may have come up short to the power house Duke Blue Devils, but the tournament showcased one certainty: whether you are a heavy favorite like Duke or a Cinderella story like Butler, any team has a chance to become a champion
The bowl season is one of the most confusing and irritating aspects of college football. The use of polls, decisions by committees and analyzing team’s records, strength of schedule, RPI and every other little aspect the team has dealt with is difficult to measure. Certain teams work hard to accomplish great seasons and are graciously rewarded with bowl game invites, but never a chance to win a national title.
The greatest examples of this injustice are teams who have gone undefeated and play in high profile bowl games, but aren’t looked upon as college football champions.
In the 2004 college season, three team finished with undefeated seasons: USC, the Auburn Tigers and the Utah Utes. USC was awarded the opportunity to play in the title game while the Tigers went to the Sugar Bowl and the Utes to the Fiesta Bowl. USC was awarded the national championship, despite all three teams winning their bowl games and ending the season without a loss.
While 2004 was the year of the three who went perfect, the 2006 season had one undefeated team in the end. The Boise State Broncos plays in the WAC conference, which isn’t acknowledged as a big conference like the Pac-10 or SEC. At the time, they became only the second team outside the BCS to play in a BCS bowl game. They would go on to defeat Oklahoma in overtime by one point.
Despite being the only undefeated team from beginning to end, it was the Florida Gators who would be the 2006 National Champions of college football and not Boise State.
With all the movement of teams to new divisions and regulations that teams have undergone in college football this off-season, the sport appears to be headed in a new direction for the future. The 2010 season kicked off on Thursday, September 2nd and the conclusion of it will put the wheels in motion for the new route the sport has prepared for 2011 and beyond.
Ultimately though; until a playoff becomes imminent in college football’s future, the sport will never be heading down the right lane.
