The BCS, NFL Tidbits, and West Coast Representation

In truth, Oil Can does have his moments -- few and far between though they be. The OC put on quite a display in our FF league this weekend, nabbing the weekly high of the season (and a little extra cash). And just last week he referenced the most glaring black eye in all of sports: the lack of a college football playoff.

Dougnaldo, two high marks in seven days: you the stares of a million pairs. Best treat yourself to a bear claw.

Back onto college football, there's only one barrier standing between us and One Shining Moment 2, and that's Gordon Gecko's hallmark calling card: greed. Call it what you will, money or greed, either way it's the ugly stepchild in CFB. And the NCAA's perpetual "scholastic" marketing campaigns don't downplay that reality for a second.

The schools which perennially finish 3rd - 7th in major conferences don't want a playoff because they're worried it will devalue (literally) their 7 - 5 season. A season which, in all likelihood, touts wins against Ball State, Odessa Tech, and Irvine Muni. A season headed for paydirt in that grand daddy of 'em all, the Motor City Bowl.

You'd better rest up now. Come mid-December a no-name bowl game with an oversized corporate logo -- played in a half-full stadium in Mobile or Memphis -- will compete for a few hundred eyeballs on ESPN4 every night.

Tis the season for mediocrity.

And what a shame, because if ever a year called for a playoff, this would be it. There are four teams which can legitimately cry foul with regards to the grand prize: Georgia, USC, Oklahoma, and Hawaii. And there are another five of six who would certainly stand a shot in a one-and-done format.

Personally, I think the magic playoff number is 16. Any scenario should make room for cinderellas. What would March be without Villanova, N.C. State, or George Mason: giant slayers all. This year's best CFB storylines are Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois: they should all play for the crown.

And yes, most years, the SEC would deserve a handful of finalists. A 16-team playoff this year would get you Florida and probably Tennessee, both more than worthy.

Which also speaks to how ridiculously ineffective the current system is. Florida would probably be a TD favorite over Ohio State (this year's top BCS seed) if they played tomorrow. In today's BCS system, Florida isn't even invited to the dance.

And so a year of CFB that has been so damn good, so competitive, maybe the best season ever -- will end on an inconclusive clanker as OSU battles the two-loss Tigers of LSU.

Pathetic. Inexcusable. Unacceptable.

In other news:

How much does the NFL Network blow chunks. In particular, the employment of Chris Collinsworth and the lack of stadium noise during the Packers/Cowboys game (turn the damn microphone up already) had me floored. And Bryant Gumbel looked like he's been in the Nairobi Desert for the last decade looking for edible fish scales. Somebody help that poor guy to month's supply of hamburger helper.

Personally, I think we're due a constitutional amendment doing away with 1) The NFL Network and 2) these ridiculous network contracts which force us to watch localized games on Sunday regardless of how much the local team sucks. Maybe this is George Mitchell's next issue to tackle once Barry ends up behind bars.

Meanwhile.....could Aaron Rodgers' mullet-in-the-making look any more ridiculous in a Packer helmet? Somebody tackle Rodgers, give him a nuggie, and take a 2-guard to his mop. Then sign him to a long-term contract. This kid might be pretty good.

Finally, it is with great pleasure that we add a brethren as a contributor to the Deporters. He's a west coast wookie who baths occasionally, thinks beer pong should be an Olympic sport, and has plenty of NaCl on standby for the likes of overpaid sports wannabes. He's named after a former KY Derby favorite who didn't live up to the hype; set your expectations accordingly.

You can expect his insights (rants?) once a twice or month. We'll let him tell you the rest.

Brother Derek: welcome to our motley crew.