Hoge: Please, BCS, Don't Let Me Witness That Again
By Adam Hoge-
(CBS) I want my money back.
I didn't even pay to go to the game, but I need something back. Five bucks off my cable bill. Anything.
I don't know what that was Monday night, but if that was No. 1 vs. No. 2, then the last four months of my life were a lie.
Look, you can debate whether you want to see a defensive battle or an offensive shootout. That's fine. But LSU's and Alabama's offenses were brutal Monday night as the Crimson Tide won 21-0. Sure, both teams have great defenses, but there was a lot more going on than good defensive play, especially when LSU had the ball.
Let's start by laying out LSU's resume: They beat three of the five teams that won BCS games this season (Oregon, West Virginia and Alabama). No one else in the country can come close to saying that.
And yet the Tigers couldn't score a single point in the BCS National Championship Game.
Not one measly point.
Congratulations to defensive MVP Courtney Upshaw and the Alabama Crimson Tide defense. You guys played a hell of game. But for every big hit and tackle for loss, there was a boneheaded mistake by Jordan Hanie Jefferson or confusing play call from LSU offensive coordinator Greg Studrawa. Run the option again? Sure, why not, because it hasn't worked the entire game.
Yes, based on the system we have, there's no question Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country. The Tide deserves that distinction and Nick Saban should get a lot of praise for preparing his team for Monday night's game. That said, no one, absolutely no one, can convince me Alabama would get through a playoff system unscathed with that offense.
Quarterback AJ McCarron was the offensive MVP despite 11 incompletions and a rate of 6.9 yards per completion. Sure, he was 23-for-34 for 234 yards and didn't throw an interception, but if those are the numbers of your offensive MVP in the national freaking title game then you have a bigger problem. Your MVP quarterback didn't even throw a touchdown.
You know who should have been the MVP? Kicker Jeremy Shelley, who made five field goals in the game. Of course, he also missed two field goal attempts and an extra point, which just further emphasizes how bad of game this was.
Let me repeat that: The kicker should have been the MVP and he missed two field goals and an extra point.
Monday night's game may have determined the No. 1 team in the country, but it also brought up another valid question: Is LSU even worthy of being the No. 2 team in the country? This after they appeared to be the clear No. 1 for most of the season and beat three BCS bowl winners.
Sorry, BCS Chairman Bill Hancock, but this just isn't adding up to anything that resembles a successful system.
The good news is that there's a meeting as early as Tuesday to discuss changes to the system and for the first time ever, everyone involved appears to be open to changes. In fact, major change seems imminent.
Unfortunately, a playoff still seems doubtful, unless it's a plus-one format, but keep in mind that if we were in a plus-one format right now, we'd been talking about a rubber match between LSU and Alabama.
Please, spare me.
I've seen enough of that. It was bad the first time and it was worse the second time.
If this is the best you can do, BCS, fix it.
Adam is the Sports Content Producer for CBSChicago.com and specializes in coverage of the White Sox, Blackhawks and college sports. He was born and raised in Lincoln Park and attended St. Ignatius College Prep before going off to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a Journalism degree. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHogeCBS and read more of his columns here.
