Everyone was watching Saturday, either in your family living rooms or at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The images still run through everyone’s mind. T.J. Yeldon steps out with one second left, the long field goal is short, and then the return. Alabama fans were in shock, and the rest of the state threw a party.
With the loss Alabama dropped in the BCS rankings to No. 4, leaving almost no chance to return to the national championship. However, if it were 2014, Alabama would still be in national title contention.
The BCS system will be replaced by a college football playoff, where the top four teams will compete for the championship. The two semifinal games will be hosted by either the Rose, Orange or Sugar Bowl. Winners will of course move on to play for the national championship.
The new system will seem to get rid of the obvious controversy of who gets in or out of the national championship game. We have witnessed teams like Boise State, Oregon State and Stanford have the same records as teams in the national title game, but they were left out due to strength of schedule or national opinion.
Also the timing of many teams’ one loss has played into the rankings. This year, one-loss Alabama will be on the outside looking in because of the loss being so late in the season. In 2014, such teams will get a chance to prove themselves.
The BCS, though very controversial, did make college football very interesting. After the games Saturdays, most of the nation tunes in to ESPN on Sunday nights and awaits their favorite team’s BCS ranking.
The controversy of who deserves what ranking was debated and put pressure on programs to win every game. Not only did teams have to win every game, but teams had to win games in dominating fashion to gain points and move up the rankings. The pressure of each and every game made it exciting. The last second victories, like the Iron Bowl, made bigger drama on television than AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” Securing a spot in the national championship is not easy.
Last year featured some of the same drama as this year. Alabama fans may be sore about the BCS this year, but they did benefit from it in 2012. Who can forget the drama on that late November 17th night? No. 2 Oregon was playing Stanford and No. 1 Kansas State was playing Baylor. Alabama had just lost to Texas A&M the week before, allowing Kansas State and Oregon to climb atop the rankings.
But Baylor blew Kansas State away. Only a few minutes later, Oregon’s kicker botched a game-winning field goal and Stanford won the ballgame. As a result, Alabama shot up to No. 2 in the rankings and as we know, eventually played in the national championship.
The drama of the BCS will definitely be missed. It produced a lot of fun years in college football, some moments we will never forget. I’m sure the new system will be just as enjoyable, if not more. There will just be a little more room for error and a chance for outside teams to compete. Until next season, enjoy the last of the BCS.
