SPORTS
Why not give Hawaii shot at title?
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Also by Mike Ackerstein:
- Wisconsin hits road for Milwaukee (December 12, 2007)
- Heisman pressures could tackle Tebow (December 10, 2007)
- Wisconsin's home streak dead at 28 (December 10, 2007)
- Poor ball control haunts Badgers (December 10, 2007)
- Badgers put on show against Terriers (December 4, 2007)
Related Stories:
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- Cinderellas fly under national radar (November 1, 2007)
- Ohio State jumps to No. 2 in BCS polls (November 18, 2003)
- UW men's soccer won't let Marquette loss stop momentum (November 12, 2002)
- In defense of bowl games (November 28, 2001)
by Mike Ackerstein
Monday, December 3, 2007
With Ohio State and Louisiana State locked in to play for
the national championship, there will undoubtedly be plenty of controversy
surrounding the game, with multiple teams faulting the system and the polls for
determining that the one-loss Buckeyes and two-loss Tigers deserved a spot in
the championship.
No matter which teams the computers spit out as No.1 and No.
2 though, a team was going to go home unhappy. In the absence of two clear-cut
teams that stand far above the rest, there's no way for everyone to agree on the
title competitors.
Who cares, critics will argue, that the BCS system claims
OSU and LSU are the two best teams in the country? Lately it’s turned out the
teams that the rankings said were the best weren't really that good.
So I say, as long as there is going to be controversy over
the system, why not at least make the championship entertaining in the process
and put the very deserving No. 10 Hawaii and No. 3 Oklahoma in the national
championship instead?
After all, both teams are worthy of a bid, and the Warriors
playing the Sooners would be a lot more entertaining than the Buckeyes-Tigers
game.
Start by taking a look at Hawaii, a team with just about
every qualification a title contender should have.
In the Warriors, the national title game would assure itself
a team that's exciting to watch, as you'd be hard pressed to find a more
entertaining team in the country.
Hawaii lines up five receivers and throws the ball downfield
for four quarters. Maybe that style of play isn't what is expected in a
traditional national championship game, but has anything about this season been
at all traditional?
Hawaii also brings one of the nation's best players — and
performers — to the table. Putting Colt Brennan in the national championship
game is a can't-miss opportunity. The senior has set a boatload of NCAA records
including career touchdowns, single-season touchdowns and single-season passing
yards.
Brennan has successfully moved on from "the guy who got in
trouble at Colorado" to "the guy who shaved the Hawaiian Islands in his head
and grew out dreadlocks" while becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the
country.
If an underdog story is what
you're looking for in the championship, Hawaii brings a Disney movie-esque tale
to the title. Though the Warriors don't know the meaning of a short road trip,
they've become a laid back bunch who win football games with a coach often seen
rocking a lei on the sidelines while playing in the nation's 50th state.
Most of all though, the Warriors
have the biggest qualification necessary for being in the title game: They went
undefeated.
The biggest flaw that its critics
offer, that the team has played a relatively weak schedule, doesn't really hold
up in a season where unranked teams have knocked off the top ones incredibly
often.
Sure, Hawaii's best win is its 39-27
victory over Boise State, and the team's seven other Western Athletic
Conference victories don't seem to hold too much weight. Take a look at the
losses to the teams ahead of Hawaii though.
LSU lost to an unranked Arkansas
team, and Ohio State went down to unranked Illinois. In a season that saw the
nation's No. 2 team also lose a number of times to unranked opponents, Hawaii
has successfully navigated through 11 games against teams not in the top 25
without losing once.
So why Oklahoma instead of Ohio
State or Louisiana State?
While Oklahoma lost twice to
unranked teams (Colorado and Texas Tech) it would make for a much more
interesting duo with Hawaii than either of the others would, and the Sooners do
hold a pretty sound resume.
The BCS No. 3 Oklahoma also won its conference championship,
beating No. 1 Missouri for the second time in the process.
Not one, but two wins over the team ranked at the top of the
nation in the season's last week is something neither Ohio State nor Louisiana
State did.
And, unlike LSU, OU won't boast a tremendous home-field
advantage in the title game, which will make the real championship a little
uneven.
Though the Superdome is a lot closer to Norman, Okla., than
Honolulu, Hawaii, it's not right in the Sooners backyard like it is for the Tigers.
Think there won't be any storyline to unite the Sooner with
the Warriors? Well, the game would serve as an opportunity for Oklahoma to
avenge last season's Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State, the WAC's top team in
2007, with a shot against the WAC's top team in 2008.
There may be no such thing as a perfect national
championship, and though LSU and Ohio State are both worthy of a spot, Hawaii
and Oklahoma can each lay claim to a title shot as well.
In a season with no clear-cut favorite and plenty of
controversy as it is, I say, why not give them a shot?
Mike is a sophomore
majoring in political science. If you think don't agree that Hawaii deserves a
shot at the title or that Colt Brennan is all he's cracked up to be, he can be
reached at mackerstein@badgerherald.com.
carey michaels (December 3, 2007 @ 4:15am):
I read all the articles that came out about the BCS and who should play who; your article by far was the best. Your insights and point of view are just as deep and entertaining as Hawaii's offense.
Anonymous (December 3, 2007 @ 8:55am):
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, DUDE. COME ON. NOVICE.
Anonymous (December 3, 2007 @ 10:14am):
i'll take one loss to unranked illinois over two overtime wins against louisiana tech and san jose state.
Brian Howe (December 3, 2007 @ 11:09am):
Way to go on even looking at Hawaii. They are not getting any credit or respect but ask all of the top teams who they wouldn't like to play and I am sure they will all say Hawaii. Colt Brennan for the Heisman!!!
Anonymous (December 3, 2007 @ 1:34pm):
Colt is the real deal, the best player in college football, and is well deserving of the heisman trophy. He is everything the trophy was designed to represent, the single most dominant player in the entire nation. He gave up millions of dollars after throwing 58 TDs last year to come back for a perfect season and a shot at a BCS bowl. If Colt doesn't win the heisman it will be a shame, and the biggest black eye that college football has ever seen. When Colt wipes the turf with Georgia, Hawaii will have a legitimate claim to a split-national championship.. but then what? The system is stupid and biased, and it's not Hawaii's fault if other BCS-hopeful teams were afraid to play. Do what's right, Hawaii deserves to be in the National Championship Game.
Anonymous (December 3, 2007 @ 3:59pm):
Colt Brennan is hands down the best quarterback in college football. If he gets snubbed by the Heisman Committee again, it will really show how biased the entire system is. He's so good that if he doesnt throw for 500 yards and 5 TDs, it's considered an off-night! It's not Hawaii's fault that nobody wants to play them! Michigan PAID so they didn't have to come to the islands to play against Colt and his air attack. For all the money-hungry Conference Presidents - just think about all the money that Colt Brennan can bring to YOUR bowl game.
Anonymous (December 3, 2007 @ 4:25pm):
thanks guys for the fair analysis in the case of Hawaii. Being from Hawaii , I am a supporter of the Warriors but to me , the guys who argue in favor of schedule strength have their merits too. But I will say this , you all know about the American spirit, the Hollywood underdog , the little guy who would not give up , well, consider this , how many teams has so far been in hostile territories , down and been counted out but would not give up but continue to fight and ended up on top , not one , not two but four times ??? Just look at how top teams have fallen this season and you 'll have your answer. I enven forget how many 2nd ranked teams lost this season. That says alot . In football , when you step into that field on ANY GIVEN SATURDAY OR SUNDAY , you can pretty much throw your history in the trash because it will not matter . No matter if you are from the SEC , Big 12... ,if the other team pull together , they will beat you like crap . Ask yourselves , why LSU can not come back and beat Arkansas at home? why the mighty USC , a 40 point favorite can not come back to beat Standford ??Why Michigan , a so-call powerhouse can not rally to beat a div.AA team ?? you can say weak schedule all you like , but as much as you want to believe it, when 22 guys step out on that field , there is no such thing as "WEAK" , Arkansas can give LSU a beating , Michigan can be up for a sore surprise ...My friends , Colleage football is all about team effort , spirit and most importantly THE ABILITY TO BE CONSISTENT , to Come back when needed over and over again and WIN ...Simple as that . In this perspective , I think these WARRIORS deserve the recognition and respect long overdue . They have been battle-tested thru adversities and HAS CONSTANTLY COME OUT ON TOP ....Talk about Consistency this season...GO WARRIORS ....and thanks all for their fair reasoning and support.....
Tim Feyereisen (December 3, 2007 @ 10:48pm):
Why not give Hawaii a shot at the title? How about they don't deserve it. Sure it's fun to watch the explosive offense lead by Colt Brennan tear apart other WAC team's secondaries, but I think what most people overlook when Hawai'i comes up in conversation is their defense, or lack thereof. Hawaii's defense is currently ranked 40th in the country, which puts them near the likes of Pittsburgh and North Carolina. Hawaii's defense allowed an alarming average of 24.2 points per game, against the WAC conference, which is ranked 9th in the country, edging out Atlantic 10 and Conference USA. To watch Hawaii's defense line up against the third best offense in the nation would be entertaining, but so would watching Mohammed Ali knock gloves with Sylvester Stalone.
Hawaii's strength of schedule is 118. It is my contention that to play for a national championship your strength of schedule should be in the top half of the country, at least. Hawai'i does not care if they get into the national championship game, or maybe rather should not. When Hawai'i football coach June Jones finalized the schedule for this season, he was not thinking national championship. If Jones was worried about making the national championship game, he would've scheduled a ranked non-conference opponent, although it is generally pretty hard to find a ranked opponent in the WAC. How about instead of playing Louisiana Tech, play Louisiana State, and try to prove themselves early. By the way, Hawai'i only beat Louisiana Tech by one point in overtime. If Hawai'i wanted to play for a national championship they would have signed up to play a good team.
I think the fatal flaw in your article is the assumption that the biggest qualification necessary for being in the title game is going undefeated. A team like Southern Miss could schedule a season similar to Hawaii's, and perhaps go undefeated, as could Bowling Green, or Arkansas State. When you're not in an elite level conference, parity takes its role and levels the playing field for all teams. Look at Massachusetts' season. The unranked team in the CAA lost only three times this year, to #12 Boston College, URI, and S illinois. Massachusetts lost all three of their games by a combined 23 points, an average of 7.7 points. If Massachusetts would have scored those points, you would think they would have a ticket to the national championship game. Massachusetts never had a chance though, because like Hawaii, they are a second tier program. The only reason why Hawai'i is being considered is because they play in the WAC, who usually play their games late, giving them more fan exposure, ad people like to root for the underdog. The underdog doesn't deserve to go to the national championship because it would be a good story. Ohio State and Louisiana State deserve to compete for the national championship because they are the best teams in the country, and anyone arguing against that obviously have not watched Ohio State play, or Louisiana State go undefeated in regular play.
Kawika Cruz (December 4, 2007 @ 1:17am):
Hawaii deserves to be in that title game. Please don't for a second think that scheduling is as easy as picking the team of your choice and marking them on your calender. Being 3500 miles from the nearest ranked team (USC), poses a logistical nightmare for both Hawaii and the top-rated teams located in the continuous 48 states. Most Athletic Directors do not want to pick up the tab for sending and entire football program to Hawaii. And why would they? Hawaii is no easy win. Michigan backed out of playing UH this season and opted for Appalachian State instead. In the schedule making process, UH tries to get as many big name schools as possible but gets denied by the athletic department of that big-time school. As for next season UH landed a shot against the Florida Gators in Gainesville, as well as Washington State, Oregon State and Cincy. Please give Hawaii the credit they deserve. The effort that the UH football program has put forth this season has been nothing short of National Champions!!!!!
Tim Feyereisen (December 4, 2007 @ 9:10am):
Hawaii does not have a defense. at all. It would be like watching last years national championship game all over again but worse. Nobody wants to talk about their defense, because they think a) it will make a cool story, and b) they went undefeated. You can't say the effort UH put forth has been nothing short of national championships because effort does not get you into a notional championship, skill does. As long as UH's high powered passing game does not have the running game and defense to back them up, they will NEVER play for a national championship.
Trey Stockton (December 5, 2007 @ 11:54pm):
This whole strength of schedule thing is garbage. Ohio State didn't play anybody until they started playing teams in the Big 10 and all those teams were in the middle of there season slumps except for Michigan (Do I really need to go there?) and Illinois (They beat 'em!). Even Wisconsin (NOT talking bad about the Badgers) was falling apart when they played Ohio State. Those guys are playing in a National Championship game NOT because they're one of the best 2 teams in the nation but literally because of name recognition. They're also playing that game against yet another SEC team in that teams own backyard. So if you think the beatdown last year was bad, strap on your seatbelts 'cause it's gonna be a long night in New Orleans for the Buckeyes this year! Is the Big 10 really ready for that kind of disappointment again. Hawai'i will beat Georgia and when they do I know I'm gonna hear Herbstreit and his cronies try and come up with some lame excuse (same with OSU's loss!) so I've got some tissue on hand for them. The Warriors just want it more. They're playing for something OSU, LSU and USC lost this year...PRIDE! Pride in your state, pride in your school but most of all pride in your team. They're also playing for RESPECT. You would think after Boise State's run last year the pollsters would have a clue. Then came Appalachian State...still clueless. Then number ones and number twos fell like dominoes all season...still clueless. So they just vomited out the two most recognizable names and expect us to sit through a repeat of last years beating. This is NOT the 80's and 90's where you could expect some so called upper tier team to be dominant. Kids from southern florida are going to South Florida instead of Miami or Florida State, kids from Ohio are going to Cincy instead of OSU, etc., etc. Talent is going where they can go to school on there own terms and not because of name recognition anymore. My point is that teams should be ranked according to merit and the chances that they'll beat another team. Hawai'i has done just that and they didn't need a running game or some let's make the game boring overrated defense. Who needs a stronger defense when your offense is virtually unstoppable? If they're so weak then why won't anyone "big" play them until Colt's gone? They will NEVER put a team like Hawai'i in a National Championship game because they know that a team like that will have more heart and win and their whole system will fall apart and we'll just be closer to a playoff system and the Bowls will go the way of the dinosaurs. I salute you for having the guts to tell it like it is but the NCAA and the national media will probably never clue in. Kudos anyway though!
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