When it comes to breaking down college football this year,
your guess is as good as the experts'.

Eight different teams tried out the No. 2 ranking, quickly
finding it unsuitable (six of them were upset), and four different teams have
been No. 1. Every week, another (or in the case of LSU, the same) team drops a
winnable game to an underdog.

In fact, this past weekend marked the second time this
season both the No. 1 and No. 2 teams fell. It has only happened seven other
times since 1964.

About the only thing certain from week to week is that
all-encompassing banner to describe what the nation has witnessed this season —
"the year of the upset" — will continue.

Earlier in the year, like everyone else, I was surprised to
see so many upsets, so many top-ranked teams dropping like hail during a
thunderstorm. The default answer to this enigma is that parity resonates
throughout the land like a yodeler atop a Swiss Alps peak. It's hard to argue
against the idea that "any team can win on any given night" (parity does exist
to an extent). Still, I have observed and inevitably learned something: It, too,
has been "the year of the injured quarterback."

Most of these teams I am about to analyze would be in a
position to play in New Orleans had an injury to their most prized possession
not occurred.

Oklahoma

A loss to Colorado earlier in the year aside, Oklahoma had a
chance to move in to the top two after Oregon lost to Arizona (see below) two
weeks back. Although it was pitted against offensive juggernaut Texas Tech led
by touchdown machine Graham Harrell, Oklahoma had a Heisman-hopeful of its own
in redshirt freshman Sam Bradford.

Just its luck, Bradford left early in the game with a
concussion and the Sooners offense never recovered. They ended up losing the
game 34-27 and more importantly, a shot at a national championship.

Oregon

Two days earlier, another one-loss team blew its chance at
New Orleans when the sensational Dennis Dixon injured his knee. Oregon watched
its season buckle out of control as the fleet-footed Dixon crumpled to the turf
in a heap after a first-quarter run. Without their heartbeat the Ducks croaked,
losing 34-24 to lowly Arizona. If that wasn't enough, the Dixon-less Ducks sunk
further, getting embarrassed 16-0 to a highly sporadic UCLA team to end their
shot at a Rose Bowl bid.  

USC

Already donning a badge of ineptitude for losing to Stanford
of all teams (the Cardinal lost to Notre Dame this past weekend at home), the
talented Trojans lost their field general, John David Booty, to a broken middle
finger on his throwing hand for the next three weeks. The injury, which
occurred during the Stanford game, didn't help USC's chances to avoid a
devastating upset, as Booty threw a season-high four interceptions. Worse, it
forced first-time starter Mark Sanchez into the fray. He got by the Wildcats
and the Irish, but his lack of experience proved costly against the versatile
Ducks. The Trojans lost 24-17 and must now settle for a Rose Bowl bid despite
entering the season as the nation's top team.

West Virginia

The Mountaineers control their own fate this time around.
With a win Saturday against Pittsburgh, West Virginia will still get to play
for a national championship. But had it not worked out that way, had other
quarterbacks not gotten hurt, WVU could have been watching the title game from
the sidelines just as its signal caller Pat White watched his team's only loss
of the season (to South Florida Sept. 28, 21-13) after sustaining a shot to his
right thigh in the second quarter.

Cal, Pac-10

It's harder to make the case for California, since the
Golden Bears began hibernation seven weeks prematurely, losing six of their
final seven games. However, the second-half slide started when quarterback Nate
Longshore was sidelined for the Oregon State game. Without him, then No. 2 Cal
lost 31-28 in a game it could have won if the backup, Kevin Riley, didn't
decide to run for a first down with 12 ticks on the clock and no timeouts left
inside the Oregon 15-yard line.

As a matter of fact, the Pac-10's elite, as a whole, has
suffered from the plague known as "the season of the injured quarterback." In
addition to Dixon, Booty and Longshore, Ben Olson of UCLA, after a hot start,
went down, and the Bruins ended the year on a 2-5 note.

Obviously a sign of a good team is being able to overcome
significant injuries. And these programs failed to do just that. But before you
throw your hands up in dismay at what lunacy "the year of the upset" has
brought upon you or someone you know, take a minute to realize that parity
aside, "the year of the injured quarterback" has every little bit to do with it,
too.

Kevin is a senior
double majoring in journalism and economics. If you're interested in talking
college football send an e-mail to [email protected].