Since Dave handled a bit of the draft round-up, there isn't a whole lot going on today. And unfortunately, that will probably continue for some time. We are entering the longest 4 month stretch of the sporting season, and boy, August cannot come soon enough. Baseball, though a nice diversion, just doesn't cut it for me. At least next year Oregon will have a baseball team to follow.
So, with that, lets hate on the Pac-10, Big 10, and Rose Bowl. Another article just come out regarding the "plus-one" system that has been talked about to some degree or another, and the author of this piece flat out states that if not for the Rose Bowl, we would be on our way to some sort of playoff. Also, a few days ago, another columnist claimed that college football was being held hostage by these 3 entities.
I do not disagree with either of these articles. The second, especially, makes a great case for the elitism and greed of the Rose Bowl, Pac 10, and Big 10. I can't really say it any better than the authors here.
But to me, the icing on the cake is that in the name of "tradition," quality football gets thrown out the window. Last year, we were subjected to USC/Illinois (which I refused to watch). It was a pathetic game, with a team that only got in because of its conference affiliation. No other BCS bowl would have taken Illinois. This was done purely because, hey, the Rose Bowl needs a Pac 10 and Big 10 team. This was done despite possibility of having a Georgia/USC Rose Bowl.
Screw tradition, I want to see the best football possible. As a Pac 10 fan, I feel cheated. I would much rather play in a different bowl game and play a good football team than go to the Rose Bowl and play a team like Illinois. This type of blind following of tradition does a disservice to both players and fans.
This isn't even about a playoff or bowl system. It's about two conferences and a bowl game deciding to have a bad football game for the sake of tradition. And that its one of the most ridiculous, asinine things I've seen. No wonder the Pac 10 gets such horrific bowl games.
GO DUCKS!