Utah Football: Unbeaten, Untied, Uninvited, but Not Unloved
Stuart Nachbar
January 06, 2009
The University of Utah football team, as serious college football fans know, concluded an undefeated season on New Yearīs Day. The Runninī Utes scored a knockout blow over an Alabama team that had been ranked first in coaches and writers polls until they lost their conference title game. The bowl game was the Sugar Bowl, one of the four oldest, so somewhat traditional college bowl games, a game that had previously decided national champions. Only this time the Sugar Bowl was a consolation prize for a team that deserved to be crowned national champions.
I find it silly that an unbeaten team that defeated six bowl teams, including one, Oregon State, that beat Southern Cal and another, Texas Christian, that hung the first loss on Boise State in a bowl game, cannot end their season as national champions. However, the coachīs poll cannot declare a national champion; it can only decide the teams that rank second through twenty fifth.
So, Iīd like to offer two solutions that will recognize Utahīs achievement, send a message that a playoff system is in order, but donīt rock the boat.
Solution Number One: A Presidential Proclamation. On January 21st, President-elect Barack Obama declares Utah co-champions, by vote of the Obama Poll, a presidential proclamation. The Utah team gets an invitation to the White House along with the winner of the Oklahoma-Florida game. The President-elect gets his chance to call for a playoff while recognizing the teams that are considered the best in the country.
Iīd doubt that any college president will challenge the President of the United States; they need his help in this economy a lot more than he needs them. And I canīt imagine that Florida coach Urban Meyer would mind sharing the stage with Utah coach Kyle Wittingham, should Florida prevail in the so-called national title game. Before coming to Florida, Meyer was the Utah coach and Wittingham was his defensive coordinator. A presidential portrait of teacher and student would be great publicity for college football, and the sport needs all of the positive press it can get.
If Richard Nixon took it upon himself to choose Texas over Penn State as national champions in 1969-the President had seen the Texas-Arkansas game, a battle of unbeaten rivals earlier that season-then Barack Obama can certainly convince the Oklahoma-Florida winner to share the stage with Utah. Not to mention, Obama can use the power of the presidency to declare future co-champions until the college presidents finally sit down to discuss a playoff.
Solution Number Two: A Magnanimous Gesture by the Monied. The president of Notre Dame calls the president of the University of Utah and offers the Utes the first available home-and-away date on their football schedule. A true national champion deserves a higher profile and a chance to test their mettle in front of a college footballīs largest national television audience and most rabid fan base. Not to forget, a Utah-Notre Dame series would not only enhance the reputation of Utahīs football program, but also the rebuilding of Notre Dameīs.
Neither of these solutions requires anything more than phone calls and a photo-op at the White House. They are inexpensive resolutions to an embarrassing image problem for a sport that has more than enough embarrassing image problems.
Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com , a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicles, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com .
I find it silly that an unbeaten team that defeated six bowl teams, including one, Oregon State, that beat Southern Cal and another, Texas Christian, that hung the first loss on Boise State in a bowl game, cannot end their season as national champions. However, the coachīs poll cannot declare a national champion; it can only decide the teams that rank second through twenty fifth.
So, Iīd like to offer two solutions that will recognize Utahīs achievement, send a message that a playoff system is in order, but donīt rock the boat.
Solution Number One: A Presidential Proclamation. On January 21st, President-elect Barack Obama declares Utah co-champions, by vote of the Obama Poll, a presidential proclamation. The Utah team gets an invitation to the White House along with the winner of the Oklahoma-Florida game. The President-elect gets his chance to call for a playoff while recognizing the teams that are considered the best in the country.
Iīd doubt that any college president will challenge the President of the United States; they need his help in this economy a lot more than he needs them. And I canīt imagine that Florida coach Urban Meyer would mind sharing the stage with Utah coach Kyle Wittingham, should Florida prevail in the so-called national title game. Before coming to Florida, Meyer was the Utah coach and Wittingham was his defensive coordinator. A presidential portrait of teacher and student would be great publicity for college football, and the sport needs all of the positive press it can get.
If Richard Nixon took it upon himself to choose Texas over Penn State as national champions in 1969-the President had seen the Texas-Arkansas game, a battle of unbeaten rivals earlier that season-then Barack Obama can certainly convince the Oklahoma-Florida winner to share the stage with Utah. Not to mention, Obama can use the power of the presidency to declare future co-champions until the college presidents finally sit down to discuss a playoff.
Solution Number Two: A Magnanimous Gesture by the Monied. The president of Notre Dame calls the president of the University of Utah and offers the Utes the first available home-and-away date on their football schedule. A true national champion deserves a higher profile and a chance to test their mettle in front of a college footballīs largest national television audience and most rabid fan base. Not to forget, a Utah-Notre Dame series would not only enhance the reputation of Utahīs football program, but also the rebuilding of Notre Dameīs.
Neither of these solutions requires anything more than phone calls and a photo-op at the White House. They are inexpensive resolutions to an embarrassing image problem for a sport that has more than enough embarrassing image problems.
Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com , a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicles, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com .
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