TimKesten.com

Golf Channel Anchor Kelly Tilghman is being suspended for two weeks for something she said about Tiger Woods. What she said is being compared by Adora Obi Nweze, the president of the Florida State conference, a unit of the NAACP, to Don Imus calling the Rutgers Women’s basketball team “nappy headed hoes.” Al Sharpton is calling for Tilghman’s immediate termination by the Golf Channel.

So what did Tilghman say? What utterance could merit the destruction of a career? While discussing the chance that up-and-coming golfers had to challenge Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo said that, “maybe they should gang up on him for a while.” In response, Tilghman said, “Lynch him in a back alley.” Do you seriously think that anyone who thought of the connotations connected to the word “lynch” would use it so carelessly? Do you think that Tilghman, who reportedly is a friend of Woods, had any racial or hateful intent when she said those words? If she knew how people would read into that statement and uttered it anyway, she is one of the least intelligent successful people in this country.

None of that matters to the always opportunistic Sharpton. “Whether she’s a racist… is immaterial,” Sharpton said. No, Mr. Sharpton, it is material. It is everything. Kelly Tilghman said something, off the cuff, that some may have deemed racially insensitive based on connotation. Regardless of what you may want the public to believe, the term “lynching” is not, as you said “a specific racial term.” It may have specific racial connotations, but that is something very different. The definition of the term “lynch” is “to put to death, especially by hanging, by mob action and without legal authority.” Notice that there is no mention of racism in the definition. That those actions unfortunately happened to many African-Americans in a dark part of our country’s history does not exclusively link the definition of the word to African-Americans.

Kelly Tilghman is not Fuzzy Zoellor. I can understand why the public was upset after he suggested that Woods not serve fried chicken or “whatever they serve” at the Master’s Champion’s dinner. That anger was justified. There was simply no venom behind Tilghman’s comment. She was simply intimating that the up and coming golfers had little chance of challenging Tiger. The hyperbole was that their only chance would be to physically harm Woods. Tiger knew what she meant, and so does Al Sharpton. The difference is that Woods has nothing to gain by vilifying Tilghman, while Sharpton has made a career out of vilifying people every chance he gets. Tiger’s agent said that it was a non issue and that “Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly … we know unequivocally that there was no ill-intent in her comments.” Meanwhile, Sharpton said “What she said is racist … She’s a broadcaster. The channel has to be accountable to the public.” Mr. Sharpton, she and the Golf Channel may need to be accountable to the public and to Mr. Woods, but despite what your ego may tell you, they do not, and should not, have to be accountable to a hate monger like yourself.

Another year has passed and another college football season has been tainted by the ridiculous, hypocritical methodology of the Bowl Championship Series. We know LSU is the national champion, and there is a good chance that they are indeed the best team in the country, despite their two losses. I am sure USC, West Virginia and Georgia would beg to differ. If those four teams had a chance to play, we might have a different team on top. We will never know, of course, and that is the shame of the BCS. Despite this uncertainty, this bowl season did show us a few things that we can be pretty sure of.

 

The Big Ten is no longer a dominant conference.

Ohio State lost it second consecutive title game and is now 0-9 against the SEC in bowl games, but that is certainly not the worst of it. The Big Ten went 3-5 this bowl season, and Michigan’s victory over Florida was the conference’s only bowl win against a team that finished in the top 25 in the Associated Press Poll. Illinois, Ohio State and Indiana all lost by at least two touchdowns.

 

On the Other hand, the Southeastern Conference is the best conference in college football.

The PAC 10 and Big East represented themselves respectfully, but the SEC distanced itself from its competition this bowl season. SEC teams had a record of seven wins and two losses in bowl games this season, to go along with LSU’s convincing win in the national championship. The PAC 10′s teams combined for four wins and two losses and the Big East’s team compiled a record of three wins and two losses.

 

Hawaii did not belong in a BCS bowl.

I know, I know, hindsight is 20/20. It was an intriguing game. The unknown commodity of Hawaii against the consistent power of Georgia. 12-0 against Georgia’s speed on defense. Colt Brennan’s arm against the Dawg’s pass rush. It was supposed to be a great match up. It wasn’t. Brennan’s touted “quick release” was no match for Georgia. The Bulldogs sacked Hawaii’s quarterback eight times and intercepted four passes while routing the Warriors, 41-10.

 

Ohio State will not play in the BCS title game next year.

After the beat downs the Buckeyes received in the last two championships, after all the skepticism about their schedule and whether or not they belonged this year, Ohio State would have to start Jesus under center next year to even be considered for the championship game. Even if they go on the road and defeat USC in the second game of the season (which they won’t), even if they win the rest of their games by twenty, even if an SEC team is no where to be found, Ohio State will not be allowed to make a joke out of what many believe already is one in the title game. Ohio State will be good next year. They will probably be better than they were this year. It will not matter. The voters will not let them play in a third consecutive title game.

 

Kansas was for real.

All right, not national championship real, but they were a quality team this year and, admit it, better than you thought they were. Kansas was slammed for their weak schedule (deservedly so, but ahem… Ohio State?). After losing to Missouri in a game that could have put them into the Big 12 championship game, it was said that they could not win the the “big game.” They were not supposed to be able to match Virginia Tech’s intensity on defense. The Jayhawks were not given much of a chance in the Orange Bowl, but it did not matter. The offense that Kansas had relied on all season was slowed by Virginia Tech, but it was the Jayhawks defense that showed up and ultimately won the game for them, forcing three turnovers including one interception that was returned for a touchdown by Aqib Talib. Kansas proved not only that they could win a game that was not a shoot out, but that they could win in the spotlight. Having said that…

Missouri should have been in a BCS bowl

Missouri beat two teams that were selected to BCS bowls. Their only losses came to Oklahoma, who was also selected to a BCS bowl. The Tigers were 11-2, had beaten seven teams that were playing in bowls, and yet were somehow snubbed. In response Missouri went out and destroyed Arkansas 38-7 in the Cotton Bowl.

 

Kevin Smith and Paul Smith were the most under-appreciated players in the country this year.

They played in Conference USA, so it is okay if you doubted them before their bowl games. Kevin Smith was the leading rusher in the country going into the Liberty Bowl, but it is all right if you though Darren McFadden was a better running back. Then again, Smith did something that McFadden didn’t. Smith rushed for over one hundred yards against Mississippi State, 119 to be exact. McFadden rushed for 88 against Mississippi State, and Matt Forte, the nation’s second leading rusher, only gained 47 yards against the Bulldog’s defense.

It is all right if Paul White’s 4,753 passing yards didn’t impress you before the GMAC bowl. It is okay if you did not think throwing 42 touchdown passes in a year is impressive no matter what conference you play in, or if you thought Colt Brennan or Graham Harrell or Brian Brohm or Matt Ryan were better pure passers than White. Then again, Paul White did something in his bowl game that none of those other quarterbacks did. For that matter, he did something that no one has ever done. He threw for at least 300 yards in his 14th consecutive game, an NCAA record. He also had five touchdown passes bringing his season total to 47, and also ran for a score bringing his rushing touchdown total to 13 and total touchdowns accounted for to 60, the most in the country.

 

The rules (official and non-official) concerning who is eligible for what needs to be changed.

Illinois, as good of a story as they may be had no business in the Rose Bowl. They were put there because of the Big 10 conference’s traditional affiliation with the Rose Bowl. So instead of seeing the two hottest teams in the country, USC and Georgia, in a game that I am sure would have been an instant classic, we got to watch USC dominate Illinois, Georgia dismantle Hawaii and Missouri get left out in the cold. Which brings me to another rule that needs to be changed.

Why is it that only two teams from a given conference are allowed into the BCS? If the committee had gotten it right and excluded Illinois (or, in hindsight, Hawaii), it would have left room for Missouri to play in a BCS bowl, and yet, under the current rules, they would not have been allowed to. I am not sure how, in that situation, you can dicifer which team, Kansas or Missouri, deserves to be the second team from the Big 12 Conference in a BCS game.

Lastly, the “unofficial” rule stating that in order to play in the national championship you must win your conference either needs to become an official rule or go away. I am okay with either option. It makes sense to me that if you do not win your own conference you should not have a chance to win it all. That is fine, if that rule is going to be taken into account, then make it official. If it is not an official rule, however, it should not be used as an excuse to keep a team out of the national championship game, as it may have been this year in Georgia’s case.

The “plus one” system would not have done us much good this season.

Look, if the only other alternative to the system that we have now is a plus one system, then I’ll take it. If the powers that be will absolutely not allow a playoff, then give me a plus one. This year, however, it would have just led to more controversy. LSU would obviously be in, but what about USC, Georgia and West Virginia? How do you decide which two of those teams gets left out once again? In order for the plus one system to make much more sense than the system we have now, there would have to be a seeding system in the bowls in which the number four team plays the number one and the number two and three teams play each other, then the winners meet in the “plus one” game. That, in most circles would be called a playoff, and we know how those in charge feel about that. Which leads me to…

 

A playoff is necessary if we are ever going to have an obvious, pure, indisputable national champion in college football.

In the most obvious scenario, the six BCS conference champions plus two at-large bids would slug it out for three weeks, leaving us with a definitive champion. Thinking about how awesome a playoff would have been this year makes me feel like my head is going to explode. Imagine this scenario: Hawaii against Ohio State, LSU against West Virginia, Virginia Tech against USC, and Georgia against Oklahoma. And that is just be first round. Is an Eight team scenario too exclusionary for you? Okay, how about a twelve team, NFL style playoff where the top four teams have a first-round bye? In that scenario, even Florida, at 9-3, would likely have been included, so I do not think that any of those left out would have had a legitimate claim that they should be playing for the national championship. Of course, this isn’t going to happen anytime soon or maybe ever. So we will keep watching, arguing, and ultimately hoping that the university presidents, conference commissioners and Miles Brand will realize what the rest of us are reminded every bowl season. This year being no exception.

It was supposed to be smooth sailing. At Florida, a three loss season is not anything to be proud of, but then their team was young and “just wait until next year!” Florida was supposed to cruise into and through the Capitol One Bowl over Michigan, setting up the countdowns until the 2008 season and a probable preseason number one ranking. The problem was while Florida may have been on cruise control, their opponent was not.

Florida ran into a Michigan team that out-prepared, outplayed, outhit, out-blocked, and out-hearted them. Florida’s defensive secondary, which seemed to show improvement late in the season, was torched for 373 yards through the air, mostly to Michigan’s receivers who were bigger and more physical than Florida’s cornerbacks. Florida’s front four that had been outstanding late in the season at stopping the run gave up 151 yards on the ground, 129 to Mike Hart. Their offense which was among the best in the country averaging better than 40 points a game looked out of sync at times and could not come through when it mattered most. The Gators converted only two of eleven on third down and could not move the ball when they had a chance to come from behind late in the game. Florida had the ball, trailing by six points with 2:10 remaining, and could not get their offense moving. The game ended with four straight incomplete passes by Tim Tebow.

Conventional wisdom says that the Gators will be better next year. Tebow and his Heisman trophy will be back. Percy Harvin, who may be the most dangerous player in college football, will be back. Emmanuel Moody, a Sophomore transfer from USC, will be eligible and could give the Gators a solid number one running back for the first time since Ciatrick Fason left for the NFL draft after his Junior year in 2004. Florida’s young defense will be a year older, and should be a year tougher, a year smarter, and overall a year better, despite how it performed against Michigan.

Conventional wisdom assumes that the loss of Derrick Harvey, Andre Caldwell, Tony Joiner and Cornelius Ingram will not hurt the Gators. Conventional wisdom assumes that the Gators will not miss the 30.5 tackles for a loss and the 19.5 sacks that Harvey produced over the past two seasons. Conventional wisdom assumes that the Gators can absorb the loss of the programs all-time leading receiver in Andre Caldwell, and the loss of Tony Joiner’s leadership in the defensive secondary. Conventional wisdom assumes that Aaron Hernandez, Florida’s talented young tight end, will be able to fill the shoes of Cornelius Ingram and the seven touchdowns passes he caught in the 2007 season. Most importantly, conventional wisdom assumes that without these players the Gators will not suffer any more of the mental and emotional lags that they suffered not only in the Capitol One Bowl, but in their losses to Georgia and Auburn earlier this season.

That is a lot to assume.

What do Youngstown State, Akron, Washington and Kent State have in common? If you are waiting for a punchline, there isn’t one. The joke is Ohio State’s schedule. Youngstown State, Akron, Washington and Kent State were the four teams on Ohio State’s non-conference schedule this year. None of them were even close to sniffing a bowl game this year. In fact, the four team’s combined record of 19 wins and 28 losses would be even worse if not bolstered by Youngstown State’s record of 7-4; the only winning record of the four belongs to a team playing in the division formerly known as 1AA. Combine that with an uncharacteristically weak Big Ten conference and you are left with a Sagarin strength of schedule rating of 62. Out of the 119 Division One Football Bowl Subdivsion teams, the Buckeye’s schedule ranked as the 62nd toughest. Let me give you a list of some of the teams that played a tougher schedule than THE Ohio State University this year: Baylor, Syracuse, UNLV, Duke, Iowa State, Stanford and Vanderbilt.

Then again, why should the Buckeyes schedule any real competition? The BCS continues to reward them for beating up on lesser competition, while the rest of the country’s championship contenders beat up on each other. Ohio State can play sloppy, turn the ball over five times and still beat Akron in week two. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech gets knocked off by LSU. In week eight, they can squeak by a Michigan State team that finished the regular season ahead of only Northwestern and Minnesota in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Kentucky, ranked number seven and coming off a triple overtime victory over LSU, gets knocked off by Florida. The Buckeyes can throw for only 50 total yards against Michigan and still win. They can sit idly by while Missouri’s title hopes and Boston College’s and Tennessee’s BCS hopes are dashed by losses to Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and LSU in their conference title games. Ohio State is, for some reason, allowed to watch the fight from the cheap seats then get in the ring after their national title opponent has been taking punches for eleven rounds.

Granted, if the Big Ten was as strong as it has been in the past a one loss record would be more impressive, and there would be little question as to whether or not Ohio State deserved a chance to play in the championship. The problem is not that Big Ten is comprised of terrible teams. All but two had winning records. The problem is that the Big Ten is comprised of mediocre teams. Other than Ohio State, no team lost fewer than four games, and no team won more than nine. Michigan lost to Appalachain State and Minnesota lost to everyone else (including 1AA North Dakota State). Beating Wisconsin, Michigan State, Penn State and Michigan may have been impressive at one time. It simply is not in 2007, and it should not be enough to put Ohio State in the national championship game.