There are a lot of reasons I don't think that Michigan got screwed:
1) I don't like the Big Ten, therefore, I don't feel sorry for them
2) Michigan had its chance to beat OSU and become the unanimous #1 and guarantee itself a spot in the championship (more on that later)
3) Florida won its conference, which included a championship game. Michigan, did not (see #2)
On, and on. The big ten was weak this year, but I would say the SEC was, too. I don't like that the Big Eleven doesn't have a championship game, because it thinks it fares better without one. Like I said, a bunch of reasons. Back to #2 above, I came across this article on ESPN.com this morning. I took issue with all of it, but this last part especially.
But none of that matters now. Instead, Carr is taking his Wolverines to the Rose Bowl presented by Citi to face a USC team that had one loss on Saturday -- and controlled its own BCS destiny -- but two losses by Saturday night.
Michigan never had that chance. It was 11-1 on Nov. 18. It was 11-1 on Dec. 3. But between then and now, the Wolverines apparently became the cellulite queens and somehow lost the swimsuit portion of this ridiculous BCS beauty pageant.
Michigan didn't do a thing wrong. And yet Carr was the one who had to console his team Sunday night. He did it, but here's guessing he wasn't Mr. Congeniality.
Uh, Michigan did have a chance to control its own destiny. Right till the horn sounded in Ohio Stadium on Nov. 18. They knew going in that if they win, they go to the BCS championship. But they didn't. So now, they have to take what the polls are giving them. (Little take off on Corso in NCAA football for the PS2).
You know who didn't have a chance to control its own destiny? Boise State, apparently. So they played a crappy schedule. They beat all the teams on it, but the best they can do is hope to play a BCS game. Notre Dame, apparently, doesn't have these worries.
Who else didn't get to control their own destiny? Any team from the Big East not named Louisville. Seems like a curious constraint placed on Rutgers when they were playing against Louisville (and even West Virginia to a degree). Rutgers wins, they are on track for a possible Big East title and BCS game. Louisville wins, they are on track for a possible spot in the BCS championship.
Same with Arkansas. If they win, are they playing in the title game? Probably not. Why not? Because they aren't Florida. Or LSU. Or heck, even Alabama. Arkansas lacks the name recognition necessary to be considered a major player in college football. (See Rutgers, above)
So, I don't buy Michigan's sob story. BCS may be subjective and inconclusive and a broken system. Yet, it seems to me Michigan and Ohio State both were as close to controlling their destinies as you can be in college football. On November 18, two teams lined up knowing that one would advance to a spot in the national championship game. Hmm, isn't that how a playoff works?
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