Gators Romp, Final Rankings Out

Yikes, was that the same two teams we watched this season? I know it wasn’t the same Troy Smith out there but oh well. You can’t deny the dominance that the Gators dropped on the Buckeyes. It was admittedly painful to watch as a Michigan fan and a Big Ten fan. This said, you have to think the big lay off had something to do with this, you have to think that coaching had something to do with it. Tressel going for it on fourth down on the Florida 30, down 10 in the second quarter was just wrong.

I heard Brent Musburger make some comments on the radio broadcast about “people in Michigan” and what they thought about Michigan’s claim to BCS #2. Thanks Brent, but most of that talk died the evening of New Year’s Day. But what happened after the BCS Championship teams were set doesn’t change what happened before. Anything can happen in college football on any given day. As posted here, I didn’t have a major issue with Florida being BCS #2. All I’m saying is that the regular season determines who plays in the championship. After Ohio State laid an egg, would you have rather seen USC play Florida? Maybe, but you know that’s ridiculous because no one doubted Ohio State’s credentials coming into the game. Right or wrong, you can still argue that Michigan should have been there in the game against Ohio State given what we knew before last night. That’s why the system sucks. Again, I don’t have a problem with Florida getting the bid and they certainly showed that they belonged on the big stage, and as the AP voters showed, there is no doubt who is #1.

Speaking of Tressel, good thing he didn’t create any bulletin board material by voting Florida #3. Then the Gators really would have unleashed on him.

And to Jim Walden (remember that he was the Harris Poll voter that put Florida #1 after the regular season). He was quoted last night saying “With all these bloggers, if they’re so smart, how come they didn’t figure it out?”. Umm, just because Florida won that doesn’t make you sane, coach. That vote was still ridiculous.

The Big Ten is definitely taking a beating in the press. Check out this line from College Football News’s Five Thoughts:

Meanwhile, Ohio State and Michigan–once thought to be title game combatants–are both left bruised, beaten and humiliated at the end of this season. Florida’s title offers more proof of the disconnect between bowl games and regular season games, and more justification for a playoff in college football.

And Jim Rome today:

Can I get back the time in my life that I wasted debating whether Michigan should be in the title game?

Michigan finishes #8 in AP Poll, (#9 in Coaches). Some other notes:
– Florida was the unanimous top pick in the AP. I expected a couple guys to give Boise State some props. [CORRECTION: One guy did vote for Boise State].
– Wisconsin finished ahead of Michigan in both polls.
– Ohio State ended up #2 in each poll.