DREW SHARP: Carr's playoff push hides team's faults
BY DREW SHARP
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]FREE PRESS COLUMNIST[/FONT]
December 24, 2005
<!-- factboxes, main image --><!-- story text --> <!-- story text --> The politics of the bowls never sounded more ridiculous than when Congress briefly tabled far more important matters within its legislative domain recently for hearings on the Bowl Championship Series.
But then Lloyd Carr opened his yap, pulled out a Kleenex and cried his hypocritical tears a week ago.
He no longer objects to a college football playoff.
But it's only because he's ticked that he's in San Antonio, preparing for a bowl that's but one of the unappealing New Year's Day-BCS precursors that remain indistinguishable from each other.
Is there really much difference in prestige between the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl and the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Presented By Bridgestone?
Carr has found religion only because the bowl politics that historically have sided with the Michigan football brand name suddenly slapped it in the face, banishing the Wolverines to the Texas hill country for an Alamo Bowl date with Nebraska that possesses all of the appeal of a root canal.
The Wolverines and Iowa had identical 7-4 records, but U-M beat the Hawkeyes on their turf in a stirring overtime finish. However, the Jan. 2 Outback Bowl opted for Iowa because the bowl system always has been more about filling hotel rooms and restaurants and less about carving a path to the national championship.
Carr's playoff repositioning was intended to deflect attention from the worst loss in his 11 years at the helm -- a fourth-quarter collapse against Ohio State a month earlier. The Wolverines aren't playing on New Year's Day for the first time since Carr's first season in 1995 because they weren't deserving. And whining about any perceived problems with the selection process only further salts the wounds.
U-M believes it can exist on its reputation, but the bowl commissioners are no longer instantly blinded from the glow of the hallowed maize and blue. It seemed as though there were three times as many burnt orange Texas fans in the Rose Bowl last year than U-M fans.
Don't hate the system if U-M is losing some of its charm. Blame the guy responsible for the erosion, and that's the reflection shooting back at Carr in the mirror.
Belittling the bowl season remains as much a staple of the holidays as another Lions' coaching search. The BCS has reduced the interest level to one final, climactic stage. But saying there needs to be a playoff when we've got the final game that everybody wanted is nothing short of ridiculous.
The BCS worked, whether through intelligent design or just dumb luck. Fans have the championship game they wanted since the season started. The Rose Bowl features two Heisman Trophy winners in the same backfield and the runner-up in this year's voting quarterbacking the other team.
But the bowls serve their purpose as vehicles of local commerce.
Regardless of their general lack of national appeal, the 28 bowls are expected to generate nearly $1.2 billion in local revenue as more than 1.5 million fans follow their teams.
A playoff doesn't work with a bowl system created as destinations for a successful season. Fans will not travel in huge numbers for a first-round game if the opportunity remains for a bigger ticket a week later.
But common sense has never stopped Congress from sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. It was an embarrassing waste of taxpayer largesse when the House Committee on Energy and Commerce interviewed principals in the BCS.
The committee didn't demand any further investigation and didn't threaten any future legislation. Its members just wanted to put the BCS on notice and steal some cheap points for their constituents.
Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, who happens to be a Michigan alum, opened his questioning of BCS conference commissioners with a statement wondering how his Wolverines didn't get a better bowl than the Hawkeyes after having beaten them.
It had to be the BCS' fault.
Perhaps his alma mater's coach should have been the one testifying.
