Michigan - OSU Rematch ... Could it Happen?

The talk of the college football world isn't just centered on the Michigan - Ohio State showdown, it's also focused on whether or not this is just round one of a two round title fight. Can the two play in the BCS Championship game? Will they? Here are two opposing points of view as Pete Fiutak and Richard Cirminiello look into their crystal ball.

A rematch ... it can happen

By Pete Fiutak     

I really, really, really, really, really, really, really don't want a rematch.

I'm a pure believer in the integrity of the college football regular season and would rather see USC, Florida, Rutgers, Boise State, heck, even Temple, get a shot in the BCS Championship game than see a rematch that renders the first Michigan - Ohio State showdown useless. But I'm telling anyone who'll listen ... it's going to happen.

If Ohio State beats Michigan on a last second field goal, the cries will go out that the outcome might have been different in Ann Arbor or on a neutral field, and the college football world won't quite be satisfied that the issue has been settled (I'm not saying I agree, I'm saying what might happen). If there's an officiating snafu or controversy in any way that decides the outcome, or if it's a double-OT classic, it's rematch time.

Let's take this even further and forget about how one team is going to beat the other. It might not matter because everyone else could get picked off along the way. To borrow a line from Tom Hanks' rendition of Jim Lovell when worrying about the reentry plan in Apollo 13, there are a thousand things that have to happen. We're on number eight. You're talking about number 692. However, work with me here on what will/could happen, and you'll notice my scenario isn't the slightest bit far-fetched.

- BCS No. 3 USC loses to California and/or UCLA and beats BCS No. 5 Notre Dame. Both the Trojans and Irish are out. If Notre Dame gets by USC, would the Irish deserve a rematch against the Wolverines (if they win) after getting blasted earlier in the year, or would anyone put the Irish in over Michigan if Ohio State wins? It might be a tough sell.
- BCS No. 4 Florida loses the SEC Championship.
- BCS No. 6 Rutgers loses at West Virginia
- BCS No. 7 Arkansas loses to LSU, but beats Florida in the SEC Championship.
- BCS No. 8 West Virginia beats Rutgers, but doesn't win in a blowout. The voters don't move the Mountaineers past the Michigan-Ohio State loser.
- BCS No. 9 Wisconsin and No. 10 Louisville each finish with one loss, but aren't even close in the human polls. No. 12 Boise State either loses at Nevada or tops out in the human polls at around five.

Finally, the precedent was set in 1996. This was before the days of the BCS meaning Arizona State had to play in the Rose Bowl rather than Florida State in a championship game. The Seminoles, who beat Florida 24-21 in the last game of the regular season, had to play a rematch in the Sugar Bowl and got blasted 52-20.

So enjoy this weekend's game, and get ready for round two on January 8th.

A rematch ... it can't happen

By Richard Cirminiello     
 
Remember the screaming debate and cries of foul that ensued when Nebraska earned a berth in the 2002 Rose Bowl after losing its final game to Colorado and failing to win the Big 12 North?  How about three years ago when Oklahoma backdoored its way into the Sugar Bowl and a shot at the National Championship after getting its doors blown off by Kansas State? Voters do, and they’re going to make dang sure it doesn’t happen again in 2006.

The overwhelming majority of pollsters that constitute the Coaches’ and Harris Polls recognize that rematches are great for boxing and the WWF, but absolutely horrible for bowl games.  Oh, and they also put a heavy premium on winning a conference championship, which the loser of the Michigan-Ohio State game won’t be able to boast. 

Late losses? Bad.  The Big Ten outside of the Big Two and Wisconsin? Worse.  The polls count for two-thirds of the BCS formula, meaning the humans, not the computers, are going to have the final say on who gets an invite to play in Glendale on Jan. 8.  Provided there isn’t a complete collapse within the ranks of the one-loss teams, the sentiment is going to be, “We already saw this game.  Why do we need to see it again?” 

Here’s another thought permeating through the minds of those with a ballot: What in the world happens if Michigan-Ohio State: The Sequel comes to fruition and the teams split the two games? Gasp!  It’s the proverbial Pandora’s Box that no one wants to open, so voters will spend the next month carefully looking to champion a champion whose last loss isn’t so fresh in everyone’s memory.  Maybe it’ll be USC, which will survive a gauntlet of games with Oregon, Cal, Notre Dame and rival UCLA.  Or the winner of the SEC, either Florida or Arkansas, which will have navigated the nation’s toughest conference with just a single loss.  Hey, Rutgers might even garner some attention if they run the table to finish the regular season as one of the two unbeatens left from the BCS conferences.  Notre Dame?  Yikes.  If the Irish snap USC’s 32-game home winning streak and Michigan, who handed ND its only defeat, loses Saturday, well, then you’ve got a debate to end all debates.  At the end of the day, someone is going to survive unscathed, giving voters exactly what they need to avoid a dreaded rematch between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes.                                  

You want a stinkin’ playoff?  You’ve got it over the next three weekends.  Win and you live to see another poll.  Lose and you go home (or to Pasadena).  At least that’s the way the voters will be reacting from now until the regular season ends on Dec. 2.   In other words, enjoy this weekend’s Wolverine – Buckeye showdown … ya ain’t gettin’ another.