BCS Not For Everyone

Heading into week 10 of the 2009 college football season, the BCS has tossed some teams around and in places that make you question: What's the point of this?

Texas and Alabama have flip-flopped for the 2nd straight week in a row, and it seems that the BCS can't decide who to place at number 2 behind the Florida Gators. Right now, Alabama is currently ranked 2nd as Texas tailgates them at 3rd in the nation. I'll tell you what; it doesn't matter whether Texas or Alabama is ranked number 2 right now. Florida and Alabama are going to meet in the SEC championship game on December 5, and will determine who will go to the BCS championship game in Pasadena on January 7th. If Texas runs the table the rest of the season, they will play the winner of the SEC championship game. So, the team that is ranked 2nd has just as much bragging rights as the team that is ranked 3rd. If Florida beats Alabama on December 5, then Texas slides into 2nd and Alabama drops down in the rankings. If Alabama beats Florida, then Alabama steals the number 1 slot and Texas once again will mossy on into the 2 slot and compete for the BCS National Championship.

Here's another dilemma that puts the BCS system into question: USC is ranked higher than Oregon! What? Yeah, that's right, USC is currently ahead of Oregon. USC is ranked 9th in the nation while Oregon sits four spots back at 13. Both teams are currently 7-2 on the regular season with three games to go. Oregon lost to Boise State, currently number 6 in BCS standings, in the season opener and to Stanford at "The Farm." USC lost to Washington, not in the top 25, and was destroyed by Oregon 47-20 two weeks ago. I could understand if USC only had one loss, but no they have 2 just like Oregon. And let's not forget, ONE OF THOSE LOSES WAS A HEAD-TO-HEAD LOSE TO OREGON! How is USC ranked higher than Oregon? It's ridiculous.

I'll throw in one more stumper; LSU actually goes up one spot in the BCS standings after losing to Alabama last Saturday 24-15. How does a team lose a game, and then get rewarded by moving up one spot? It's all in the mystery of the "great" BCS system running college football.

Jahvid Released One Day Later

Jahvid Best, Cal running-back, was released yesterday from Highland General Hospital in Oakland. He suffered a concussion in Saturday's loss to Oregon State. Luckily all of the tests have come back normal for Best.

Jahvid Best was scrambling to the end zone when he jumped over one defensive player from Oregon State, then was accidentally pushed higher into the air by another defenseman. He had to have been lifted about 8 feet in the air, and landed right on his head and upper back. It just keeps replaying in slow motion through my mind. That play had to be the most horrifying and scariest thing I have ever seen in college football to date. As Best landed, his body stiffened up like a washboard, and he momentarily lost consciousness. His arms laid parallel against his body, and his head did not move an inch. As the play unfolded before my eyes on television, I was frightened that Best could be paralyzed. Luckily, after a few minutes, Best was able to move his neck. 13 minutes later, he was carted off wearing an oxygen mask and rushed to the emergency room.

There is no certainty when Jahvid Best will return to football this season, if at all, as Cal looks to turn around a mediocre season. What adds to Best's scary situation is the fact that he suffered a minor concussion in the game against Arizona State on Halloween. He missed two practices last week until he was symptom free for a full 24-hour period. Two concussions within a span of exactly one week makes you rethink forcing oneself back to the battlefield of college football.