Though Thursday's BCS National Title Game had drama, drastic momentum swings, crushing injuries, and boneheaded coaching decisions, I was left feeling empty after the confetti rained on the members of the Crimson Tide.
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Texas star quarterback Colt McCoy was a mere spectator as he watched his backup, a true freshman named Garrett Gilbert, wilt under the pressure of the spotlight and Bama's relentless defense. Yet even without McCoy, the Longhorns had the ball with a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter before the wheels came off.
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Do I think Texas would've beaten Alabama even with a healthy McCoy? No. However, when it comes to Championship games, I'd rather all things were equal. I want to see #1 vs. #2 at their best. I want dueling superstars (i.e. McCoy vs. Mark Ingram). I want both teams to be firing on all cylinders. Most importantly, I want no excuses.
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Thursday's BCS Title game will always go down as a "yeah, but..." game, and it's the thing I hate the most about sports. A couple of examples of "yeah, but..." games in recent history:
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2007 AFC Divisional Playoff: Chargers 28, Colts 24
This is my favorite because the excuse from Colts' fans "yeah, but Indy didn't have Dwight Freeney...". Forget the fact that the Chargers conducted the game-winning drive with backup Billy Volek on the field. Besides Phillip Rivers being hurt, Ladainian Tomlinson played just one offensive series, and Antonio Gates was practically on one leg.
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Yeah the Colts lost to the Chargers, but...
The fifth-seeded Wildcats, who were a double-digit underdog, stormed back from a ten-point deficit with under four minutes left and had a chance to tie with :11 left. Trailing by three, Villanova guard Allan Ray drove the lane for what appeared to be a basket-plus-foul, sending Ray to the line for a chance to win the game. Instead, officials mistakenly called Ray for a travel, and the Tar Heels were able to hold on.
2002 Boston College 14, Notre Dame 7
The Irish were out to an 8-0 start under first-year head coach Tyrone Willingham when they were upset by the Eagles in South Bend. Former walk-on Pat Dillingham replaced starter Carlyle Holiday for most of the game after Holiday went down with a shoulder injury. Dillingham threw two picks, including one that was returned 71 yards for a score by Josh Ott which ended up being the final margin of victory. Notre Dame, who lived a charmed life through the first eight weeks of the season, was pummeled by USC in the season-finale and in the Gator Bowl by N.C. State.
2000 NCAA Tournament: Tulsa 69, Cincinnati 61
Led by Wooden Award winner Kenyon Martin, the Bearcats had a 28-2 season and were #1 for a good portion of the year. But, Martin was lost for the season after suffering a broken leg during the Conference USA Tournament, leading to the Bearcats' 2nd round upset loss to 7th-seeded Tulsa.
If you go back even further, one "yeah, but..." game that is still talked about around these parts is Kentucky's upset over undefeated Indiana (without Scott May) in the 1975 NCAA Regional Final.
There have been some teams to actually rise above "yeah, but..." excuses:
2001 New England Patriots - lost Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 to injury and had to turn to a former 6th round draft pick named Tom Brady. Brady led the Patriots to 14 wins in the 17 games he started, including Super Bowl XXXVI.
1990 New York Giants - late in December, quarterback Phil Simms broke his foot, thrusting Jeff Hostetler (who threw 109 passes in five seasons as a backup) into the starting role. The Giants upset the heavily-favored 49ers in the NFC Championship game, and went out to beat Buffalo in one of the most memorable Super Bowls of all-time.
The point of all of this is that you always feel empty after "yeah, but..." games. In some instances, the fans are right. Indiana probably would've been undefeated and gone on to win the title in '75 had they had the services of May. Cincinnati likely would've been a Final Four team with Martin, who was by far the most dominant player in the country. But, those questions will be never answered.
Alabama is the BCS (mythical) National Champion. Texas fans are left to wonder what could've been.
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