Faith (Somewhat) Restored

I was pretty surly when I went to bed last night. The day started fine... I got up early to cover a story, and I felt pretty secure in the knowledge that either Missouri or West Virginia would play in the college football national championship game. And even better, both of them might play in it.

Hell, that's why most of us watch sports, right? For the surprise of an under-the-radar program like Missouri to make it to the big game. College Basketball fans loved watching George Mason's run-- and Gonzaga is a perennial fan favorite among hoops fans-- simply because of their no-name factor. As for West Virginia, they've been getting a little bit better every year... I hoped that this year they'd get the big payoff.

But then Missouri fell behind to Oklahoma... and blew it. And then West Virginia just couldn't score against Pitt (really? Pitt? Have they even won a game since Dan Marino graduated?), and the Mountaineers lost, too.

I was prepared for the inevitability that Missouri could lose to the Sooners. They lost to them earlier in the year. I was not prepared for the remote possibility that the 'Eers could lose.

Does anyone want to play for the damn national title?

So, now it looks like (ugh) Ohio State will play in the BCS Championship. Blech. I don't like OSU as it is... and I work with some really obnoxious Buckeye fans who have made me hate their school even more.

But then... it got worse. After work, Cory, Andrew, and I went out for a bite to eat at my new favorite hangout, Bar Louie. And we watched Hawaii play Washington. Yes, Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors have become my favorite football team to watch over the last four or five years. If he was so inclined, June Jones could turn me into the greatest quarterback in college football. He's that good.

Now, Hawaii will never play for a national title. They can't get teams to spend the money to travel to Hawaii to play them, and their isolated location means they can't recruit a team full of blue chips the way that most schools in middle America can. But guess what? Only one school in Division 1-A College Football is undefeated. And it ain't Ohio State.

So, Hawaii's playing for a shot at one of the BCS games. If they're undefeated, the BCS committee really can't deny them a trip to, say, the Sugar Bowl. Well, I guess, they could... but they probably wouldn't.

But stupid Hawaii kept turning the ball over in the first quarter. Colt Brennan, who's been my sleeper pick for the Heisman Trophy all year, fumbled the ball away on their first posession, and before I'd even realized what had happened, Washington was up 21-0.

My little heart was breaking for the Warriors. When I got home and went to bed, Washington was up 28-21, and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

So, imagine my surprise this morning, when I woke up and turned on ESPN, and found out that Hawaii won the game!

Sure, they won't get to play for the national title, but I don't care. The national championship game wasn't half as fun as last year's Fiesta Bowl, when Boise State stuck it to Oklahoma. At least I can watch Hawaii play in a meaningful bowl game this year. Oh, and when the title game rolls around, I can root for whoever ends up playing against the Buckeyes