What bowl games are supposed to be

USC pulled it out with a redeeming, last second field goal, and Penn State made it a game to remember.  One of the best college bowl games I’ve ever watched.  Everything happened that you can hope for in a football game.  This is what we expect from championship level contests.

I’m looking at you Urban Meyer.  On the other side was one of the most humiliating performances in recent memory.  Three 3rd down conversions, five earned 1st downs?  For the entire game!  The players deserve some blame, as they always do.  But it was the coaching that made the difference.  Watching USC and Penn State (or almost any other team), you saw play calling that made sense.  Not calling the same play over and over and over again, even though it never – Never! – worked.  Was the Offensive staff even paying attention?  The Fiesta Bowl wasn’t some freakish surprise.  Sadly, it was a long time coming.

But the Rose Bowl?  The Granddaddy of the all?  Sure, we wanted Penn State to win, but that was a game where there wasn’t really a loser.  Both teams played to the end; both USC and Penn State deserve accolades.  It’s just that USC made that last field goal and scored the win.  Penn State obviously should have played Clemson this year.  In the future, OSU will need to win 15 out of 10 games before the committee will consider it for a place in the playoffs.  But Penn State? USC?  If they didn’t earn anything for next year, they more than earned their place in the football history books.  Well done everyone! Thanks for the excitement.