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Christensen: The Ever-Changing Landscape

By Todd Christensen, The Mtn. Insider
November 22, 2011

Last week, I penned a blog regarding the two upsets of Boise State and Stanford.  Little did I know that this was just the tip of the iceberg.  

Three of the top five BCS contenders were all felled in action this past weekend, turning the rankings into mass confusion and putting the SEC in the catbird seat with the top three teams - LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas - in the polls.  The question on a lot of minds is whether or not this is good for college football.  If you live near the Gulf of Mexico, the answer would have to be a resounding yes. But elsewhere, there is concern that there is going to be a rounding up of the usual suspects.  

I wrote a few weeks back after the LSU - Alabama game that I was not in favor of a rematch unless the machinations were such that one was warranted.  Well now it would appear that if the status quo prevails down the stretch that indeed a rematch of the two SEC West foes would be deserved.  At this juncture, however, being the favorite is no guarantee for success nor is home-field advantage.  

It’s not altogether surprising that two of the three upset victims - Oklahoma State and Oregon - were undone by less-than-stellar placekicking just as Boise State was the week before.  Oklahoma was simply undone by maybe the best player and athlete in the FBS, Robert Griffin III.  After Baylor appeared to opt to run out the clock in their own territory in anticipation of overtime, the Sooners called a timeout with 46 seconds left.  Altering strategy, the magnificent Griffin took the Bears on a drive that culminated in his fifth TD pass of the game and a colossal upset of a team that they had never beaten in their history.  After watching that performance and looking at what Griffin has accomplished this year, if indeed the Heisman is given to "the best college football player" RG III may have cornered the market on that argument.

From a very selfish standpoint, I do wish that Boise State could have that field goal against TCU back.  They would be undefeated, ranked #2 and with their early-season whipping of Georgia, who is set to play in the SEC title game, they would have had the requisite cache to stake claim to a BCS title game bid.  

But as Don Meredith was fond of saying on Monday Night Football, "If if's and but's were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas."
See all of Todd Christensen's blog entries HERE.