However, I decided from the minute the Ravens missed that kick that I was going to pull for the Giants and I’m so glad they defeated the evil Patriots. Multiple reasons.

First, the arrogance/cluelessness of Belicheck. To cut a player the night before the Super Bowl just because you can and is just pointless. It’s heartless. That player practiced all week, was ready to play, had probably got his family all situated and then to get called to the coaches room less than 24 hours before the game to get cut? Add it to the long litany of Belicheck stories where he does something just to show everybody that he is still the boss. Remember him fining players for being late to team meetings during the blizzards last year?

Second, Belicheck hasn’t won a Super Bowl and has lost 4 out of 6 playoff games since he got caught cheating by video taping opposing teams pre-game walkthrough. McDaniels brought that act with him to Denver and it got him fired. It didn’t help him win either but that is another post.

Third, The Manning Drama. You think your family has drama? How’d you like to be a Manning? Actually…I’d like it very much but that is not important right now. Eli has always been in the shadow of big brother Peyton and daddy Archie. This was supposed to be his week – 2nd Super Bowl, opportunity to have 2 rings, the confirmation that maybe Peyton was Eli’s brother instead of the other way around.

Instead, we have Peyton-Irsay war of the roses breaking out. Peyton started it with the “we’re walking on eggshells, everything has changed” comments. Irsay firing back with his “protect the Horseshoe” and calling Peyton a politician. To top all of that off, Peyton announces that he has been cleared to play (further proving Irsay’s point) while his team says — ‘uhhhh, that’s news to us.’

The bottom line – it was a lot of incredibly selfish behavior from Irsay and Manning during a week that should have been about their city and his brother. Apparently, neither one got the memo.

I didn’t really like anything either party said all week long – speaking of Irsay and Peyton. All of Irsay’s talk about the “Horseshoe” was just pathetic. There is no “Horseshoe” without Peyton Manning. The Irsay family had gutted and killed the Colts until Manning walks in and gives them double-digit wins every single year. There is no Lucas Field, Super Bowl, full stadium, or anything remotely successful about the Colts without Manning. To paint Manning as just another player to wear the uniform is wrong and petty.

However, Peyton seemed to forget that Irsay made him a very, very, very, rich man even though he didn’t play a down this year. It was Irsay that didn’t move Peyton to injured reserved and thus allowed him to collect his full salary this year. That should have in the least bought some public civility between Peyton and the Irsays. Apparently 28 million doesn’t buy what it used to buy.

(And as a sidenote – the Colts needed to make some drastic changes – despite what Peyton thinks. The team just went 2-14, looked woefully out-coached, and had no depth in any position on the field. That’s an epic fail of epic proportion and Irsay was completely justified in dropping the hammer on the coach and general manager.)

Back to the Giants — maybe now the New York media will believe that Eli Manning is not a bust and Coughlin can keep his job for a year or two. How Marvin Lewis keeps his job and Tom Coughlin seems to have to fight for his every season is beyond my understanding.

And to Eli’s credit – he has not changed at all over these years. Just the same old, calm, nothing phases me guy.

The commercials were not so Super this year either. Hands down the M&M and Dog Burying The Cat Doritos commercials were the best. The rest – mweh.

Halftime show? Great stage – loved the video/production of that. But it wasn’t incredible, wasn’t terrible. Then we got the “We just spent millions of dollars on this 20 minute half-time to sell our albums but we want World Peace ending.” Complete with MIA giving the world the middle finger.

Really? Leave to the music industry to completely miss the point of the Super Bowl halftime once again. IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU!!! You can have wardrobe malfunctions and political statements and whatever else you want at YOUR OWN CONCERT!! Not at the Super Bowl. I wish they would just give up on the music scene and try something else. Cirque De Solia, maybe? Dancing penguins?

The only thing super about the Super Bowl as the last 3 minutes of the game. And maybe that’s how it is supposed to be…but then again, watching the Patriots celebrate New York scoring a touchdown with a minute left in the game while the Giants looked stress was surreal.

And while I’m disappointed with the Super Bowl, the only thing worse is having no football until August. Sigh….. Welcome to the offseason.

Reasons Alabama could win:

1. They are healthy…for the most part. There are a couple of defensive backs that are still on the mend but Barrow is back, rest of crew is healthy. Of course…so is LSU.

2. It’s hard to beat the same time twice in the same season. aka: Revenge factor.

3. Saban’s had 2 months to prepare. The first game was about Jarrett Lee then JJ comes in. A bit of confusion and adjustment resulted. This time, Tide will be focused on JJ.

4. Alabama left alot of points on field at last meeting. 19 if you are being generous.

Reason LSU could win:

1. They are healthy. See above.

2. BUT if they weren’t – they are the deepest team ever. It doesn’t seem to matter who goes down or gets suspended or arrested, there’s another guy with just as much speed and talent right behing him. Next Guy Up really is the culture at LSU. Every position is like this.

3. Superdome, aka LSU South. The dome is nuts when full. Super nuts with the Saints. Insane nuts for LSU. Ridiculous for National Championship games. Off the planet crazy if Saints in playoffs, full, and LSU is playing for the National Championship. Alabama travels about the best in the country, especially to the Sugar Bowl. Second to only…LSU.

4. Special Teams. It’s not just that LSU has incredible special teams – returners who can go the distance, kickers that don’t miss, and the ability to pull of the best fakes in the world. It’s also that Alabama’s special teams are the other kind of special. Like short bus kind of special. This is a huge advantage for the Bayou Bengals.

3 days and counting. LSU is 3 point favorite. This sounds about right.

Monday can’t get here fast enough.

I would have been okay if Oklahoma State had been voted to go instead of Alabama. Disappointed but not “they was robbed!!!” upset. And I get that some OSU fans are a bit upset about not going to National Championship game but the BCS once again did what it was designed to do.

Before you go all postal on me, hear me out.

The BCS system was designed to accomplish 2 goals.

Goal 1: Put the top 2 teams in a championship game.
Goal 2: Do this without a playoff so that the Bowl System could still make all their money.

I don’t like it but it’s done it’s job every single year. Sure, every other sport in every other division has a playoff. But major college football isn’t about the championship. Never really has been. It’s been about the tradition, the money, the writers, the money, and the money. Before the BCS, the top 2 teams never met. Ever. Okay, maybe once every 15 or 20 years.

The BCS was the ultimate solution between those who really wanted a champion and the billion dollar behemoth of the Bowl system.

Don’t believe me? Look at the Sugar Bowl invitations this year. Or the Orange Bowl. They don’t care about the best match-up. Who is going to bring the most fans and hence, the most money.

As far Alabama as #2 team in the country? It’s fairly accurate. Alabama lost to LSU in OT. They fell in the rankings behind all the undefeated teams at the time – in which OSU was one. Then they all lost to teams they really should not have lost to. So that opened the door for Alabama to get back in at 2.

As far as toughness of schedule – OSU beat 4 top 25 teams (ranked at time they played them). Alabama got 5 on the schedule and beat 4 of them, lost to #1. So the rankings did have to come down to – who did each team lose to.

LSU averaged 40 points a game (minus the Alabama game). Alabama averaged 39 against the same competition (minus the LSU game). Margin of victory was practically identical. Both teams just manhandled every team they played — once they woke up after being bored in the first half.

What the BCS did cheat us out of this year was one heck of a playoff. Can you imagine this Elite Eight – LSU, OSU, Alabama, Stanford, Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Boise State. That would be 4 awesome weeks of football right there. That same four weeks we have to wait until January 9th.

Here’s the lineup: Alabama (loss to LSU), Stanford (loss to Oregon), Virginia Tech (loss to Clemson – don’t ask me how), Oklahoma State (loss to Iowa State), Boise State (TCU), and then undefeated Houston which honestly is a joke but that’s another story for another time.

Which one ‘deserves’ the shot at LSU – given they beat (or don’t) Georgia? Let’s filter through some of the rhetoric.

Must win their conference championship. Really? So Stanford’s game against a pitiful UCLA team that just lost to USC by 50 is the ticket to the BCS Championship? The two best teams in the Pac-12 aren’t even in the game (Oregon and USC). The Big 10 champion will have two losses, so they are out. Big-12? Oh wait — they don’t have a championship game anymore because Texas didn’t want that game to ruin their shot at a BCS title.

Houston wins their conference – put them in, right? Oh but they aren’t part of the “club” of BCS schools so they are out. Virginia Tech makes a compelling argument but…

Pick the two best schools. This is where the losses matter. Iowa State, LSU, Clemson, Oregon – which is the best loss? Traditionally this is how the voters decide giving Alabama the most compelling argument but…

Every game counts means no rematch. This is the BCS slogan – every game counts. The playoffs are all season long. Which sounds great until you realize that even if LSU loses they are in the National Championship game due to the BCS rankings. So every game except the conference championship counts? Or maybe the BCS guys should say “every game counts but some more so than others.” some count more than

What we need is a playoff! Here is where the hypocrisy of the press really kicks in. I hear all the cries for a playoff but if that were the case – here are our top 10 teams and seedings.

LSU vs. Arkansas (rematch)
Alabama vs. Boise State
OSU vs. Houston
Stanford vs. Va Tech

If you had the top 10 you’ve added Oregon and Oklahoma. You see where I’m going with this?

Exactly – a playoff would have the possibility of 3 rematches, possibly more during the playoffs. So those who are calling for a playoff system, rematches could (and most likely would) happen every single year. If you want a playoff – not wanting a rematch can’t really be your war cry.

So what’s the solution?
There isn’t one. Some team is going to get the short end of the stick no matter how you slice it. There isn’t a “fair” way to determine the FBS National Champion. And there will never be until a playoff system is in place.

In the meantime — all I’m saying is Roll Tide, anyway.