Wow! What a college bowl season – so many story lines, so little space.
But with all of these interesting games came even more interesting storylines. This year’s bowl season was one that will not be forgotten for quite some time.
Heisman trophy winner Carson Palmer and runner-up Brad Banks faced off in a rather forgettable Orange Bowl that showed who really deserved the Heisman.
Florida State’s Anquan Boldin gave a memorable performance of his own, trying his best to be superman while playing both quarterback and wide receiver, in a Sugar Bowl loss to Georgia.
Boldin’s performance was topped only by one unforgettable fiasco, news of University of Louisville head coach John L. Smith accepting the head coaching spot at Michigan State University during his team’s bowl game.
All these are interesting stories in their own right, but they all will be overshadowed by one of the greatest, if not the greatest, college football game ever.
Let’s be honest here, who would have thought that Ohio State, a team with five losses a year ago, would beat the University of Miami for the national championship at the beginning of this year.
No one – and that is just the beginning.
The University of Miami has so much talent and depth that by the time all of its players from its era of invincibility are done with their eligibility the school could have 30 veteran players in the NFL.
From the day it was announced that Ohio State would play these mighty Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl people thought the game was over before it started.
What made this game great was not that Ohio State won, or that the game went into two overtimes, or that it was for the national championship. What made it great was that on top of all those things, fans all over the country did not want to even use the bathroom for fear of missing something.
Yes, the first three and a half quarters were weak, but the rest of the game certainly made up for it.
In all my years of watching and playing football I have never seen a game of this magnitude have so much drama.
Miami kicker Todd Sievers getting at least 10 minutes to think about a 40-yard field goal, which he squeezed inside the uprights, sent the game into overtime.
From a questionable pass interference call on Miami cornerback Glenn Sharpe in the first overtime, to a crushing hit delivered to Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey by Matt Wilhelm in the second, and even Ohio State’s goal line defense afterward, this game had it all.
And like the Fiesta Bowl, the entire college bowl season had it all.