New Year's Day-It Ain't What it Used to Be

I am officially a grumpy old man as 2008 begins, ranting about how, when I was a kid... So be it, many things have improved over time, like television, going from black and white, to color, to high definition, wide-screen, lcd. Many other things that make life more enjoyable and sometimes productive exist that weren't even around at all when I was young, such as DVR, the internet, and home delivery of the New York Times. Our society, while still having a long ways to go, is less sexist, racist, and intolerant of differences than it used to be. Standards of living have generally improved across the board, although the gap between the rich and the rest of us peasants has grown at a disturbing pace. Many other things are probably a wash, meaning that they are as good now as they were good back in the days. I would put music, movies, and much of popular culture in that category, including for the most part, sports. But then inevitably, there is much now that pales in comparison to the good old days. And New Year's Day bowl games are one of those things.
For starters, there are more of them, but the ones that matter are less meaningful. The Grandaddy of 'em all, also known as the Rose Bowl is front and center in this regard. I have always put the Rose Bowl up there with the best sporting events of the year, up there with the Super Bowl, the World Series, Kentucky Derby, and the once every four years events like the Summer Olympics and World Cup. The Rose Bowl, for someone growing up in Pac-10 country, whether it be in sunny Southern California or cold and cloudy Iowa, has always been the holy grail. Long before the geniuses who run college sport decided to find a better way to determine the fictional national champion, the goal for one of the once 18 and now 21 teams that make up the Pac-10 and Big-10 conferences and their fans was simply to make it to Pasadena on January 1, and then to achieve immortality by winning The Big Game. To make it to the Arroyo Seco meant that you were the best of your region, which of course as a fan meant that you were smarter, tougher, wiser, and probably even better looking than the fans of those other schools in your conference. And then, like the transformation that occurs between the primaries and the general election, all would put aside their differences in pursuit of victory for their conference, and by extension, their culture and way of life.
It was west coast cool, speed, creativity, and imagination versus midwestern strength, toughness, power, and ability to eat large quantities of farm animals and brave freezing temperatures in short sleeves. If your conference won then you had bragging rights for the next year. Even a fan of lowly Oregon State could pop off to a fan of mighty Michigan after one of the Big Blue's countless defeats at the hands of USC, UCLA, or Washington. In short, it was much more than just a football game, at least for those who call themselves college football fanatics. Sure, there were other bowls, the Cotton Bowl in the morning featuring powerhouse teams like Texas and Notre Dame, the Sugar Bowl with teams like Alabama and Georgia, and the Orange Bowl featuring either Oklahoma or Nebraska. In fact, the Sugar and Orange Bowls used to be on at the same time, so you would haved to choose between the two. But they were simply the pregame warmup or the post meal celebration to the game that mattered.
It barely matters anymore. Don't get me wrong, it still matters more than all the other games, including the bogus national title game, which this features an Ohio State team, that by it's birthright should be in Pasadena as the champion of the meat and potatoes conference, and LSU, which is the most illegitimate contender since Gerry Cooney. They jumped from #7 to #2 in the final poll, which apparently was conducted by the same people that monitored the presidential polls in Florida in 2000. I guess Oklahoma and USC were victimized by the BCS equivalent of hanging chads. The Rose Bowl matters more than the other BCS games, which include a West Virginia team who couldn't beat lowly Pittsburgh in their final game (an outcome I predicted by the way), a Georgia team that didn't even make it to their own conference title game, and a Hawaii team whose conference rivals include Idaho, Utah State, and New Mexico State. (I looked it up, and will give bonus points on the next exam for anyone who can give the team nicknames of these football powerhouses) The Rose Bowl is certainly superior to the Meinike Car Care Bowl, the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl, the Chick-Filet Bowl, formerly known as the Peach Bowl, or the Papa John's.com Bowl, which was formerly known as the Papa John's Bowl.
But it ain't what it used to be. This year's matchup is traditional powerhouse, and current dominatrix of the mediocre pass first play defense later conference, USC taking on second place Illinois. It's bad enough when an interloper like Illinois or Northwestern would make it to the left coast for new year's, taking with them legions of fans celebrating the once in a generation occurence, but at least back in the days they had to earn their way there. The Fighting Illini, as they were known in the days before it became politically incorrect to name your team after American Indians, didn't even win their conference. That would make them the most noted second place finisher to go to the big dance since W took office in 2001. (I'm referring to the popular vote, not whining about rigged elections and the like)
I have been an unwavering supporter throughout the BCS era of the bowl system. For one thing, I like that multiple teams get to finish their seasons with a win, unlike the pro's where only one playoff team gets that distintion. I liked the controversy and debate over who should be number one, and I even thought it was cool when there were co-national champs, it appeals to my socialistic tendencies, spread the wealth. But now that the bowl system has been gutted beyond recognition, I advocate an 8 team playoff. The conference champions from the Big Six conferences, along with two wild cards to allow for the cinderalla teams like Hawaii or Boise State to prove that they belong with the big boys. 8 teams, 3 weeks, 1 legitimate national champion. I'm sure the students who take the final exams for the football players could adjust to the extra games, and it would only effect the final four teams anyways. If it ain't gonna be like it used to be, we might as well make it something that could end up at least being a wash, like a good pair of jeans.