Super Scintillating Jack City BCS Preview

Shame on us, the media.

In case you missed it Saturday night, late in the fourth quarter of the Dallas Cowboys-Seattle Seahawks NFC playoff game, the Cowboys had a chance to kick a short field goal with under two minutes left that likely would have won the game. Tony Romo, who had emerged from being the backup quarterback at the beginning of the year into earning a Pro Bowl selection as the starter, was the holder for the field goal. The snap came back, and as Romo went to place it, dropped the ball. He scrambled for the end zone but was tackled short, and Seattle killed the clock for a 21-20 victory.

Romo sat alone, dejected, head down, on the bench after the play. Even though I really don't like the Cowboys, I couldn't help but feel bad for him. ESPN televised the postgame press conference afterwards, and the reporters kept hammering Romo over and over again, asking him questions like, "Exactly what happened?" and "Was that the worst moment of your career?" Meanwhile, Romo was doing everything he could to keep from bursting out in tears.

Those reporters all saw the play. They know what happened and what the result was. They knew that he was killing himself for what happened. And still they kept hammering him.

I thought it was absolutely unnecessary and an embarrassing moment for all journalists. These are the same people who had built Romo up so much when he replaced Drew Bledsoe in the starting lineup earlier this season. And now, so eager to kick him when he was done...just pitiful.

I'll get off my pedestal now and get back to the other reason for this column, and what I know all of you have been dying to read since the announcement of the college football national championship game. That's right, it's the Super scintillating Jack City BCS Preview!

For those readers who may not be as familiar with the Jack City blog as others, let me explain: I do not have the resources that ESPN has. I do not have the resources that the Columbus Dispatch or Cleveland Plain Dealer have. I can't give you interviews with Troy Smith, Chris Leak or Antonio Pittman. I can't have former college coaches break down the individual matchups or talking about coaching strategy. Heck, I don't even have the financial capabilities to get within 2,000 miles of Glendale, Arizona, nor do I think the NCAA would award a press pass to the former sports editor of the Capital University Chimes.

But if you want all those flashy graphics and interviews and bold predictions and rehashing of the same material, fine. I've been consuming it too. But nowhere, and I guarantee nowhere, will you find a preview like mine. So kick back, take your shoes off, forget about the start of classes for a few moments, and enjoy. Oh yeah...

GO BUCKS

The January Jamboree

The season comes to a close,
Teams almost finished trading blows.
Just two remain standing,
College football's final fling.

Ohio State, coast-to-coast
At number one, that's no boast.
Florida lost early to Auburn,
Back then, had much to learn.

The NCAA's changed its bowl format,
And though it still stinks like a dead rat,
But can't complain about the title game -
Mostly because it doesn't have Notre Dame.

Yes, we all hate the BCS.
Almost ten years later, still a mess.
Here's a suggestion, please don't scoff -
Why don't we have a national playoff?

Pardon me for a moment,
But right there I needed to vent.
Now, back to the action at hand
With the two best teams in the land.

OSU has handled all foes,
12-0, as everyone knows.
Our last game sent chills down my spine.
How many ways can you say "forty-two to thirty-nine"?

Since I last wrote,
The nation has spoke.
With his arms and legs, boy can he run -
Troy Smith, winner of the last Heisman.

That offensive firepower makes the Army blush,
We can throw, we can catch, we can rush.
Ginn, Gonzalez, Pittman, Wells,
Don't often go through cold spells.

The defense has been scary good
There hasn't been any dead wood.
James Laurinitis plays like a beast
Plays like an Animal on his way to feast.

The Bucks are the favorites in Glendale
In Arizona, they never fail.
Miami, Kansas State, now come the Gators.
Winners of the SEC and fellow Michigan haters.

Urban fought hard and got them to two,
Lloyd Carr didn't make much ado.
So the Bucks play against the blue and orange match
Instead of a Maize and Blue rematch.

No more words to say,
Time for the teams to play.
So far this season, I've told no lies
Tonight's winner: The Ohio State University Buckeyes!