Read the arguments from Sports Geek and Loyal Homer about which non-BCS bowl game will be the best of this postseason.
The Bowl Championship Series is supposed to feature the “Best of the BEST.” That means that the non-BCS bowl games are intended to feature the “Best of the REST.” But with so many non-BCS bowl games on the docket nowadays, it can be hard to determine which games are truly worth watching. Allow The Sports Debates to assist! The best of the rest are those teams that WOULD HAVE been playing in BCS games, but were thwarted along the way by the ACTUAL BCS competitors. Essentially, if you remove the top ten teams from the BCS equation, who are the NEW teams at the top of the heap?
One such team this season was the surprising Miami Hurricanes. Miami started off its 2009 campaign in very aggressive fashion, facing ranked opponents in each of the first four games and winning three of those games (including a win against BCS-bound Georgia Tech). As a result of that impressive start to the season, Miami managed to climb as high as ninth in the top-25 rankings, and seemed to be on course for its first conference championship since winning the Big East in 2003.
Unfortunately, a strong start to the season can only account for so much (just ask the USC Trojans). After kicking-off in impressive fashion, the Hurricanes faltered against two conference rivals (Clemson and North Carolina), costing them a bid for the ACC crown. The fact that Miami was able to play so well early on cannot be denied, though, and by all accounts head coach Randy Shannon appears to have Miami on the path back towards national relevance. Thanks to a very impressive 9-3 finish to the season (and a ranking of 15 in the final BCS standings), the Hurricanes landed an invitation to the Champs Sports Bowl on December 29th, where they will take on the Wisconsin Badgers.
Like the Hurricanes, Wisconsin finished off its 2009 season with a record of 9-3. Unlike the Hurricanes, whose season was defined more by the wins in their record, it was the losses that Wisconsin suffered which have ultimately defined its season. After starting the season off 5-0, Wisconsin faced the daunting task of back-to-back games against Ohio State and Iowa (both teams that ultimately ended up in BCS games). Not surprising, Wisconsin lost both games. Four weeks later Wisconsin lost again in a nail-biter against a greatly improved Northwestern team that had already snapped Iowa’s unbeaten streak in a shocking upset earlier in the season.
There is a lot at stake for both teams coming into this matchup. Miami is on a quest to prove that 2009 was a positive indication of even better things to come, rather than a fluke. A win against a school from the Big Ten will surely help position them favorably when the 2010 preseason rankings are announced next summer, and it will provide a sunny close to a season that started out with so much promise. Wisconsin, like Miami, is seeking justification for its season. The Badgers will also have to deal with the added expectation of trying to disprove the current trend of Big Ten struggles during bowl season. Each Big Ten bowl loss further detracts from the credibility of what has traditionally been considered an elite conference, and a Wisconsin victory over Miami could go a long way toward preserving the integrity of the entire conference.
Both players on both teams have a great deal to prove to themselves AND their fans… as both could be on the cusp of returning to BCS contention next season. Conference pride and season redemption are on the line for both teams in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl. It will be a showcase for two teams among the best of the rest!
