Last week, I wrote that Jacksonville State's victory over Ole Miss on Labor Day weekend would be the biggest upset of the still young college football season.
But it took only a week for an even bigger upset to occur.
Thirteenth–ranked Virginia Tech was humiliated by James Madison, 21–16, yesterday.Kinda makes you wonder what's next, doesn't it?
Well, as devastated as the Tech players must be after being embarrassed, the loss may prove to be even more deadly for Boise State, the team that beat Tech in an electrifying Labor Day night game.
Boise State had hoped that a victory over Tech could serve as its springboard into the national title game in January. But, as USA Today observes, JMU's triumph "devalued" Boise State's achievement.
And I have to believe USA Today is right about that. Virginia Tech is almost certain to fall out of the rankings, and Boise State will be deprived of its signature win.
Which, I think, makes my point for me.
College football needs a legitimate playoff system.
If Boise State goes undefeated this regular season, it will be the fifth time in the last seven years. Sometimes the Broncos have stumbled in their bowl game, as they did against Louisville in December 2004 and against TCU in December 2008. But other times they have met the postseason challenge, like last January when Boise beat TCU and January of 2007, when the Broncos shocked Oklahoma.
But they've been repeatedly denied a spot in the national championship game, sometimes in favor of teams with blemishes on their records, because the Broncos don't play in what is considered a "power conference."
Lots of people thought that beating Virginia Tech would permit them to get over that hurdle, but JMU likely will turn out to be the fly in that ointment.
Ya gotta wonder. What's next?
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