When I was growing up, Notre Dame mattered. It really doesn't anymore. Their last championship team was back in 1988. That team beat then-No. 1 Miami, won at then-No. 2 USC and beat then-No. 3 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship.
That was 21 years ago. None of the high school kids that the Irish are recruiting remember that. They were babies when the remember the Irish's last elite season (a 12-1 campaign in 1993).
During those years, Miami had one of the greatest runs in college football history. From 1983 to 1991, the Canes won four National Championships. During that time frame, the Canes rolled up a 96-13 record. Now, Miami had a nice run earlier this decade, but this isn't the same feared program it once was.
Their main rival, the Florida State Seminoles, were also among the elite. FSU won at least 10 games every year from 1987-2000. Since then, the Noles haven't looked the same. After dominating the ACC during it's first nine seasons in the league (and 11 of their first 12), Florida State looks more like just another run-of-the-mill team. Since that streak ended, they've hit double digits in wins just once.
Add to that the fact that once mighty Nebraska is an afterthought, Oklahoma and USC has fallen on mildly tough times this year while Michigan will miss the bowl season yet again.
That doesn't mean that those great programs are all down. Alabama, Ohio State and Texas will be playing in BCS bowls. And new titans like Florida are flexing their muscle.
Still, it doesn't seem the same. Look at the rankings right now. Boise State? TCU? Cincinnati? Those are three of the top six ranked teams in the country. This could be the weirdest bowl season we've ever seen. Our BCS bowls (aside from a Florida/Alabama vs Texas title tilt) won't have that traditional flavor. How does a Florida/Alabama vs Cincinnati Sugar Bowl sound? Or Boise State vs Iowa in the Fiesta? TCU vs Georgia Tech in the Orange? Makes that Oregon-Ohio State Rose Bowl zing, doesn't it.
That isn't to belittle those newbies to the party. Boise State has become a force, nationally. Cincinnati and TCU have been pretty good for a while now and have finally broken through to elite status. The fans of those programs should be excited and they deserve everything they get.
Still, the BCS doesn't want this. They don't want Cincy, Boise and the Frogs in their huge games. Their sponsors, who are already in a financial bind, don't need to see ratings fall off because the glamor teams are gone.
What's funny is that all those bowl games people make fun of because ... well, what's the point? ... will be the ones that will interest the most people. The Holiday Bowl might do well with an USC-Nebraska matchup. Ole Miss vs Penn State would be a great Capital One Bowl. Either Virginia Tech or Miami vs Pittsburgh in the Gator Bowl would be nice. Z
Me? I'm looking forward to a West Virginia-North Carolina rematch in the Meineke Bowl.
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