Catholic Robbery

I am not a huge college football fan, yet I still feel obliged to add another clamoring voice to the various BCS polemics. For all of the grievances made on Michigan's behalf, the plight of their Big Ten cohorts, Wisconisn, has largely been ignored or at least taken for granted. One could argue that since Michigan lost a(nother) chance at Ohio State and the National Championship, they deserve the most attention and outrage. However, it is also worth keeping in mind that there are millions of dollars at stake here, even for "Consolation Bowls" (the BCS Bowls that are not for the National Championship) that are a part of the BCS cartel. The media seldom mentions that the financial difference between a BCS and non-BCS bowl is immense, and can mean the difference between profitability and having to divert resources from other university functions - such as research and teaching.

While the deal with major conferences that guarantees spots for conference winners is also contentous (Wake Forest vs. Louisville in the Orange Bowl? It's a loooong way from BC-Miami), I'll be more direct and ask why Notre Dame is in a BCS Bowl and Wisconsin is not. Wisconsin was ranked higher in every meaningful poll, having only one road loss to Michigan, a team that blew Notre Dame out in South Bend. The Domers were also blown out by USC - a rebuilding team that lost to two unranked opponents in the notoriously weak Pac-10 and played their usual schedule sprinkled with more cupcakes than a preschool birthday party. The worst thing about the whole thing is that Wisconsin was totally complicit in this fleecing. They accepted their bid to the Capital One Bowl before the BCS Bowls were announced (knowing or having been told full well that they were getting snubbed for mandatory admittances, or the massive ratings Notre Dame brings to a Bowl). Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez even served as a cordial commentator on FOX's BCS selection show. I realize football coaches and culture are generally proponents of supporting the orthodoxy, but shouldn't the fact that millions of dollars are being siphoned away from Madison to South Bend be cause for some sort of protest on its own? Doesn't this sort of thing beget a Matthew Effect (and no, it's not unique to science or the BCS) that allows the beneficiaries of evil to further benefit from, regenerate and entrench such odious social orders?

This isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened with Notre Dame, either. In fact, this happens pretty much every single time Notre Dame manages to win their usual games against the military academies (a feat made even easier during times of war) and then pull out a couple more victories to remain bowl eligible. They haven't wom a bowl game since the advent of the BCS, becuase since they're Notre Dame, they get put into a bowl they don't deserve to be in against an opponent that does, and get slaughtered accordingly. All the while, the Fathers back in South Bend gleefully get to count their money.

In short, I hope LSU beats Notre Dame 105-0 or something, so the egregiousness of this seemingly annual farce gets exposed to the extent it needs to be in order to get noticed. However, I won't be watching. I don't want to even risk boosting up the Nielsen ratings for the game, which helps perpetuate this sham in the first place.