Brian Kelly's decision invalidates the BCS

2010 May 04

Invalidates the BCS in my eyes any way. Tuesday (12/15/2009) on the Dan Patrick Radio Show, Dan asked Coach Kelly if he would have coached his undefeated Cincinnatti team if they were playing for a National Championship in January. The answer was, of course, a yes. Have a listen to Kelly in his own words (jump right to 30:14 for the point in question):

Dan Patrick Radio Show - Dec-15-2009 Hour 1

In fact, Coach Kelly is not coaching Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl against Florida, rendering the game meaningless. If one of the participants in the game doesn't care about the outcome, then why should I? Had the Sugar Bowl been a game that would have qualified Cincinnati for the National Championship Game (like say a national semi-final game) you can bet Kelly would still be the Head Coach with Cincinnati.

I have a lot of sympathy for Brian Kelly's position. It's yet another unfortunate side-effect of the BCS system, that puts Cincinnati Bearcat fans, players and coaches in a total lose-lose situation.