Blade staff debates BCS

12/15/2006

Two members of The Blade s sports department lined up on different sides of the controversy involving the University of Michigan and the BCS national championship game during yesterday s taping of The Editors.

Sports editor Frank Corsoe and sports writer Dave Hackenberg joined the show s host, Blade editor Tom Walton, for the program that will be aired tonight at 9 on WGTE-TV (Ch. 30) and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on WBGU (Ch. 27).

The final BCS standings dropped Michigan to No. 3, setting up a national championship game between Ohio State and Florida, which moved up after winning the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Corsoe expressed his opinion that Michigan basically forfeited its right to a title game berth by losing its last game at Ohio State and failing to win the Big Ten championship.

Hackenberg countered that UM did not drop in the rankings after losing to the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes on the road by three points and that its subsequent dip was an unfortunate delayed reaction by poll voters to lobbying by Florida and its coach, Urban Meyer.

The program s guests also discussed the merits of a playoff format to determine a national college football champion and analyzed the apparent magic touch of OSU coach Jim Tressel, particularly in the Buckeyes series against Michigan.

The Editors will be broadcast at 9 tonight on WGTE-TV, Channel 30, and at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on WBGU-TV, Channel 27.