Another display of Trojan dominance at the Rose Bowl, another scream for a playoff.

You watch the Rose Bowl for the classic tradition, the spectacular atmosphere, and the priceless venue. You watch the Rose Bowl for the school bands at halftime. You watch the Rose Bowl just to hear Brent Musberger utter with his usual raspy verve the words, "the granddaddy of them all." You don't, however, watch the Rose Bowl hoping to see a riveting clash between two evenly matched college football powers. Because in recent years, the outcome has been common knowledge before the game even commences. Year in and year out, USC effortlessly destroys their Big Ten opponent. Whether it be John David Booty or Mark Sanchez behind center, the Trojan offense drives down the field with ease, making the opposing D look as hopeless as John Daly's liver. And then there's the dominant SC defense, which is always the best defensive unit in the game. New Year's Day 2009 was no different, as the Trojans made quick work of Joe Pa's Penn State Nittany Lions, 38-24. The score was not indicative of the lopsided butt-kicking that the Trojans handed out.

Even coach Pete Carroll, who normally subscribes to the ancient quotes that all coaches follow by saying things like, "Oh, I really shouldn't comment on the BCS system. Whatever happens happens", was uncharacteristically candid following yesterday's game. Caroll responded to a reporter's inquiry by saying that he does not believe anybody can beat his team at this stage of the season. He then quickly added that he meant no disrespect to Florida and Oklahoma, but his point was well taken. Carroll's words were a forceful indictment of the Bowl Championship Series.

Perhaps there are teams that could beat USC. Perhaps Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow would light up the USC defense. Perhaps Florida and Oklahoma truly are the two best teams, and USC does not have a legitimate gripe. Perhaps. But shouldn't the outcome be played out on the field and not be determined by computers? Shouldn't USC have a chance to show that they are indeed the best team? After watching USC kill Michigan, hammer Illinois, and dominate Penn State in three consecutive showings on the Rose Bowl stage, it is obvious that the Trojans are one of the best teams in the nation, if not the best.

Supporters of the BCS all fall back on the same argument, saying that the BCS system makes the regular season more relevant. While the college football regular season is very exciting, this argument is based on faulty logic. If the regular season makes or breaks a team's championship aspirations, then why did Oklahoma get the nod over Texas, when Texas beat Oklahoma in the regular season? Many argue that USC does not deserve to be in the championship discussion because of their regular season loss at Oregon State. But wait a minute, Florida is in the title game, and they lost in the regular season too, at home to Ole Miss. And if Ole Miss met Oregon State, who's to say the Beavers couldn't win? So yeah, the BCS places more emphasis on the regular season. Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to take a ride in my flying car, followed by a trip in my time machine.

Back to reality: The BCS does not make the regular season more relevant. That is a complete myth. What the BCS does do, on the other hand, is cause otherwise logical people to be totally illogical. Let's use ESPN college football analyst Trevor Matich as an example. Today on "ESPN First Take", Matich summed up his pro-BCS stance by saying that the best team should not win, causing sports fans across the country to wonder if Trevor Matich was up all night partying the new year away. The best team shouldn't win. Hmmmmm, okay, then next year, let's have Washington State and Wyoming battle for the championship. I'm sure that would make perfect sense to the brilliant wizards that run the BCS.