Cronyism is partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications. Hence, cronyism is contrary in practice and principle to meritocracy. Cronyism exists when the appointer and the beneficiary are in social contact; often, the appointer is inadequate to hold his or her own job or position of authority, and for this reason the appointer appoints individuals who will not try to weaken him or her, or express views contrary to those of the appointer.

Case in point, some conferences get automatic seats in the BCS bowl games.  Some do not.

Here are the 6 conferences that AUTOMATICALLY send their champion to a BCS game.

Atlantic Coast Conference
Big 12 Conference
Big East Conference
Big Ten Conference
Pacific-10 Conference
Southeastern Conference

This year, Virginia Tech, the ACC Champion has a record of 9-4.  Cincinnati, the Big East Champs are 11-2.  WAC Champions, Boise State are one of only two teams in college football with an undefeated record (12-0).

However, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech, both who have lower rankings in the BCS poll will leapfrog Boise State because of the system of Cronyism that rewards specific conference champions rather than rewarding teams based on BCS ranking and overall win/loss record… a system called meritocracy.

To make matters even worse Boise State could still have made it into a BCS bowl game as one of the four “at-large” teams that BCS bowls choose from to match up against the teams that automatically get in.  But even the “at-large” teams suffer from Cronyism.  Big Ten runner up Ohio State (10-2) will also leapfrog Boise State into a BCS bowl game simply because of their name recognition.

So that’s THREE teams ranked lower than Boise State all of which have at least TWO losses that will end up in BCS bowl games over the undefeated and more deserving Boise State Broncos.  The same goes for Texas Tech, who will get shut out of the BCS bowls because of a rule that only 2 teams from a single conference can be in the BCS bowls.

This system of Cronyism in college football is NOT one of the precious traditions we speak of that makes the game so awesome.  If playoffs aren’t the answer to this mess, at least getting rid of the “automatic” BCS bids is!

Well Boise State has done everything that could be asked of them.  12-0 season, WAC Champions, beat Oregon State, ranked #9 in the BCS Standings.  But Utah is ranked #6 and only one Non-BCS Conference team is guarunteed a BCS bowl game if they meet the requirements… so Boise State will have to wait to see if there’s a Bowl out there that will take a higher ranked and more deserving team over a lower ranked, more-losses team, with bigger name recognition like Ohio State.  So for now, we just have to wait and see.  I hope it’s in the cards for Boise State this year.

Denver lost in spectacular fashion today to the Raiders.  The foreshadowing of the kind of stomach-turning football we would enjoy today came early in the first quarter when the Broncos had driven to the Raiders RedZone on some big plays only to have Jay Cutler fumble the ball on the 6 yard line.  It would be that kind of a day… and it’s been that kind of a season.  With enough talent to make any offense in the NFL jealous the Broncos have found a way to play consistently bad football.  Dropped passes, turnovers, bad play calling and injuries on Defense have made this a depressing season to watch.  And we’re still in first place!  How on earth this team can still be leading the division is beyond me.  But alas, San Diego has been even better at playing below their potential.  The way things are going now, we’ll get into the playoffs with a losing record.  Sigh.

The Broncos have been amazing so far… well at least that offense has been amazing!  The defense has been much too generous but so far Jay Cutler’s passing has been second to none.  It sure is nice to see the Broncos put up points like this.  I’m looking forward to a GREAT season.

Last night the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup! It was a great season and an even better playoff run. The Penguins lived up to their reputation as a solid defensive team with some amazing offensive players. After the first two games the Pens seemed to settle down and they became much more formidable. Marc-Andre Fleury was amazing during the series but just had to face so many shots that those goals were inevitable. Osgood’s homecoming and second cup as the starting goalie was a great addition to this fourth Stanley Cup since I’ve been a Wing’s fan.

The last time the Red Wings were in the Stanley Cup Finals I was on a trip to Clovis, New Mexico watching my friend Rusty Brian get married and then I was on a plane to Mission Springs campground in Santa Cruz, CA where I was spending the summer as a High School camp counselor. I didn’t see a single game of their 2002 Stanley Cup victory over Carolina. It’s been a long 6 years. I know, when I… a Red Wings fan say “it’s been a long 6 years” those of you from Chicago will cringe, thinking it’s kinda like a Florida Marlins fan saying it’s been a “long time” since they won the World Series. Hey sometimes it just stinks to be from Chicago (Blackhawks - 46 year Cup drought; Bears - 23 year SB drought; Cubs - 100 year WS drought). That being said… for a kid who became a Red Wings fan back in 1995, it’s been a long time since we’ve been in the Stanley Cup. And this time, I’m not missing a game!

Osgood was great tonight in net for the Wings. So in his honor I think it’s time for some good old Avs/Wings nostalgia.

Last night was the first night of the Stanley Cup playoffs for Detroit. They came away with a 3-1 win against Central Division rival Nashville.

If your computer uses a widescreen and you want to keep track of the Stanley Cup bracket, check out this wallpaper I’ve made for Hockey fans just like you.

I love this time of year, GO WINGS!

In the true spirit of Advent we saw a glimpse of the inbreaking Kingdom of God yesterday when the Broncos hammered the Chiefs 41-7. Even if this season turns out to be a loss it will warm my heart during this cold winter to think back on what happened yesterday when the Broncos flat out embarrassed the Chiefs. The way Cutler has been playing, I’m looking forward to a lot more of this!

This post is dedicated to Brian Postlewait, Mike King, Jason Sturdevant and all my other Chief loving friends… love you guys!

I saw this commercial the other day and laughed my head off. This sums up years of draft day frustration. Yes - Chad, Jeff and Sammer - I am calling you out.