1985 Michigan

First off, congrats to LSU for winning the national championship.

Second, congrats to LSU for setting off a huge controversy about the Bowl Championship Series and the national championship. This afternoon, the president president of the University of Georgia will hold a press conference and call for an eight-team playoff system, saying the BCS has become a "beauty contest largely stage-managed by the networks."

Quick, someone get him a copy of the book to hold up during the press conference.

In a public statement and a letter to NCAA president Myles Brand, Georgia president Michael F. Adams, who is also chairman of the NCAA executive committee, called for an eight-team playoff to decide the national championship, with the opening rounds to be played in the four major BCS bowl games. He proposed the change be made as soon as the contracts that govern the BCS expire.

"This year's experience with the BCS forces me to the conclusion that the current system has lost public confidence and simply does not work," Adams said in news release. "It is undercutting the sportsmanship and integrity of the game."

Meanwhile, there something else going on today ...

This shot is in honor of New Hampshire, where I went to college, and the presidential primary. Although Bo Schembechler coached in the most Rose Bowls, 10, and won 13 Big Ten titles, he never won a national championship – even when former Michigan player President Gerald Ford visited practice. The 1985 Wolverines earned a rare Rose Bowl victory, 27-23 against Nebraska, but still finished No. 2 to Oklahoma. Courtesy the Bentley Historical Library (BL003031), the University of Michigan.

1996 Texas

Ok, remember, if you're in Europe, don't make the Hook'em Horns symbol, unless you want to get hit. In many countries, the gesture is considered a huge insult.

Really, it is.

Quarterback James Brown hands off to sophomore Ricky Williams in the first Big 12 Championship game. Two years later, Williams won the Heisman Trophy. Courtesy of the Big 12 Conference.

1978 Southern California

Ok, the high school all-star game in San Antonio is on, and the commentators are mentioning Notre Dame (which has its games shown on the same network) more than the game sponsor, Army.

So we'll go with someone else today.

Southern California safety Ronnie Lott returns one of two Trojan interceptions that help set up scores for 10 points as USC defeated Michigan, 17-10. It was Bo Schembechler’s fifth straight Rose Bowl loss. Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses archives.

1973 Notre Dame

Let's see here, today Alabama announced that an assistant coach has left (Ron Middleton), will open next season with a neutral-site game against Clemson in Atlanta, released the 2008 schedule, and re-sent all the statistics from the Independence Bowl because someone finally realized that they didn't exactly add up.

Wow, did I pick the right day to be off.

Notre Dame’s defense, here shutting down Northwestern in the 44-0 season opener, yielded an average of 6.6 points per game during the 1973 regular season. The Fighting Irish went on to defeat No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, 24-23, to win the national championship. Courtesy of the University of Notre Dame.

1954 UCLA

Ok, first of all I have an announcement, which will surprise very few of you.

Yep, another book is on the way. "100 Things Every Crimson Tide Fan Needs to Know or Do Before They Die," will be out in time for next season. It's part of a series that will begin in the very near future with baseball in the spring and college football in the fall. Outside of that, I'm not sure, but this could be my last book for a while. For now, my plan is to take a nice healthy break and then start working on the novel again.

As for the photo, under the direction of Red Sanders, here pictured from his days at Vanderbilt, UCLA led the nation both in scoring, averaging 41 points per game, and scoring defense. Courtesy of the Southeastern Conference.

1978 Alabama (and Penn State)

Merry New Year!

Yes, I've finally made it home after nearly two weeks on the road, including a nice long stay in Shreveport for the Independence Bowl. I'll share some insights later on, but it's nice to sleep in my own bed again.

In terms of great New Year's Day games, the 1979 Sugar Bowl certainly qualifies. It was a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, which essentially came down fourth-and-1 at the goal-line. When linebacker Barry Krauss stopped fullback Mike Guman short of the end zone, the Crimson Tide won, 14-7. However, the coaches’ voted for Southern California, resulting in a split decision. Courtesy of the Paul W. Bryant Museum.

Merry Christmas (2004 Texas vs. Michigan)

The bowl season is in full swing, which means it's time for me to head to Shreveport to see Alabama vs. Colorado. Unfortunately, that also means no blog posts the rest of this week/year. So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Here's hoping it's a good game.

The first-ever meeting between Michigan and Texas at the 2005 Rose Bowl lived up to expectations as the Longhorns pulled out a 38-37 victory on a 37-yard field goal by Dusty Mangum as time expired. Sophomore quarterback Vince Young accumulated 372 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses archives.

1964 Princeton

Merry Christmas Eve everyone.

I've been trying for three months to get this photo to work and today was the day. Go figure.

Although the game returned to two-platoon football in 1964, Princeton’s Cosmo Iacavazzi continued to play both ways and led the Tigers to a rare ranking, No. 13. The All-American also placed ninth in Heisman Trophy voting. Courtesy of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

1934 Alabama (and Stanford)

Well, we're now three days into bowl practices, and the Crimson Tide is beginning to install the game plan to play Colorado. It's hard to believe that Christmas is less than a week away, which has a different meaning for anyone associated with the team, including reporters, this year because we're all traveling to Shreveport that morning. So any gas stations between Tuscaloosa and there, please stay open. I promise, I'll stop at least twice, and so will everyone else.

Stanford All-American tackle Bob “Horse” Reynolds and coach C.E. Thornhill meet with Alabama coach Frank Thomas and All-American halfback Millar “Dixie” Howell prior to the 1935 Rose Bowl. Led by its passing game, Alabama won 29-13. Courtesy of the Paul W. Bryant Museum.

1951 Tennessee

General Robert Neyland twice left the Volunteers to serve in the military, but compiled an amazing 173-31-12 record during his three stints leading Tennessee.

The 1939 team shut out 10 consecutive opponents and the 1950 team finished 11-1 to earn national title consideration. He followed that up with a 10-0 regular season and consensus national title, though Tennessee lost to Maryland 28-13 in the Sugar Bowl. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee.

By the way, he's the one in the coat.