The 'Noles whupped the University of Florida Gators 37-7, finishing the regular season undefeated. Next Saturday they'll play the Duke University Blue Devils for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. If they win that game, they'll get to play for the BCS National Championship in January. I don't know who their opponents would be--possibly the Ohio State Buckeyes, currently the only other undefeated team in the Top 10. Yesterday morning another team was also undefeated, and in fact was ranked number 1, just ahead of FSU. That team is the University of Alabama Crimson Tide.
But a funny thing happened last night, which illustrates an old saying about being careful what you wish for. The Tide was playing their arch-rivals, the Auburn Tigers. As time ran down in regulation play, the score was tied 28-28, and it looked like they'd probably have to go into overtime until somebody won the game. But Alabama was driving for a score in the last few seconds. Just as the game clock appeared to reach zero, an Alabama player carrying the ball stepped out of bounds.
That ended the run and should have forced the overtime. But the Tide's head coach asked for "further review," as he thought his player went out of bounds with one second left, which would give his team enough time to try to kick a 57-yard field goal and win the game by three points. The officials looked at the tape of the play alongside another one of the clock winding down, and sure enough, it turned out they still had one second left to play. So instead of going into overtime, they lined up to try the field goal.
What happened next brings to mind another famous principle that M calls the Law of Unintended Consequences. (Click here for the original clip on YouTube.)
M says that somewhere in a parallel universe, the Crimson Tide could be celebrating a 31-28 victory right now. But in this one it's the Tigers by six.
I'm not going to try to predict whether FSU will win or even play for the National Championship next month. However, I'm pretty sure Alabama, the champs for the past two years, won't be going for three in a row.
By the way, I could have caught that guy.
Just sayin'.
1 comment:
Proud to see my team on top again! When I was nine years old, FSU played the first unbeaten, untied season of any Florida college. As an FSU student, I cheered two more Gator-stomps when we tied them in my sophomore year; and in my senior year, beat them for the first time and also earned our first top ten ranking. Saturday was a terrific payback after last year’s 37-26 loss. (Don’t you think our 37 points this time was “poetic justice?”)
Wow, Buddy! Glad you guys got to see the ‘Nole victory AND that spectacular Tiger play. Talk about split-second timing! I tuned in to the Alabama-Auburn game just in time to catch that crazy win.
You and your ‘Nole practice cheerleading and enjoy watching us beat Duke!
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