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Hosed

Yes, it is ridiculous that the Temple football team will not be playing in one of the 35 BCS bowl games – almost as ridiculous as the fact there are 35 BCS bowl games. Al Golden's 8-4 Owls got hosed as completely as their friend in the photo here.

We could do the exercise where we point out that Temple beat UConn, which is bowl-bound, and all that. But that would ultimately miss the point, and if the Owls want to avoid this sort of mishap in future years, they need to learn from it.

First order of business: Don't lose your last two games. The BCS selection process hasn't been as fully analyzed or dissected as the men's basketball tournament selection – the Lunardization, if you will – but clearly some weight was given to late-season trends. The Owls whiffed on two chances to force inclusion in the postseason. That's on them.

The second problem is the age-old one at Temple. Attendance. It would have been good for Golden's program if the Owls had been invited to the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl in Detroit, but what kind of numbers would Temple have brought to Ford Field? It's a little further from campus (and a lot larger) than the Linc, my friends.

If the BCS was interested in fairness and competition, it would have a playoff system to determine the national championship. This is about cash, and Toledo will bring a few more people to Detroit than Temple would have. End of debate.

Of course, it is bowl appearances that help programs like Temple develop a fan base that will travel and spend money and so on. That brings us back to point one: If you don't bring the money, you'd better not fade in the clutch.