NCAA Football Hawaii

A playoff? No, thank you.

That said, please do not think for a second that I ravenously slurp the Kool-Aid that the BCS is attempting to serve. I don't want to see a playoff because I love the idea that you have to show up every Saturday, that each week the stakes get higher and the opponent, no matter what their record, gets tougher for an undefeated team. And I hate the idea of neutral-site playoff games in NFL cities in December and January (there's a reason that the SEC and Big 12 title games never have any juice).

It would not be a panacea, but the most effective step toward improving the current system would be to compel teams who are seriously interested in playing for the national championship to play 12 meaningful games. Which brings us to Saturday's slate.

Did you hear Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin's apology? He stood there and started crying. What a ...

Finish that sentence.

Touching moment? Honest emotion?

Well, I'm thinking players on his team, most football players really, would see a grown man cry and finish that sentence with the same word McMackin was apologizing for. It's the language of the locker room.

College football has gone into the strangest of bizarro worlds the past few days, as McMackin spoke the language, unacceptable in the real world but part of the daily life of the sports world. Talking about last year's bowl blowout loss to Notre Dame, he called an Irish team dance a "f****t dance." And the dance since then has been a whacked-out one, as the sports world has seen, yet again, its stupid and offensive ways ooze out.

No one could ever accuse Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis with being exactly gracious when it comes to accepting an apology.

A day after Hawaii coach Greg McMackin made a derogatory comment toward the Irish and their tradition and apparently minutes after the Hawaii coach called to personally apologize, Weis issued a statement about the whole flap on Friday. Weis, a naturally surly guy, said he accepted the apology and pretended to let bygones be bygones.

Weis said the comments were in poor taste but that he had moved on, but clearly he wasn't about to just let it go at that.

Greg McMackin, the head coach at Hawaii, should probably call in sick to next year's WAC media day teleconference. For the second year in a row, he has said something regrettable during that event.

This year McMackin (pictured right) told a story about a banquet the night before last year's Hawaii Bowl, which pitted his team against Notre Dame. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis told the crowd about his school's "clapping tradition," which frankly is even less exciting than you think: "WE ARE!" (clap, clap) "ND!" (clap, clap).

McMackin, it must be said, was not exactly impressed by this.

HONOLULU -- Hawaii cornerback JoPierre Davis has been charged with sexually assaulting a fellow student in a seven-count indictment that also includes burglary and assault charges.

My colleague Mark Hasty penned a piece yesterday calling for a split national title in college football. It's a fun idea; it seeks to give credit to all the teams we believe deserve it (last week it was Alabama and Texas, this week it's just Utah).

Now, MH does have a point -- there is considerable distress in the world of NCAA football when it comes to picking who should be the best/last/triumphant team standing come January 6. This is typically a huge issue every year.

And, in fact, it's an issue for the very reason that Mark pointed out -- we (media, fans, coaches, everyone) always tend to be stone cold wrong about a few particular conferences and/or teams. Hawaii was a perfect example last year; many people actually thought they were good enough to beat Georgia. Whoops. Same thing with, apparently, Alabama -- although I'm still not willing to concede that they aren't an upper tier team, Utah just got the reverse treatment.

But here's the thing: as long as the current setup for college football stands, this will always be an issue. There are several problems. First of all, preseason polls are a total and utter disaster. The need to rank teams as soon as a season ends begs and pleads for us to cave in and actually foster misconceptions about particular programs. See: the Big Ten, every freaking year.

Misconstruing the talent level of a particular program leads to the second issue; it's nearly impossible for a team like Utah -- with their conference, schedule and the inherent bias -- to actually rise high enough in the BCS standings to get a shot at winning a national title.

FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.

A brief moment of levity from college football's tense and exciting bowl season. Where else but the relaxed Hawaii bowl between Notre Dame and Hawaii for an announcer to compare a collision that released a flurry of gold paint from a Notre Dame players' helmet to something slightly, unintentionally inappropriate.

See the clip for yourself after the jump.

FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.

Back when the bowl bids were handed out, there was a rumor that the Motor City Bowl desperately wanted Notre Dame to head in for a matchup with Central Michigan. The Irish refused -- one reason being that a Christmas trip to Hawaii is more appealing than a visit to Detroit. But deep down, I had a theory that Notre Dame thought a game against Hawaii might work out better than one against the high-powered Chips.

Whether or not that theory has legs, the decision to head to the island proved a solid one: Notre Dame absolutely pasted Hawaii, 49-21, ending a nine-game losing streak for the Irish in bowl games.

Things got off to a bit of a slow start -- ND led 7-0 after a sluggish first quarter. Sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen took over after that, though, hurling five touchdown passes and racking up 401 yards through the air. Clausen helped Notre Dame stretch its early lead to 28-7 at halftime, and 49-14 after three. Golden Tate hauled in six of Clausen's 22 completions for 177 yards and three scores.

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu, Hawaii), which pits Hawaii against BYU.

Overview / Matchup: One would be hard pressed to find a football team more deserving of a trip to beautiful Hawaii than the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Or, maybe you disagree. You filthy cynic. Either way, we all win, because Charlie Weis will be rocking shorts and a Hawaiian shirt come late December.

Okay, yes, that's a losing scenario, but it's one we face with Notre Dame heading to the islands for a post season bowl, and one that will have them face off against the "native" Rainbow Warriors, who are fortunate enough to avoid travel expenses and get to give the Irish a chance to really regret firing Chuckles.

Hotels: There are a few budget hotels closer to Aloha Stadium, but the main tourist area is 20 or 25 minutes away. However, if you're seeking quality accommodation the drive will be worth it. Stay at the Halekulani and swim in their world famous Orchid-mosaic pool. If the Halekulani is out of your price-range, stay at its sister property, the much more affordable Waikiki Parc Hotel. Guests are offered plenty of shared privileges with the Halekulani (except for use of the pool). If economy is your concern, stay at the Pacific Marina Inn. The hotel has limited services and accommodation, but it's one of the only places in Honolulu where you can find a room for under 100 a night. It's also closer to the airport and the stadium than the other hotels.