Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers won the 2011 National Championship Monday night, and no matter what happens in the next twelve months, twelve years, or twelve decades, nobody will be able to take away that memory. It wasn't the smoothest ride to victory, but in the end, it doesn't matter.
Can America Finally Learn To Love Auburn?
And for all the cynicism college football’s inspired in 2011... That game was pretty incredible, no?
Oregon may not have won in the end, but anyone that doubted the legitimacy of their undefeated season was silenced last night. They played Auburn as close as anyone has all year, and had a fourth-and-goal play gone their way, there's a good chance we're talking about LaMichael James and Casey Matthews this morning instead of Cam Newton and Nick Fairley. Say what you want about TCU and the galling hypocrisy of the BCS system, but it'd be next to impossible to argue those weren't the two best teams in America last night.
In the end, the best team won. Auburn was tougher, just as fast, and made just a few more big plays than the Ducks. And speaking of the Ducks, let’s say this up front--that duck is totally awesome.
For America’s casual fans, it was hard to root against Oregon, and easy to root against Auburn. On one side, you had a team from a football-starved region that used ingenuity and one of the more captivating offenses we’ve seen in years. They’ve got great team colors, ridiculously hot cheerleaders, and that cute little running back that seems to be about two steps ahead of everyone at all times. And that duck. WHO COULD ROOT AGAINST THAT DUCK?
On the other side, there was Auburn with the quarterback that’s been accused of cheating the system, from a region as steeped in football as it is in corruption, and if that weren’t enough, the whole team is known for cheap shots and dirty tactics that have made them infamous for years. And that’s in a conference where you can bet infamy is well-earned.
But by all accounts, even the SEC fans--who routinely root for conference success regardless of their specific allegiances--were rooting like hell for Auburn to fall flat on their face Monday night. If SEC fans couldn’t even root for them, who could?
It was a classic case of Good vs. Evil, and Cam Newton wore the black hat.
It helped make for a compelling backstory to a game that could have sold itself without it, and the formula proved historically lucrative as far as ratings are concerned. But now that’s over, and as the dust settles on the 2011 college football season, and because my Auburn allegiance pissed off my SB Nation colleagues during last night’s game, let’s take an honest look at this.
For all the towering hypocrisy of the Cam Newton investigation, it’s nothing compared to the idea that LaMichael James is somehow any better. Should we point to the Range Rover his “uncle” bought him or the domestic violence chrages last February? Where are all the folks crowing about his lack of integrity? And please... Before we fall all over ourselves to congratulate the Cinderella story of Oregon football in the past decade, let’s remember that Nike CEO Phil Knight has poured hundreds of millions into making that program what it is today, and between the lavish facilities and neverending stream of Nike gear, Oregon enjoys one of the biggest recruiting advantages in the entire country. People complain that Auburn’s players are dirty on the field; what about the arrests that’ve happened at Oregon in the past 12 months?
None of this is to single out Oregon. It’s just... Especially with everyone snickering about Auburn’s title destined to be vacated, while sniveling columnists like Pete Thamel insist that Cam Newton will leave a legacy of scrutiny, it’s important to remember that the difference between “Good” and “Evil” is always pretty relative. And in college football, any distinction is laughable.
Take a close look at any program in the country, and you’ll find people breaking the rules, coaches allowing it to happen, and students and alumni (and TV networks and corporate sponsors and journalists and...) rallying around them regardless. That’s how the game is played.
Monday night, Auburn played it a little better than Oregon. Cam Newton was a little better than LaMichael James, and when LaMichael James ran into a wall on that fourth-and-goal play that ultimately decided the game, that wall was named Nick Fairley. No different than Vince Young and Texas playing a little better than Reggie Bush and USC a few years ago. And like that game, it was a great show.
And like Reggie Bush and Vince Young, no matter what happens after last night, we’ll always remember them for exactly what they were--some of the greatest college football players we’ve ever seen. You can scrutinize all you want, but in the end, there’s no good and evil when you’re talking about the programs like Auburn and Oregon. Just “very good”, and “a little better,” and what turned out to be one hell of a game, and what we’ll remember as one hell of a team.
Scrutinize and demonize them if you want, but if you can’t appreciate what Cam Newton and Auburn did this year and the finale last night, are you sure you want to be watching college football?
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