Our #8 Story of the Decade looks at the world of D-I college athletics and the struggle between the haves and the have nots. The moments when the slipper still fit... and the moments when Cinderella couldn't even get in to the ball. This decade provided many memorable moments for unbelievable upsets, but will also last as a staunch reminder that the BCS is still full of BS. Let's look at the teams this decade in college basketball and football that made Cinderella a household name.
Gonzaga
-In the 1999 NCAA Tournament Gonzaga of the WCC first came on stage as Cinderella by shocking the world and reaching the Elite Eight. Coach Dan Monson left for anonymity at Minnesota and new head man Mark Few took the Bulldogs back to the Sweet 16 where they lost to Purdue. Maybe Monson should have stayed. Few has taken Gonzaga across the country this decade and made them a household name amongst the top programs in college basketball. In 2000 and 2001, the Bulldogs made the Sweet 16. In 2003 they lost a memorable 2nd round double OT game to #1 seed Arizona. The next season they reached #3 in the polls, but bowed out early in the big dance.
The '05-'06 Gonzaga team might have been the best yet with All-American Adam Morrison. The program picked up a signature win over Michigan State in the Maui Invitational and looked headed back to their first Elite 8 appearance of the decade, but blew a big lead against UCLA. You might be familiar with this video...
The latter part of the decade has seen the Zags as a consistent Top 25 team, but unable to match the tournament success of their first run in 1999. Mark Few though has established the program as one of the nation's best with a 272-68 career record. Gonzaga has been the poster child for how to succeed as a mid-major.
Utah
-While Gonzaga was establishing themselves on the hardwood, the Utes of the Mountain West (under offensive genius Urban Meyer) were testing the mettle of the BCS on the gridiron. Meyer took over the Utah program in 2003 and made them the first BCS buster a year later. Even though programs like Marshall, TCU, and Miami (OH) had made runs into the Top 15 of the BCS Standings, the 2004 Utah team was the first to earn a birth into the exclusive Bowl Championship Series. Utah crushed Pitt 35-7 and finished #4 in the standings. Even though Urban Meyer left for glory at Florida, the Utes returned to the BCS to smash #4 Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. Utah has won their last 8 Bowl Games, the longest streak in the country.
Boise State
-The WAC's BCS Buster also went unbeaten in 2004, but did not receive an invite into the BCS. They lost a "mid-major showdown" with Louisville (in C-USA at the time) in the Liberty Bowl. In 2006, the Broncos were finally invited to join the party after their 2nd unbeaten season in three years, but their reward was a date with Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. You might have heard about that game...
Boise went unbeaten and received a whopping 1 first place vote while a week later 1 loss Florida won the National Title on the same field. Boise went unbeaten for the 3rd time this decade in 2009, but will again be shut out of the National Title Game picture while unbeaten Texas and Alabama play for it all.
Appalachian State
-One of the greatest games and upsets in college football history was followed up with another classic at the start of the very next season. Preseason #5 Michigan played host to I-AA champ Appalachian State. A I-AA team had never beaten a ranked I-A team, let alone one that was a preseason Top 5 team with returning stars at QB and RB in Chad Henne and Mike Hart. AS MUCH AS I FIND THOM BRENNAMAN'S LOUD MONOTONE VOICE OBNOXIOUS, he got the call right with this one...
The AP Top 25 changed the rule to allow FCS teams to be voted in to the poll after the upset that made the front pages of SI and the New York Times. App State received a couple votes in the Top 25 poll surprisingly, but they were never heard from again in I-A.
George Mason
-Perhaps the most shocking of all Cinderella stories was George Mason's run to the 2006 Final 4. The Patriots received an at-large bid out of the CAA and a 12 seed. Their march through the tournament included a comeback win against UNC in the 2nd round when they trailed 16-2 early on. A win over fellow mid-major Wichita State put them in the Elite 8 against UConn. Another classic David vs Goliath matchup reminded us that it David is supposed to win every now and then...
GMU lost to evenutal National Champion Florida in the Final 4, but has that final from Washington sunk in still after these years have passed? George Mason 86 UConn 84. It's the closest a mid-major has gotten to a National Championship in this decade.
Honorable Mentions
-2002 Kent State BBall Elite 8 Appearance - lost to Runner Up Indiana
-Two Sweet 16 Appearances for Butler and Southern Illinois
-2007 Hawaii Football went 12-0 before losing in the Sugar Bowl to #4 Georgia
-2008 Davidson Elite 8 Appearance - lost to NC Kansas
What It All Means
-This decade has been a constant roller coaster of ups and downs for College Cinderellas. For every success on and off the field, there has been disappointment. Look at these examples...
*ESPN capitalized on the success of mid-major basketball teams with the institution of BracketBusters, a showcase for mid-major teams to face each other in the national spotlight.
*The 2006 NCAA Tournament saw 5 mid-major conferences receive multiple bids and unparalleled success, but several deserving teams including RPI #23 Missouri State were excluded.
*The BCS added an additional bowl game to allow more opportunities to mid-major programs, but only 1 non-BCS team is allowed to receive an automatic bid, and even then they must finish in the Top 12 to do so.
*Congress has wanted to step in to take a look at the inequity of the BCS. Even President Obama supports a playoff. I'm sure in the midst of 2 wars, a healthcare debate, and an economic downturn that will get done.
*Power conferences like the Big 10 and SEC get richer with TV networks and lucrative contracts. The expansion of the ACC and Big East earlier this decade also ripped the heart out of much of Conference USA and affected many other smaller conferences.
*In 2009 5 teams finished the college football season unbeaten - Texas, Alabama, TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State. Even though Cincinnati resides in a BCS conference, they were never legitimately considered for a BCS berth ahead of more fancied competition in Texas and Alabama. TCU and Boise will play each other in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. This represents the first season where 2 BCS Busters will have made it in, and they will get to prove their worth against... each other. A conspiracy to keep the BCS Busters in place? Hmm...
Seriously though, we've gotten to a point where schools like Cincinnati are treated like mid-majors because they weren't ranked highly enough in the preseason, or they aren't one of the power players of the BCS. Look in college basketball where proud programs like Xavier and Memphis, who have made Elite 8s and Final 4s, have been pushed towards mid-majordom with the decline of the A-10 and Conference USA. Now there are rumors about the NCAA Tournament expanding to 96 teams, making it even harder for Cinderella.
Few big programs in basketball or football will risk playing at mid-major competition. Mid-majors are still seeded rather poorly in the NCAA Tournament and given little at-large notice. In football, the gap between BCS Schools and non-BCS schools has never been as stark as this season. Even unbeaten seasons including huge non-conference wins (TCU @ Clem, Boise v Oregon) won't be recognized. So, while the 2000s has seen Cinderella spotlighted like never before, the clock has always struck midnight for these hopefuls. If anything, the gap has gotten further between the haves and the have-nots in big time college basketball and football.
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