STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
Good morning once again, John.
JOHN FEINSTEIN: Steve, I don't know if the cobwebs have shaken off yet, but good morning.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
INSKEEP: Good to talk with you. So how did LSU win this game?
FEINSTEIN: But the team that really didn't belong in this game was Ohio State, because the Big Ten was such an overrated conference this year. As mentioned in the piece, Michigan lost to Appalachian State.
INSKEEP: So does that suggest that LSU's two losses really does show about how good a team they were? Really good, not the greatest ever, but Ohio State was just inferior in your opinion?
FEINSTEIN: Yes. I think that's a good description. LSU's two losses were both in triple overtime. So they could have been undefeated; they were not. Southern California had injuries. They could have been undefeated; they were not. There were no great teams this year. There were very good teams like the ones I've mentioned. And again, this gets back to the same argument we have every year in January: there should be a playoff system so you can determine that national champion and who plays for the National Championship on the field, not by computers and votes of sportswriters and people like that.
INSKEEP: Well, is there anybody other than LSU who got into the championship game by that system and won? And is there anybody else who has a legitimate claim on the national title today, according to some people?
FEINSTEIN: Well, yes. I mean, Georgia, which played in the same conference as LSU and also had two losses certainly can make a claim. They finished the year with seven straight wins. As I said, Southern Cal, which dominated another Big Ten team, Illinois, in the Rose Bowl. And even Kansas, which finished way down in the polls, seventh, they only had one loss all season. And that was to Missouri, which finished fourth in the polls. So any of those teams can make that claim, as can LSU, of course, and that - maybe the presidents at Georgia, Southern Cal and Kansas will be so upset by what happened that they'll take a step in the direction of a playoff.
INSKEEP: Nobody was undefeated though. Hawaii had a shot.
FEINSTEIN: Right.
INSKEEP: Didn't get anywhere near it.
FEINSTEIN: No, Hawaii got crushed in the Sugar Bowl by Georgia. And unfortunately now people are saying, well, this proves that the teams from the non-BCS conference aren't good enough, they shouldn't play against the powers. Last year, Boise State beat Oklahoma when they had the chance to play against a power school. That's why we should have a tournament so that we can have a George Mason a la basketball in football.
INSKEEP: One last thing, John. And be honest now. Did you manage to watch the game last night all the way to the end?
FEINSTEIN: All the way to the end. It took forever, didn't it? And that's because there is one really bad rule that needs to be changed in college football. They call a timeout every time a team gets a first down. They need to go to the NFL rule where they call timeout only in the last two minutes when a team is trying to win the game. The games are much too long for everybody.
INSKEEP: All right. John Feinstein after an the endurance contest last night, thanks very much.
FEINSTEIN: Okay. Thanks, Steve.
INSKEEP: His latest book is "Cover-up: Mystery at the Super Bowl."