Jackson Free Press

The 2010 Duke Blue Devils can be your national champion, because they won't be mine. This team was one of the worst national champions in recent memory. Sure, they showed grit and clutch performances. But Coach K's crew plowed through a weak ACC like Caesar through Gaul, then took advantage of so many upsets in the first few weeks. Their hot streak through the last four games cemented a fifth national championship for the Blue Devils, but I doubt that this team could have beaten any of those other great Duke teams. A generous critic would call them overachievers. I don't.

Many followers of college football are advocating for a tournament for D-I college football, but those same fans and reporters should take the 2010 Duke Blue Devils, a team that is probably the weakest NCAA champion since the 1985 Villanova team. As flawed as it may be, when was the last time that the college football champion was such a weak team? The 1984 BYU Cougars? The 2009-2010 National Champions are Exhibit A, in support of the current bowl system. The Tournament is great, and it was especially great this year. The Championship game against Butler and Duke was fantastic, but it has left us with perhaps the weakest NCAA champion in twenty-five years.

Name all the teams that were consistently better than Duke this year: Kentucky (went cold shooting), Syracuse (mishandled a late-game lead), Kansas (had a bad game and Collins hogged the ball), Purdue (with Robbie Hummel), and Kansas State (missed out on a #1 seed because of a tough conference). Could this Duke team beat any of the last nine champions? Michigan State, Duke, Maryland, Syracuse, Connecticut, UNC, Florida (2006 & 2007), Kansas, or UNC? I doubt this team could beat last year's runner-up (Michigan State), or any of the 2008 Final Four teams (Kansas, UNC, Memphis, and UCLA).

Not that it matters a great deal. They were the best team for six consecutive games, after putting together a good regular season. Congrats, Duke! It's one for the thumb.

Previous Comments

ID

157101

Comment

Well first you obviously know nothing about Duke basketball, they have the total package. I dont see how you can say anything but great things about Coach K and just in case you miss this to, they have the top three players in the nation. They have been tough to compete with for years but maybe your to young to know a good thing huh? Well congrats to the blue devils even though this was what YOU would call "weak" they still had better percentages than average and won the championship, need I say more?

Author

Bluedukie1

Date

2010-04-06T15:55:07-06:00

ID

157102

Comment

I sho nuff wanted Butler to win. I can't stand Duke no more than I can Notre Dame, North Carolina or any of the other fat cats.

Author

Walt

Date

2010-04-06T16:31:57-06:00