Yeah it's pretty sad that people are saying "the only reason OSU lost was because of that plane crash" Complete ********. I doubt that any of their football players knew any of the coaches of the girls basketball team.
I thought OSU had an equal argument to play in BCS title game as Alabama did, but as soon as I heard the "argument" of the plane crash to justify it, it irked me, and I'm almost glad OSU didn't jump to No. 2 because of that.
For one, it's a real-life sorrow that's tacked onto the result of a sporting event.
Secondly, if that had any effect on the outcome of the game, it must have been a lingering effect, because OSU was up 24-7 and was ready to slam the door.
Third, the idea that Iowa State would have had no chance to win without the outlying tragedy ... this wasn't KU 2011 vs. LSU 2011. It was a significant upset, but hardly unthinkable.
Lastly — and any longtime ISU fan can relate to this — off-field details (and sometimes key player injuries) that seem to favor ISU end up the opposite way. I need not list examples.