by BOB MOLINARO , The Virginian-Pilot

But doesn't everybody hate the BCS?

You could say that.

The BCS has been maligned more than Detroit auto executives. The president-elect singled it out for criticism, while among members of the More Taste League, the BCS is less popular than open container laws.

There's not a more convenient whipping boy in sports. But if not for the BCS, college football this year would be a lot less filling.

Look at it this way: everybody complains about the BCS, but what annoys us also creates interest.

If it weren't for the arguments and talk-show shoutfests spawned by the BCS's Byzantine formulas - not to mention the heavily hyped games with BCS implications - this would have been a very dull season for big-time football.

You can't tell me that people cursed by interest in the ACC have been having a lot of fun. If they knew what was good for them, they logged off ACC football weeks ago. Same for Big East masochists.

Even the Southeastern Conference has been in a competitive recession. The SEC might yet produce the national champion, but its vaunted depth has been lacking; interesting games few and far between.

On the West Coast, while brushfires raged, perennial BCS player Southern California couldn't blaze its way into serious contention.

The Big Ten featured a good story in Penn State and a slightly overrated Ohio State, but not much else of interest, unless you count Michigan's worst season since air was pumped inside a pig bladder.

Not to overlook Utah, Boise State or Ball State, but let's face it, everybody does.

On a national scale, the season was resuscitated by Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The most intriguing match-ups, best quarterback play and liveliest debates have come out of the Big 12 South.

Still, the intramural tangos among Big 12 powers wouldn't have created as much interest if not for the BCS, warts and all.

The BCS: We hate it, but we can't live without it.

If it makes you feel better, though, there are other things that deserve our gratitude.

David Wright continues to be a major talent and national figure for the Mets, but South Hampton Roads' reputation as a big-league talent factory received another boost when B.J. Upton emerged as a postseason hitting star for the Tampa Bay Rays .

The NFL, our secular religion, lost Tom Brady to injury but retained the talent and fire of Brett Favre. Be thankful that Favre's next retirement crisis is at least two months away.

As Christmas approaches, parents should be thankful that John Daly is not their child's department-store Santa.

Be grateful, too, that you are not being asked to explain how Citigroup, which just laid off 50,000 employees and is asking for billions in government bailouts, can proceed with plans to spend $400 million on naming rights for the Mets' new stadium.

There is any number of reasons to give thanks, not the least of which is that today's football game from Detroit comes along only once a year.

In tough economic times, Americans are being asked to share the Motor City's pain, but must that include spending our afternoon with the lowly Lions, pro football's version of the Pinto?

"We all stuff a turkey on Thanksgiving," Mike Ditka says. "That doesn't mean you have to stuff that turkey down our throats."

A lot of people believe the BCS is a tough bird to swallow, too. But what would this college season be without it? Duller, I think.

Something to digest as you dig into your pumpkin pie.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com

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