Bowl Game Theology

My theory that the twin humiliating losses suffered by Michigan and Michigan State in their respective bowl games was the almighty sky-deity punishing us for electing a Republican governor was put to a severe test in last night's Sugar Bowl.  (OK - if you contend that U of M has no business even being in a bowl game, you'll get no argument from me, but -- that State game -- OUCH!)

You see, Ohio also voted in a new Republican governor.  And not just any old Rethug - this is former congressman John Kasich, who spent his years nominally outside of government as a Faux Noise commentator, and from 2001-2008 was "employed by Lehman Brothers, the investment firm whose collapse precipitated the financial system collapse of 2008."   The exploits of job-exporting Rick Snyder pale in comparison.

You'd think that if anything deserves a 52-14 smack-down at the cloven hooves of an SEC opponent, this would be it.   But in the end the Buckeyes managed to cling to a razor(back) thin 31-26 victory.


In attempting to rationalize this outcome, I've come up with two not-mutually-exclusive theories.

1)  The sequence of early success and later dismay, followed by something close to despair and then near-cardiac arrest, watching the Razorbacks bore their way out of a 28-7 trough; coupled with the knowledge that 4 offensive stars plus the unlikely last-minute defensive hero of last night's game face suspension for committing the crime of free-market capitalism was punishment enough.   (Lesson: either graduate or lose academic eligibility first, sell the gold pants later.)

2)  This one to me is more convincing.  Consider the nature of the Arkansas loss - falling less than a touchdown short after a courageous second-half regrouping, with the prospect of a heroic come-from-behind victory tantalizingly dangled before their collective snout, then snatched away Lucy-like as they ultimately fell on their (razor)backs to defeat and disappointment.  

How can this be?  Not only did Ohio elect a particularly vile and heinous Rethug, Arkansas retained its incumbent Democratic Governor, Mike Beebe.  OTOH, they did split the ticket by electing Rethug Mark Darr as lieutenant governor.  But that can't possibly be enough.

Something must be truly rotten in the State of Arkansas to have pissed god off to this extent.  Could it be general corruption,  small town corruption,  police corruption, or public corruption?

We'll probably never know for sure.  The Lord moves in mysterious ways.  Not only did he allow the slaughter of the Arkansas hog, he's klling their birds and fish.
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