STANFORD, CA--In a college football season full of shocking upsets, the most shocking one of all happened when the regular season was already over: the Stanford Cardinals, who finished with a 4-8 record, edged the 11-1 Ohio State Buckeyes for first place in the BCS voting.

The Cinderella Cardinals will play the Buckeyes in the National Championship game in New Orleans.

“Oh my God. This is the greatest day of my life!” screamed coach Jim Harbaugh. “I am just so proud of this team. First, we beat USC, then we took down Cal, but this – this is just stunning. Nobody – nobody – thought we could do this! I didn’t even think we could do this. I mean, we finished 4-8. It’s retarded. But this season has been so crazy I guess we shouldn’t be surprised about anything. Hell, even LSU got in, and those losers couldn’t even beat Arkansas.”

Stanford players spent Sunday night celebrating their improbable victory as parties raged all over campus. Quarterback Tavita Pritchard, who confessed to being “blown away” by the decision, nonetheless said his team would play to win.

“It’s amazing that this happened,” said Pritchard. “After all we’ve been through this season, all the ups and down, to have it turn out like this is a dream. Still, we’re not just happy to be here. We want to win the game. We know we’re underdogs, but we’re used to flying under the radar. Most crappy teams are.”

The roller coaster ride of a season has seen several upsets, starting with Appalachian State’s historic victory over Michigan and continuing with the Cards’ win over USC, Illinois’ victory at Ohio State, and Pitt’s shocker over West Virginia in Morgantown. But the latest stunner tops them all.

“Just when you think you’ve seen it all this year, something like this happens,” said ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit. “This has got to be the craziest year in the history of college football. And they say we need a playoff system. How can a playoff system top this type of drama?”

The suspense started around six p.m. when it was reported that Stanford was battling Ohio State and LSU for the top spot. When it was announced that Stanford had earned the number one ranking and would play in the national title game, college football fans everywhere went into a state of shock.

“This decision is an absolute travesty,” wrote one LSU blogger. “Everybody knows we’re better than Stanford. We’re the ones that should be going to the national title game. Those guys weren’t even ranked. They weren’t even close to being ranked. This is just more proof of the media bias against the SEC. You can bet I'll be addressing that in this week's rant.”

Perhaps no one is more shocked by the vote than the Buckeyes, who expected to win the top spot and face off against LSU. Still, they’re not taking the Cardinals lightly and plan to approach the game as if they’re playing someone good.

“Of course we thought we were going to be in a different situation, but we still have to go out there and play the game,” said coach Jim Tressell. “This Cardinal team is a lot better than their record indicates. As for the vote, what can I say? It was a surprise. But I still don't think it's as shocking as us losing at home to Illinois.”

Copyright 2007, The Brushback - Do not reprint without permission. This article is satire and is not intended as actual news.

 /p>