If there was any one aspect of 2009 that made it one of the dullest seasons in recent memory, it was the absence of any really compelling underdog story to break up the inevitable march to a Texas-Alabama/Florida championship game – even with the unlikely runs to perfect regular seasons by Boise State, Cincinnati and TCU, there was never any threat to the hold of the “Big Three” on the top three spots, and for that matter, no notable upsets by the Broncos, Bearcats or Horned Frogs en route to their respective conference championships. The season had an inevitable feel that drained most of the drama until the postseason. (Unless, of course, you’re really captivated by petty officiating “scandals.”)

Don’t take my word for it: Check out Daniel Engber’s lengthy examination of underdog economics in Slate.com for a persuasive case that casual fandom thrives overwhelmingly on the suspense of the upset, the comeback and the sense of community and shared experience that derives from witnessing the wholly unexpected (which, unfortunately, a lot of people these days may experience only through sports). Outside of our more longstanding, emotional attachments to specific teams, we need underdogs, and the best seasons – such as 2007, when Appalachian State upset Michigan, Stanford knocked off USC, 11 different teams lost with the No. 1 or No. 2 ranking after Oct. 1 and the LSU-Ohio State matchup in the BCS Championship wasn’t decided until literally the final seconds of the final Saturday of the regular season –