The biggest loser in college football this season was not Baylor and its scandal. Nor was it Penn State, left standing at the College Football Playoff door with a Big Ten trophy. Nor Fresno State, the only Division I-A squad with fewer than two victories. Nor Houston, which was snubbed by the Big 12 and then lost a fabulous coach.

College football's biggest loser in 2016 is in the Miami Beach Bowl on Monday against Tulsa. College football's biggest loser comes from the sleepy Mid-American Conference. College football's biggest loser is the University of Central Michigan.

On Sept. 10 in Stillwater, the Chippewas were given the gift of a lifetime. Central Michigan was presented with opportunity that will not pass this way again, either in Mount Pleasant, Mich., or any hamlet that houses a campus football squad.

Central Michigan's gift? The chance to do the right thing in a world that has lost its bearings. The chance to put honor over glory. The chance to stand on the highest hill and let America see what virtue looks like.