Bizarro World

In a season where Michigan lost to Appalachian State, USC lost at home to Stanford as a 40-point favorite, and Kansas played Missouri when both were top 5 teams in the nation, two more teams blew chances to be in the BCS national championship game.

Tonight, in Morgantown, the West Virginia Mountaineers inexplicably lost as four-touchdown favorites at home to archrival Pittsburgh, 13-9. West Virginia had a golden opportunity to advance to the national championship game and blew it. An entire state is in mourning.

As Las Vegas expected, #1 Missouri will be #1 no longer. Oklahoma spanked the Tigers for the second time this year, defeating Mizzou 38-17. OU wins their 41st conference championship, their 5th in the Big 12. The Sooners become the first team to repeat as Big 12 champions, and advance to the Fiesta Bowl. Missouri will most likely be ripped off, because Kansas will be ranked higher in the BCS rankings and will be invited to a BCS bowl over Mizzou, despite losing last week in Kansas City.

So, Ohio State backs into the national championship game. The Buckeyes are 11-1, playing a weak non-conference schedule and winning a down Big Ten. But, you have to beat the teams you play, and tOSU beat everyone but Illinois. I have to respect the Buckeyes. Most Big Ten teams are satisfied to just go to the Rose Bowl. TOSU plays to go to the national championship game and to win it. The Rose Bowl would be a consolation prize for the Buckeyes.

Who will the Buckeyes play? Do they play a two-loss team? Or, does Kansas, the only other one-loss BCS team, move up to #2? Georgia is the odds-on favorite to move up, as they were #4 in the last BCS rankings. But, LSU, USC, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech are conference champions that can make a case for the second spot in New Orleans.

Elsewhere in the world of college football:

LSU rallied around coach Les Miles, who decided that today, he is the coach at LSU. He could still go to Michigan next week, but he declared today that he is still the coach of the Tigers. LSU went out and defeated Tennessee, 21-14, to win the SEC and the national championship of the Confederacy.

I hope ABC and ESPN are paying the ACC enough money to justify expansion. Virginia Tech and Boston College played before a half-full stadium in Jacksonville today for the ACC championship. The Hokies used a late interception to seal a 30-16 win for their second ACC title in four years in the conference. This expansion was originally brought about in order to hook Florida State and Miami up for the title every year. The Canes haven't sniffed the championship game, and FSU won their one in 2005 with five overall losses. The ACC may need to risk the weather and move this game to either Charlotte or Washington, D.C. Expansion is turning into a big bomb for the ACC. Their basketball is diluted, their football is weakened, and their conference is turning into a poor cousin of the nearby SEC. Hopefully, the 12 schools are laughing all the way to the bank. By the way, what is Boston College doing in this conference? Yeah, they're on the Atlantic Coast, but the ACC is a fried chicken and barbecue conference. BC is from the land of chowder. BC and the Big East need to kiss and make up.

More thoughts Sunday or Monday as the BCS selections are made and bowl invitations are extended...