College football is a big mess. I'd use more colorful language to describe it, but I'm offended by profanity, so I won't use it.
When the Ohio State Buckeyes walked off the field two weeks ago at the Big House in Ann Arbor, they had won a Big Ten championship, and figured to be going to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for the first time in a long time. The Buckeyes have been making a habit of going to the Fiesta Bowl and/or the national championship game. But, something weird happened on the way to the travel agent. A lot of teams have lost in the last two weeks. And, The Ohio State University will once again find themselves in the national championship game. The Buckeyes beat every team in Northeast Ohio (Akron, Kent State, and Youngstown State). They would have beaten Cleveland State if CSU had a football team. The Bucks then ran through a weak Big Ten, only stumbling against the Fighting Ron Zooks, aka the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Who else has a case to be in the spot opposing the Buckeyes in New Orleans? Here are a few teams:
LSU: The Tigers survived the SEC and claimed the conference championship. Their only two losses were in triple overtime, at Kentucky and at home to Arkansas. They defeated ACC champion Virginia Tech by 41 points. The Tigers have now been voted #2 by the AP and coaches polls. The coaches poll will be used as part of the BCS formula. LSU is an odds-on favorite to be the second team at their home-away-from home in New Orleans for the national championship game.
Oklahoma: My Sooners won their fifth Big 12 championship this decade by dispatching of the formerly #1 Missouri Tigers, 38-17. The Sooners are really good when they're on, but I can't make a case for them over LSU. They had a brain fart in the fourth quarter at Colorado, costing them a win. They later fell apart for three quarters at Texas Tech as QB Sam Bradford suffered a concussion. OU would be dangerous in a playoff, but will have to settle for a trip to the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.
Georgia: The Bulldogs are the hottest team in the country, having not lost since October 6. They are 10-2, losing the SEC East on a tiebreaker to Tennessee. UGa would also be dangerous in a playoff. But, it's hard to make a case for a team that didn't win its conference.
USC: The Trojans are healthy again, and dangerous. SC is 10-2, losing to a healthy Oregon in Eugene and suffering an inexplicable upset loss to Stanford at home. A team that loses to Stanford should not be playing in the national championship game. The Trojans will have to settle for a trip to the Rose Bowl and the opportunity to pound the Fighting Illini.
Kansas: The Jayhawks have only one loss, a 34-28 loss to archrival Missouri. However, they benefited from a super-weak non-conference schedule and the most favorable Big 12 schedule, getting to play the three weakest teams from the Big 12 South and missing the three best South teams (OU, Texas, Texas Tech). Interestingly, KU will probably win by losing last week's Missouri game, as their 11-1 record will get them into a BCS bowl game.
Missouri: The Tigers will get hosed. The Tigers have only lost to one team, Oklahoma. They lost to the Sooners twice, including a tail-whipping on Saturday night. They will be penalized for beating Kansas to earn the opportunity for the rematch with Oklahoma, as they are now 11-2. Mizzou proved on the field that they are better than Kansas, but will have to settle for Breakfast In Dallas at the Cotton Bowl.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies are 10-2 and are the best team in a weak ACC. Had they not blown a lead in their first game with Boston College, they could very well be the #2 team in the nation. Instead, the Hokies will have to settle for a trip to South Beach.
Hawaii: Why not? The way this season has been, they'd put up as good of a game as anyone. They're undefeated, though playing in a suspect conference. The Warriors' best non-conference win was against a Washington team that finished last in the Pac 10. Still, Hawaii should be in a BCS bowl when the pairings are released Sunday night.
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4 comments:
Undefeated should have something other than a possible bcs bowl. It's not like they are a crap team. I HATE the bcs.
It would be even worse if the non-BCS conferences hadn't threatened to take the BCS to court. Otherwise, Hawaii would have been hosed like Tulane and Marshall were in undefeated seasons.
Yeah! Let's sue 'em! I didn't even know they were enough of an entity to be sued. I say get all the money you can out of them since they hose so many schools!
The BCS is really a collection of six conferences.
Legal action has been threatened. About three or so years ago, the president of Tulane testified before a congressional committee regarding inequities in the BCS, so the BCS increased access to non-BCS conferences in order to keep Congress out of the deal. Therefore, Utah, Boise State, and Hawaii have been able to get into a BCS bowl.
Interestingly, Utah and Boise State both won their games. I wouldn't be surprised if the no-longer-Rainbow Warriors did the same.
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