BCS Question

[Yellow Dog]

I've made my opinion of the BCS well known here so I'm not trying to start a debate about its virture, or more specifically lack of. But what I'm wondering is, if USC, Oklanhoma and Auburn all finish the season undefeated, which one gets left out of the BCS championship game?

[Chisox73]

It depends on how the computer ranks them.Althogh,Auburn is slowly closing in on Oklahoma,they could still be left out if USC and Oklahoma finish unbeaten.But remember,USC still has UCLA and Notre Dame left,so this is could get interesting the next couple of weeks.

[rockin500]

It'll be Auburn and USC if things continue as they are, as they will gain respect if they can beat Bama and then the SEC championship game. I mean, Oklahoma has Baylor this week and then a patsie from the Big 12 North?

[shnuskis]

Does the SEC Champ. count towards the BCS? The Big 12 Champ. didn't, when last year or two years ago when Ok. lost in it.

[Yellow Dog]

Does the SEC Champ. count towards the BCS? The Big 12 Champ. didn't, when last year or two years ago when Ok. lost in it.

Yes and No. I say that because noboby seems to know exactly how the BCS works. Last year, for example, Oklahoma lost in the Big 12 championship game and still got in the BCS title game. LSU won the SEC Championshio game and then leaped USC to get into that game. So it seems that OU's lost didn't hurt them, while LSU's win hepled them. So I don't know the answer to your question.

If Auburn wins the SEC championship and goes 12-0 wins over LSU, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and two over Tennessee it would be hard for me to imagine them being left out. However their non-confernce schedule is pretty lame and they may or may not hurt them. We'll see. But they will have to face the Vols in the SEC game and its tough to beat a good team twice in a season.

If Oklahoma goes 12-0 it would be equally hard to keep them out. Right now I would say an undefeated season for USC would be the least impressive of the three. I say this because they have been in more close games and would not have to win a championship game. But then there may be some sentiment towards them because of the perception that they got screwed last year.

But as always with the BCS, there's no telling what will happen. And poor Utah can go undefeated and not even get a sniff at the title, and compared to the other three teams, rightfully so. They don't belong with those teams on paper, but its a shame that we can't see that proven on the field.

If all three teams don't go unbeaten all of this becomes a moot point. But I hope they do or we get a handful of good teams with one loss apiece. Anything that screws up the BCS, I'm in favor of happening.

[rockin500]

Okalhoma was SOOOOO far ahead in the BCS and the SOS hurt USC last year. Thats why the Big 12 Championship didnt hurt OU much last year.

Remember, the big 12 North is so horrible this year, so Oklahoma isnt going to get the love in that regard. I mean, look at their final two opponents. I would think Bama and Tennessee are more impressive opponents than Baylor and probably Nebraska (or whomever comes out of the north)

[Yellow Dog]

You're right on both counts, Ray. The fact is if they all go undefeated, somebody is going to get screwed. As for which team it will be, you can make a case for or against each one. That's why if it happens, its going to be interesting to see who gets the shaft this year. And I just hope like hell that happens.

[PopTop]

I don't have as much of a problem with the BCS as YD and others here. Certainly it could be tweaked to make it better, or possibly it's "over-tweaked" or over-engineered now, at least it is to the point that the average fan can't really understand or learn all of its intricacies.

The two primary reasons I can accept the BCS are:
1) Just letting coaches or writers rank teams isn't perfectly objective, and;
2) Ask 100 people how many teams should get a berth in a playoff system, and you're going to get 100 different answers. And inevitably, you'd wind up with some goofy 32- or 64-team postseason tournament if for no other reason than the extra money will be too tempting for universities.


The only solution I've come up with is to combine the two: Let the BCS pick the top four teams and match them up #1 vs. #4 and #2 vs. #3 on New Year's Day. Then the winners playoff the next week, maybe a Monday night during the NFL playoffs or during that extra dead week they have before some Super Bowls. You're still going to have people, primarily writers drumming up controversy, bellyaching and throwing a tantrum because their guys were gypped and ranked #5 or #6 in the BCS. Like I said, there's always going to be pressure to increase the number of teams.

But if we look at the problems of the BCS in the past, up to now the trouble hasn't really been determining the #1 team but rather what order the 2-3-4 squads should be, especially #2 and #3 slots.

Still, as smart as I'd like to think my plan was, it probably has about a zero chance of happening since it would first mean restructuring the payouts for the present four BCS Bowls (Sugar, Orange, Fiesta and Rose). The only way those four entities, especially the Rose Bowl folks, were enticed to throw out all of their tradition was to pay them more money. I sort of think they'll put up a helluva' fight if you try to take money from them now and deny their bowl games some of the national championship luster.

I'm for saving as much of the old bowl system as possible and really don't care if that makes me an old fogey or hard-headed traditionalist in the eyes of some.

[rockin500]

I'm all for the Bowl plus One method. would it solve all the problems? probably not, but it does solve some.

Plus, the problems with the playoff, why can it work in all the other divisions, but not in Division 1-A? I mean, seriously now. If it works for the others, make it work for the big boys.

[Timberwolf]

As far as I am concerned, USC and Auburn should be in the championship game. Period. Auburn goes because they play in a tough conference and USC goes because they got screwed last year in the BCS. You know the saying. What goes around, comes around and Oklahoma is going to learn that. Plus USC/Auburn is more watchable than Oklahoma/USC.

Bob Stoops mouthing off on ESPN was a joke. That is not going to win him and his team points in my opinion.

Of course, Auburn, Oklahoma, and USC has a lot of games to go so this is not etched in stone. Here's hoping Oklahoma get their first loss by then.

Oh and I hate the BC$.

[Yellow Dog]

I'm for saving as much of the old bowl system as possible and really don't care if that makes me an old fogey or hard-headed traditionalist in the eyes of some.

I can't really disagree with that myself. In fact, I can understand that point of view. I have always enjoyed the bowls although I think its gotten a little out of hand lately with so many of them and so many 6-5 teams playing in them. But I can see your point. My only thing is that if we are going to keep the current bowl system, let's just do away with the concept of a national champion. We can have conference champions and individual bowl champions and let it go at that. But it seems pretty inane to me for us to PRETEND to have a national champion when under the current system there is no way to really prove it.

But if we are going to have a "National Championship" game, there needs to be a better way to decide who plays in it. And again, I didn't mean to start a thread debating the pros and cons of the BCS. We've all pretty much made our thoughts on that known over the last few years so there's no real point in kicking that proverbial dead horse anymore. Like it or hate it, we are stuck with it for the fore-see-able future. I was mainly curious to know which of three deserving teams people think will get left out of the "Championship" game if all three go undefeated.

[rockin500]

Oklahoma will still get left out. :cool: theyve been losing ground to auburn and are now even in the polls. If auburn wins one of the last two in a blowout, theres no question who is number one.

I want a playoff system like every other division and every other sport in NCAA. what makes college football division 1-A so special?

[Yellow Dog]

I would like a playoff to, Ray. I'm just not going to hold my breath until it happens. The concept of "one and done" adds so much to post season games in other sports, that it would be great to see a playoff in division I football. But college presidents like the bowl system and until they come around, its not going to happen regardless of what us paying fans want.

[rockin500]

the thing that really makes me upset though is when they say "it hurts the students, they should be studying or whatever"

correct me if i am wrong, but most colleges are still on break until the 2nd week of January at least (mine was usually off until after MLK day). Also, what about all these college basketball tournaments going on right now? or these weekday games on ESPN? talk about hypocrisy.

[Yellow Dog]

the thing that really makes me upset though is when they say "it hurts the students, they should be studying or whatever"

correct me if i am wrong, but most colleges are still on break until the 2nd week of January at least (mine was usually off until after MLK day). Also, what about all these college basketball tournaments going on right now? or these weekday games on ESPN? talk about hypocrisy.

I saw a report the other day that said women's softball teams miss more class time than those in any other sport. It's funny how we don't hear any outcry about that.