Sorting Out the BCS

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Filed on December 2nd, 2007 in NCAA Football ⋅ ⋅

So all of the games have been played, and there is nowhere near a consensus of who the top two teams are. And once again, the definition of who should play in the title game is unclear. Is it the best two teams, or the two most deserving teams?

Many people insist on saying that the national championship game should be between what they feel are the two best teams. Therefore, in many opinions, Ohio State shouldn’t go, and Hawai’i is not in the conversation. But shouldn’t the title game be about who earns it, just as it is in basketball, or any other sport for that matter?

If the NCAA football purists are going to claim that the regular season is like a playoff, therefore we don’t need a playoff, you have to accept how the season plays out. LSU was in no way convincingly one of the best two teams in the country this year, but after all is said and done, they may be one of the two most deserving teams.

If ever a year screamed playoff, this is the year.

Let’s look at the resumes of the national championship contenders. While six wins makes you bowl eligible, I’m referring to seven win teams as bowl teams.

Ohio State

Wins over Bowl Teams

Michigan – 14-3
Wisconsin – 38-17
Penn State – 37-17
Michigan State – 24-17
Purdue – 23-7

Losses
Illinois – 28-21

Wins over ranked teams at the time: 4
Wins over teams in final rankings: 1

*****

LSU

Wins over Bowl Teams

Mississippi State – 45-0
Virginia Tech – 48-7
Florida – 28-24
Auburn – 40-24
Tennessee – 21-14

Losses

Kentucky – 43-37 3OT
Arkansas – 50-48 3OT

Wins over ranked teams at the time: 6
Wins over teams in final rankings: 4

*****

Oklahoma

Wins over Bowl Teams

Tulsa – 62-21
Texas – 28-21
Missouri – 41-31
Texas A&M – 42-14
Missouri – 38-17

Losses

Colorado – 27-24
Texas Tech – 34-27

Wins over ranked teams at the time: 3
Wins over teams in final rankings: 3

*****

Georgia

Wins over Bowl Teams

Florida – 42-30
Auburn – 45-20
Kentucky – 24-13
Georgia Tech – 31-17

Losses

South Carolina – 16-12
Tennessee – 35-14

Wins over ranked teams at the time: 4
Wins over teams in final rankings: 3

*****

Virginia Tech

Wins over Bowl Teams

East Carolina – 17-7
Clemson – 41-23
Georgia Tech – 27-3
Florida State – 40-21
Virginia – 33-21
Boston College – 30-16

Losses

LSU – 48-7
Boston College – 14-10

Wins over ranked teams at the time: 3
Wins over teams in final rankings: 3

*****

USC

Wins over Bowl Teams

Oregon State – 24-3
Arizona State – 44-24

Losses

Stanford – 24-23
Oregon – 24-17

Wins over ranked teams at the time: 3
Wins over teams in final rankings: 1

*****

Kansas

Wins over Bowl Teams

Central Michigan – 52-7
Texas A&M – 19-11

Losses

Missouri – 36-28

Wins over ranked teams at the time: 1
Wins over teams in final rankings: 0

*****

Missouri

Wins over Bowl Teams

Illinois – 30-24
Texas Tech – 41-10
Texas A&M – 40-26
Kansas – 36-28

Losses

Oklahoma – 41-31
Oklahoma – 38-17

Wins over ranked teams at the time: 3
Wins over teams in final rankings: 2

*****

Hawai’i

Wins over Bowl Teams

Fresno State – 37-30
Boise State – 39-27

Losses

No losses

Wins over ranked teams at the time: 1
Wins over teams in final rankings: 1

*****

So what’s to be made of all of this? It’s a mess. That’s about all you can rightfully conclude. Nobody has the right to claim that they truly deserve to be in the title game. There are only a few arguments to be made altogether.

First of all, should you be eligible to play for the national championship if you don’t win your conference championship? This year both Georgia and Kansas are in the mix for the national title game, but neither team went to play in their conference title games. This one is a legitimate debate that both sides have an argument in. Personally, I would prefer we eliminate all conference title games, and cut cut the number of teams in each conference. The Pac-10 plays a full schedule of nine conference games. To me, that is the most fair way to decide the conference champion, and you could have a legitimate argument for playing in the title game without winning the conference. You should never have to beat a team twice to earn a conference title.

As for who the best team’s in the country are — I have no idea. I would say that you have Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma and Hawai’i are the most deserving of a shot at the title. Hawai’i may have played a weak schedule, but they went undefeated. The WAC proved last year that they are good enough to play with the big boys. Hawai’i has the hardest time scheduling legit opponents, and should be given a break there. Nobody wants to go to Hawai’i, and it is a very difficult trip for Hawai’i to go to the mainland. Tough to fault them for having the weak schedule, but it’s also equally tough to reward them. Nevertheless, they are the only undefeated team in the country, and in a year like this, I say – why not.

How Should the BCS Play Out

The official BCS schedule will be released in about four hours. So my version looks like this:

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Kansas
Rose Bowl: USC vs. Illinois
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawai’i
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia

National Championship: Ohio State vs. LSU

This list has Kansas, Georgia and Illinois as the at-large bids, but one could easily see Arizona State getting the hometown nod from the Fiesta Bowl over Kansas. I think this makes for some good matchups. If Hawai’i were to beat Georgia convincingly, don’t be surprised if they end up with quite a few number one votes in the final polls, creating a co-champion situation. But it would have to be convincing, and the national championship game lackluster.

I think the potential matchup of Virginia Tech and West Virginia is as good as any you could make on paper. If ASU doesn’t get the BCS nod, look for a great Holiday Bowl matchup of Arizona State and Missouri or Texas.

Once they’re all announce, you’ll find the complete bowl schedule here.

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