The BCS does it again. Auburn fans have a right to feel slighted. So do Cal fans. 11-0 Utah got in….but what about undefeated Boise State?? Cal, #5 in the BCS, is out. Pittsburgh, #21 in the BCS, is in.
Yeah, I know….no system is perfect. Fine. This is our system. But at least admit that aside from having computers help the two polls pick the two top teams for the NCAA “title game”…..it is worthless.
There are some great non-BCS bowl games. The Capital One Bowl [formerly the Citrus Bowl] has Iowa and LSU…both at 9-2. The FSU-WVU matchup in the Gator Bowl has promise. How about Georgia and Wisconsin meeting in the Outback Bowl?? Florida and Miami-FL must go up a state to play in Atlanta’s Peach Bowl. And how about 10-1 Louisville [who’s put up 55 points at least in their last 4 games] against 11-0 Boise State. Hey, Boise….let’s see if you can win a bowl game on a green surface!! That Arizona State-Purdue Sun Bowl game could be nice.
But, there are some bad games. There are 4 bowls that pit two 6-5 teams against each other. The Champs Sports [G-Tech/Cuse], Ft Worth [Cincy/Marshall], Vegas [UCLA/Wyoming] and Insight [Notre Dame/Oregon State] bowls. And why are conferences like the C-USA, WAC and MAC squeezing these 6-4 teams in?? I know that South Carolina and Clemson’s bowl binds were opened when both programs banned themselves from a bowl. The MAC has FIVE FREAKING SCHOOLS in bowls.
And there are some ugly games. How about Navy and New Mexico in the Emerald Bowl [that used to be the Diamond Nuts Bowl]. How about Northern Illinois and Troy in the Silicon Valley….uh, Classic. Troy makes the SECOND Sun Belt team in a bowl. There is 10-1 Cal facing 7-4 Texas Tech. Utah is an early 15 point favorite over Pitt. How is Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl??
Here is a list of those teams with winning records that aren’t playing in bowls. Clemson, South Carolina and Akron. That’s it. Three teams. And two of them declined bids due to a brawl.
Here is an interesting list of some of the schools that aren’t going to a bowl. Maryland, NC State, Michigan State, TCU, Oregon, Stanford, Washington, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas State [who was in a BCS game last year], BYU and Arkansas. All pretty steady bowl teams.
But, since I obviously hate the BCS…yet am resigned to the fact that it is going to stay….can I ask for a modification? Just use the entire BCS rankings to match up ALL OF THE BOWLS!!! Why the heck not?? One vs. Two. Three vs. Four. Five vs. Six…..ya get it.
ORANGE: USC v Oklahoma….SUGAR: Auburn v Texas…ROSE: California v Utah…FIESTA: Georgia v Virginia Tech…CAP ONE: Louisville v Boise State [hey, that one is happening!]…COTTON: Iowa v LSU [hey, that one is happening in the Capital One Bowl]…GATOR: Michigan v Miami-FL…OUTBACK: Tennessee v Florida State…PEACH: Wisconsin v Virginia…SUN: Arizona State v Texas A&M…MUSIC CITY: Pittsburgh v Texas Tech…LIBERTY: Florida v Oklahoma State…etc. They all look like pretty fun bowl games.
Oh…what do I know. Bring on Connecticut vs. Toledo!!!!!
1 comment:
I don't understand how the NCAA can come up with a sophisticated BCS computation, yet can't figure out how to establish a short playoff with deserving teams while at the same time still using the bowl games to their advantage. Income from the 'bowls' shouldn't be an issue, in fact, a short college playoff using the bowl games would cause 'waiting lists' for those sites. I wonder if the sponsors of these bowls have more influence than the NCAA on whether a college playoff happens or not?
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