let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

[gh]

yes, I realize there's a separate college football thread for the year, but that seems well clogged with divergent thoughts already. From this morning's SF Chron:

<<...We have an unranked team (Wisconsin) that had the sixth-best record in the Big Ten playing Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

We have a team (Louisville) that's 21st in the final BCS standings in the Sugar Bowl paired against a team that did not reach its conference's championship game (Florida).

And in the Orange Bowl, we have a Mid-American Conference team (Northern Illinois) that is 15th in the BCS and lost to an Iowa team that finished 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten.

When the Huskies face Florida State in the Orange Bowl, they won't even have the coach who got them there, because Dave Doeren left to take the job at North Carolina State on Saturday.

Only five of the top 11 teams in the final BCS standings will be among the 10 teams participating in the five BCS bowl games....>>

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/art ... z2E0b3WXc7

[jazzcyclist]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

The best year for the BCS was 2009, when the ten BCS spots were taken by the top 10 in the final BCS rankings.

[gh]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

even a blind squirrel.....

[Marlow]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

Couldn't agree more. Even the Bowl honchos have to rue the day they got talked into it.
Is this year's Major Bowl line-up the WORST ever? The BCS Bowl is well and good, and the Fiesta is very good, but even the Rose is deficient. After that, it's total crap.

Sugar No. 4 Florida vs. No. 22 Louisville
Orange No. 13 Florida State (11-2) vs. No. 16 Northern Illinois (12-1)
Rose No. 8 Stanford (11-2) vs. Wisconsin (8-5)
Cotton No. 10 Texas A&M (10-2) vs. No. 12 Oklahoma (10-2)

It really WILL take an 8-team play-off to right this ship. But even in that case, the hottest team, TA&M, is SOL.

1. Notre Dame
2. Alabama
3. Florida
4. Oregon
5. Kansas State
6. Stanford
7. Georgia
8. LSU
9. Texas A&M

It would, however, be fun to see

ND-LSU (LSU wins)
Bama-Ga (Been there, done that, but the ending was tantalizing for a rematch)
Fla-Stanford
Ore-KsSt (Meant to be!)

then

LSU-Ore
SU-Bama

then

Ore-Bama, which is better than the ND-Bama game we're stuck with.

[gh]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

From a left-coast point of view, the Rose Bowl is never crap if it involves a competent Pac-8 (oh, sorry, 12) team against a competent Big 10 counterpart.

Despite Wisco's overall record, I think this year's fits the bill.

[Conor Dary]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

A dreadful Rose Bowl, which is sad. Wisconsin has five losses and finishes third in their division. Fiesta will be fun to see what would have happened if one weekend had not happened. Other than that who cares. The rest have no interest to me at all.

[preston]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

It would, however, be fun to see

ND-LSU (LSU wins)
Bama-Ga (Been there, done that, but the ending was tantalizing for a rematch)
Fla-Stanford
Ore-KsSt (Meant to be!)

then

LSU-Ore
SU-Bama

then

Ore-Bama, which is better than the ND-Bama game we're stuck with.

Seems about right to me.

[jazzcyclist]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

It really WILL take an 8-team play-off to right this ship. But even in that case, the hottest team, TA&M, is SOL.

Saying that a team is hot is just another way of saying that it played like crap at the beginning of the season. The one thing that I like about college football above all other college and pro sports is that it doesn't reward mediocrity. 9-7 teams should never be allowed to play for the Super Bowl and Villanova should have never gotten the chance to catch lightning in a bottle against Georgetown.

[preston]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

It really WILL take an 8-team play-off to right this ship. But even in that case, the hottest team, TA&M, is SOL.

...The one thing that I like about college football above all other college and pro sports is that it doesn't reward mediocrity...

It doesn't always reward excellence either.
-Boise State 2010.
-Utah '09. '09 OK playing for national champ though 1-loss TX beat OK.
-Auburn undefeated in 2004...Utah too
-'06 Boise State
-LSU '03 playing OK instead of USC.
-Oregon '02
-Florida State winning national champs despite losing to one loss Miami in 2001.
-1990 Colorado.
Penn State has gone undefeated twice and not won a national champ.

[Helen S]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

What percentage of D1 teams go to a bowl game? How many XC teams and/or individuals would go to nationals if the same percentage were used?

I hate that term "bowl eligible." I assume it means at least you won 1 more game than you lost. Does everyone plan an odd number of games?

[odelltrclan]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

Sorry, but all I can say is cry me a river.

The BCS was formed in part because the big conferences wanted to prevent smaller conference teams from getting a slice of their pie. Agreements were made to ensure that at least every major conference got an at large BCS bid (which I agree with) and that agreement was about money. Agreements were also made that no more than 2 BCS bowl bids went to any conference and I agree with that.

The rankings are imperfect. Then you have the likes of the SEC only playing 8 conference games while all other major conferences generally play 9 ensuring them generally of 1 less loss than the other conferences and that almost always assures higher rankings.

If you don't like the current format, then the only response is to go to a true playoff. My personal opinion is to go to one anyway.

As for poor old Georgia, well, someone made the decision to take Florida over them so too bad too sad. UCLA was also almost in the Rose Bowl and ends up in a toilet bowl and they looked to be the better team last week. I think they dogged it the previous week, not showing their full hand because the previous weeks game was meaningless for them.

This system, based on who can grab the most $$$$$ brought us to this so we all simply have to live with it.

[j-a-m]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

<<...We have an unranked team (Wisconsin) that had the sixth-best record in the Big Ten playing Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

That's based on NCAA sanctions against Ohio State, though; so at least for this one the BCS is not to blame.

[j-a-m]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

Only five of the top 11 teams in the final BCS standings will be among the 10 teams participating in the five BCS bowl games....>>

The top six teams play in a BCS bowl this year, not just five, right?

[jazzcyclist]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

It really WILL take an 8-team play-off to right this ship. But even in that case, the hottest team, TA&M, is SOL.

...The one thing that I like about college football above all other college and pro sports is that it doesn't reward mediocrity...

It doesn't always reward excellence either.
-Boise State 2010.
-Utah '09. '09 (you mean 08?) OK playing for national champ though 1-loss TX beat OK.
-Auburn undefeated in 2004...Utah too
-'06 Boise State
-LSU '03 playing OK instead of USC.
-Oregon '02
-Florida State winning national champs despite losing to one loss Miami in 2001.
-1990 Colorado.
Penn State has gone undefeated twice and not won a national champ.

1) SInce Texas had also has a loss on its record in 2008 (to Texas Tech), your argument about Oklahoma uses circular logic.

2) LSU, Oklahoma and USC all had a loss in 2003, so how can you say that excellence wasn't rewarded and why was USC any more deserving than the other two teams?

3) I think you're confused about Florida State. Undfeated Oklahoma won the national championship in 2000 and undefeated Miami won the national championship in 2001.

4) There was no BCS in 1990, the year Colorado needed a fifth down to beat Missouri and still had a loss and a tie on their record.

5) Penn State hasn't gone undefeated since the BCS came into existence.

[jazzcyclist]

Re: let's talk the stupidity that's the BCS

Then you have the likes of the SEC only playing 8 conference games while all other major conferences generally play 9 ensuring them generally of 1 less loss than the other conferences and that almost always assures higher rankings.

The PAC 12 and the Big 12 are the only conferences that play nine conference games.