BCS National Championship

Alabama -1 vs. LSU (at New Orleans)

Bowls to date: 16-16-1

Season: 64-55-3

Top Ten Reasons San Diego State and Boise State are joining the Big East

The media is reporting that The Big East Conference will be adding five schools, including San Diego State and Boise State for football only.

Right off the top, this makes perfect sense.  But all joking in place, here are the Top Ten Reasons San Diego State and Boise State are joining the Big East.

10. Schools hope to supplement current endowment with frequent flyer miles.

9.  San Diego State is tired of all the seventy-degree, cold weather football games in November and December.

8.  Boise State aspires to one day have a "last place in the Big East" caliber basketball program.

7.  Schools get to renew their long-standing football rivalries with Rutgers and UConn.

6.  The SEC would not take them.

5.  Nobody studies geography in college anymore.

4.  Hope to expand current recruiting base to football hotbeds such as Maine and Vermont.

3.  Southwest flies west to most Big East destinations, with only a short layover - in London.

2.  Should feel right at home after the Big East rightfully loses its automatic BCS bid.

and the #1 reason San Diego State and Boise State are joining the Big East is...

1.  Always wanted to compete for a berth in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, against the 8th place team from the Big 12.

College Bowl Match-ups

College bowl match-ups were announced today.  I'll probably break the picks up into before and after New Year's Day games.  Before that, here are a few first impressions from looking at the schedule.

The JBS

After a weekend of college football upsets, here is how I would rank the top 10:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Arkansas
4. Oklahoma State
5. Virginia Tech
6. Stanford
7. Oregon
8. Oklahoma
9. Houston
10. Boise State

I don't know if this is even possible, based on BCS rules, but here are some guesses on the Bowls:

Random Sports Thoughts

Here are a few random thoughts from the weekend.

1.  The Patriots played good enough to win against Dallas.  A few too many turnovers kept the game close, but they came through in the end.

2.  I'm beginning to wonder if Chad Ochocinco will ever play a significant part of the offense, or if he'll just spend one insignificant season in New England.

3.  People will try to place a slogan on the Texas Rangers vs. St. Louis Cardinals World Series.  I'm going with, "the Arkansas is in the way series".

4.  I pick Texas to win.

5.  Did not do baseball picks for this post-season.  I would have picked Philadelphia over Texas.

6.  What a horrible crash that killed Indy Car driver Dan Wheldon yesterday at the Las Vegas Speedway.  I may have gone to the race, had it not conflicted with the Patriots game on tv.  I got an email about complementary tickets the other day.  MGM property guests were offered free tickets with reservations.

7.  Las Vegas made a big deal about the Indy Car race beforehand, with tie-in's to the casinos and events around town.  Now I think they wish it would all go away.  I read that drivers felt uncomfortable with the speeds on that track.  I'll admit that I don't know much about auto racing.  I just figure that because of the nature of the sport, these horrific accidents are going to continue to occur.

8.   Went to the UNLV Men's Basketball scrimmage last night.  They look like a good basketball team, and I look forward to seeing some games this season.  They should expect to get to the tournament and maybe win a game or two.

9.  Next season's team may be even better, given a year of experience under new coach, Dave Rice.  Plus, the player I was most impressed by, USC transfer Bryce Jones, is sitting out this season.  Now I wonder if they could ever land top high school recruit, and local standout, Shabazz Muhammad.

10.  The first BCS standings have been released.  I'm not going to argue with the top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Boise State.  I'm sure I'll eventually have something to complain about.

11.  Regarding the NBA lockout - they can take the rest of the decade off for all I care.  I only feel bad for team employees and peripheral businesses who depend on the NBA for their income / livelihood.

12.  The Patriots have a bye next week, meaning I need to find something to do Sunday.

 

BCS Bowl Picks

WISCONSIN +3 vs. TCU - Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA
OKLAHOMA -17 vs. UConn - Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ
Virginia Tech +3.5 vs. STANFORD - Orange Bowl in Miami, FL
Arkansas +3.5 vs. OHIO STATE - Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, LA

Oregon +3 vs. AUBURN - BCS Championship Game in Glendale, AZ

Oregon wins 38-27.

College Bowl Picks

Non-BCS Bowls

Hawaii -10 vs. TULSA - Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu, HI
TOLEDO -1.5 vs. Florida International - Little Caesars Bowl in Detroit, MI
AIR FORCE -2.5 vs. Georgia Tech - Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA
WEST VIRGINIA -3 vs. NC State - Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, FL
Missouri -2.5 vs. IOWA - Insight Bowl in Tempe, AZ
MARYLAND -7 vs. East Carolina - Military Bowl in Washington, DC
Illinois +1 vs. BAYLOR - Texas Bowl in Houston, TX
OKLAHOMA STATE -4.5 vs. Arizona - Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, TX
SMU -7 vs. Army - Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas, TX
Kansas State +1 vs. SYRACUSE - Pinstripe Bowl in Bronx, NY
TENNESSEE +2 vs. North Carolina - Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN
NEBRASKA -14 vs. Washington - Holiday Bowl in San Diego, CA
CLEMSON -5.5 vs. USF - Meineke Bowl in Charlotte, NC
MIAMI -3 vs. Notre Dame - Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX
GEORGIA -6.5 vs. Central Florida - Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN
SOUTH CAROLINA -3 vs. FSU - Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, GA
TEXAS TECH -9.5 vs. Northwestern - Ticket City Bowl in Dallas, TX
ALABAMA -9.5 vs. Michigan State - Capital One Bowl in Orlando, FL
Penn State +7.5 vs. FLORIDA - Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL
Michigan +4.5 vs.MISSISSIPPI STATE - Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL
MIAMI (OH) -1 vs. Middle Tennessee - GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, AL
LSU -1 vs. Texas A&M - Cotton Bowl in Arlington, TX
PITTSBURGH -3 vs. Kentucky - BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, AL
Boston College +7.5 vs. NEVADA - Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco, CA

Bowls to date: 0-4
Season: 38-42-1


Did not pick two bowls (would have gone 1-1, picking Boise State -17.5 and Louisville -3.5, but that doesn't count)

Boise State loses; Auburn and Oregon move closer to BCS Championship Game

Boise State gave away a shot at the BCS National Championship, or at least the Rose Bowl, by losing to Nevada, 34-31 in overtime, yesterday.  Auburn and Oregon survived tough opponents in moving one step closer to the BCS National Championship game.

Right now, the sexy national championship game is Auburn and Oregon.  I think Oregon wins that match-up.

I would like to see BCS reform (see: Fixing the BCS).  I like results that make the BCS look bad.  Boise State and TCU winning do just that.  So, moving right along, it is very possible that a one-loss Big 10 team will be left out of the BCS in favor of far inferior conference winners.  The ACC and Big East representatives also make the BCS look bad.  That could make for one craptacular Orange Bowl.  I vote we change that to the Rotten Tomato Bowl.

If you think all this is ugly, just wait and see what happens if South Carolina wins the SEC title over Auburn.  All hell breaks loose - that's what.  Do we get TCU in the championship game?  Or does the BCS pick a single one-loss team from amongst the many to play for the championship?  Who gets left out of the BCS altogether?  A one-loss Auburn? Nope.  The LSU - Arkansas winner?  Yup.

I'm conflicted.  I want to see Arkansas beat LSU and go to the Sugar Bowl.  That would not be possible if South Carolina beats Auburn.  But if LSU beats Arkansas, then all bets are off.  I'll want South Carolina beat Auburn and create BCS chaos.

Meanwhile, Boise State's reward for almost going undefeated could be a trip to, wait for it...Boise.

Fixing the BCS

The BCS is flawed because it excludes deserving teams from championship and BCS bowl games. 

The BCS should institute a "+1 playoff format" and eliminate automatic bids to six conference champions.

Most college football fans hate the BCS.  A common view among fans is, "drop the 'C' and that about covers it".  Popular sports media fuel anti-BCS sentiment.  While fans don't like the BCS, and argue for a playoff system, the BCS claims it does what it is intended to do; and does it very well.  

Meanwhile, the first BCS rankings of this season will be released on October 17.  So let the controversy begin (especially if Boise State is #1). 

What is the BCS?

According to their web site, "The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is a five-game showcase of college football.  It is designed to ensure that the two top-rated teams in the country meet in the national championship game, and to create exciting and competitive matchups among eight other highly regarded teams in four other bowl games."  The BCS has gone through revisions over the years, attempting to improve the product.  The BCS National Championship Game was introduced for the 2006-2007 season.

Two missions:

1.  "ensure that the two top-rated teams in the country meet in the national championship game."

The two best teams played for the championship last season, with #1 Alabama defeating #2 Texas to win the BCS National Championship.  The top two teams in the final BCS rankings have met all 12 years of its existence, so, mission accomplished. 

Don't forget that strict conference to bowl affiliations that existed prior to the BCS would have prevented most #1 vs. #2 bowl matchups.  That never solved anything, and often created a "mythical national champion" and one or more teams that felt like they were equally deserving.  There were also split national championships. 

Bowl rivalries, like Big 10 vs. PAC 10 in the Rose Bowl, can be preserved under the current BCS, but are trumped by placing the top two teams in the national championship game. 

2.  "create exciting and competitive matchups...in four other bowl games."

Last season, teams ranked #3 through #10 in the BCS met in the four other BCS bowl games.  And prior to the BCS, Boise State would have never played in a premier bowl.  They would have likely participated in the Humanitarian Bowl or Poinsettia Bowl every year.  That aspect of the equation has been improved under the BCS.  More on this later.  

So, the BCS does exactly what it's supposed to do, right?  In addition, it promotes urgency for the regular season games, preserves the bowl structure, and rakes in cash. 

There is also a whole page of testimonials supporting the event.  

What they're saying

Buried at the bottom of a BCS web page is their position on a playoff system,

"The NCAA membership has not voted for the creation of a playoff. Given that context, the conferences created the BCS in order to match the top two teams in a bowl game while maintaining the importance of the regular season and preserving the bowl system."

Pretty convincing, huh?  So the BCS and the bowl format aren't as bad as we thought and probably aren't going anywhere, right?  Let's look at the counterpoint.

Fixing the BCS

The BCS is flawed because it is not a playoff and it excludes deserving teams from championship and BCS bowl games. 

As noted above, the BCS has enabled teams that would not have otherwise had an opportunity to play in major bowls.  It limits those opportunities by rewarding conference champions without regard for their record and BCS standing. 

An expanded playoff system will probably never occur, at least in my lifetime.  A more fitting solution is a "+1 playoff format".  This involves a playoff system, but doesn't dramatically change the existing bowl structure.  Add one bowl to the BCS rotation, in order to maintain the amount of teams making it to BCS bowls. 

Match the top four ranked teams in two of the bowls, rotating theses bowls every season.  The two bowl winners go on the the BCS Championship Game.  This preserves the bowls and the basic BCS structure, but also becomes a four team playoff.  The "+1 playoff format" means that only the two finalists play one more game than the current format.  One more week of travel for two teams and their supporters is an acceptable price for a four team championship tournament.    

The other major flaw in the current BCS is that six of the 10 spots in the BCS are reserved for conference champions.  These automatic bids should be eliminated entirely, or at least become conditional, upon the conference champion not having four losses or being ranked outside of the BCS top 15.  This will involve reassessing how revenues are distributed amongst conferences.  Since 2002, three four-loss ACC champions have made it into the BCS, by virtue of winning an inferior conference championship and securing an automatic bid.  The automatic bids squeezed out more deserving teams.

In 2005, 8-4 Florida State went to the Orange Bowl, while Oregon, 10-1, who only lost to #1 USC, did not earn a BCS bid. 

In 2008, Virginia Tech (9-4) went to the Orange Bowl. 10-2 TCU defeated 12-0 Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl.    

The NCAA is going to be motivated by generating revenue, and the current system does that.  A "+1 playoff format" would be about the only way NCAA membership might vote to incorporate a playoff.  Much of the current bowl structure would be preserved.  One more game would actually mean more money.  And we all know that money is what motivates all the current changes going on in college sports. 

Until a "+1 playoff format" is instituted, and the BCS stops rewarding four-loss conference champions, this is as good as it's going to get.