11/05/24
December 02, 2002
Another BCS nightmare is upon us.: Iowa is number 3 in both polls and could be cut out of the BCS entirely.
"This is worse than the nightmare scenario with four unbeaten teams," BCS expert Jerry Palm said Sunday.
current most likely scenario:
Fiesta: Miami vs. Ohio State.
Orange: Notre Dame vs. Georgia.
Sugar: Florida State vs. USC.
Rose: Washington State vs. Oklahoma.
We can argue for a playoff until we're blue in the face, but what should be done this year?
posted by Sean Meade to football at 10:57 AM - 11 comments
What's worse is that USC could play in the title game (with a Miami and GA loss), even though there'd be two one-loss teams left and Wazzu would (perhaps) take the Pac 10! Insane.
posted by JawaKing at 11:31 AM on December 02, 2002
I'm don't understand his argument. Even if both Wazzou and USC make a BCS bowl, why would the Rose pick a struggling Oklahoma team over Iowa?
posted by chmurray at 12:16 PM on December 02, 2002
they'd have to take them as the big 12 champ, right? if so, the sticking point is that OS is the big 10 champ, and Iowa is ranked so highly.
posted by Sean Meade at 12:29 PM on December 02, 2002
The more chaos we have, the sooner we have a playoff.
posted by trox at 12:43 PM on December 02, 2002
yeah, but it's bad for the Hawkeyes.
posted by Sean Meade at 12:56 PM on December 02, 2002
Over on cnnsi.com, Stewart Mandel is praising the BCS for lining up two undefeated teams for the Championship (assuming Miami beats VT). Maybe he has a point--the BCS is, ultimately, about deciding who get to be national champion, not numbers 3 and below. On the other hand, his apparent a priori that, given two undefeated teams, only those teams should have a shot is ridiculous. In 97-98, the Tennessee women's basketball team went 33-0, then had to win 5 more just to play for the title. They didn't get a free pass to the big game, so why should Miami? Who wouldn't love to see a West Virginia come out of nowhere to beat the 'Canes in the first round? Regular seasons should be for earning a berth in the playoffs, and playoffs should decide who gets to play for the big trophy.
posted by jason streed at 01:18 PM on December 02, 2002
Mandel is wrong, because otherwise, the Big 10 should have to match up its two undefeated (in-conference) teams to determine its champ. If that were the case, Iowa wouldn't (necessarily) get screwed. And if any of you care, my brand-new NFL BCS rankings are out.
posted by JawaKing at 03:26 PM on December 02, 2002
i like those NFL BCS rankings. plus, they lend further credence to my winning with defense FPP with Oakland jumping to 4th with a mix of good defense and great offense.
posted by Sean Meade at 03:56 PM on December 02, 2002
I've never understood having a bunch of sportswriters decide who gets to play in a bowl game. I mean, if they're really champions, why not just decide upfront which winner of which conference gets to play which bowl game, and then let the results decide? Of course, I'm no college football expert.
posted by worldcup2002 at 04:23 PM on December 02, 2002
To answer Sean's originial question: Don't watch.
posted by jackhererra at 04:33 PM on December 02, 2002
First of all, putting Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl can only be defended as a financial choice, not a football choice. I'd like to see Iowa play Georgia in the Orange Bowl - a homecoming of sorts for Brad Banks, who hails from Belle Glade, Fla.