The BCS: Breaking Down the Facts

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Or, look at South Florida, who was ranked No. 2 in the nation in 2007 because they were in the Big East despite having victories over Florida Atlantic, Elon, and Central Florida. 

So, if Utah were in the lowly Big East in 2008, they would have been in the title game.

The voting part is mostly fact; Harris voters have admitted to not watching any of Utah games or having their secretary or SID vote for who should play in the BCS Championship Game.

Barnhart's Second Fact

"Even the coaches in Utah’s league, the Mountain West, did not step up for the Utes when it counted. Joe Glenn of Wyoming had Utah at No. 5. Rocky Long of New Mexico and Gary Patterson of TCU had them at No. 7. Kyle Whittingham, Utah’s own coach, had his team at No. 5.

So, where was all the love for Utah before they played Alabama in the Sugar Bowl? The fact is that while Utah deserved to win because the Utes outplayed the Crimson Tide (who didn’t want to be there), it wasn’t until after the Sugar Bowl that Utah became this incredible juggernaut, which should have been given the chance to play for it all."

My Response

This I reluctantly agree with because even I admit that Utah was not one of the top two teams in college football when the regular season ended. 

However, there is the tossed-around disclaimer that Alabama did not want to be there, even though they have not been to a major bowl since their 2000 Orange Bowl appearance. I'm not going to dwell on it but that excuse is lame.  Once they strap it up, players are ready. Plus, go back to the coin toss when Alabama captains said something along the lines of "I'm gonna kill ya."

Barnhart's Third Fact

"For all of the BCS' flaws, the fact is that it has provided bowl opportunities to a new array of schools, who had, supposedly, been aggrieved in the past.

How many times had Utah played in the Sugar Bowl before the BCS? How many times had Hawaii played in the Sugar Bowl before the BCS? How many times had Boise State played in a New Year’s Day bowl before the BCS?

If you answered zero to all three questions, you’d be right. 'The fact of the matter is that the BCS has given access to those conferences that they never had before,' said former SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer, considered to be the godfather of the BCS. 'Look at the history of the major bowls. They had almost never invited one of those teams before the BCS.'"

My Response

Yes, the BCS has given more opportunities but that still does not mean the system is the best.  This past year, Boise State, who was undefeated, and a one-loss TCU was bypassed for a lower-ranked Ohio State because they will put more eyeballs on the screen.

That is what makes the anti-trust violations of the BCS plausible, with better teams being passed over due to a business decision.  Also, money distribution within the BCS is not fair because if a team from a non-BCS league gets in, they must share with the other five non-BCS leagues making their share much, much smaller.

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