The Top 10 BCS Championship Matchups Fans Want To See

The BCS standings are out, and the championship game is now in sight. The college football world has reacquainted itself with the "computers", the "voting system", incomprehensible though it remains.

Who are our championship contenders, and where do they stand?

It's time to evaluate ten plausible matchups we could see in the Rose Bowl on January 4th. Some are good, some great. Some we are actively hoping never happen.

All of them have a shot, if the chips fall and the right teams lose. I've ranked games according to whether it's a matchup I want to see, and whether the stakes would be especially high.

Sound off in the comments, since I'm sure none of you agree.

#10: Boise State v. Anybody

I don't buy into this year's Boise State team, in spite of their #4 BCS ranking. I don't think the Oregon team they handily defeated is the same team that is now 3-0 in conference and can challenge the Trojans for a PAC-10 title.

My main problem is how they haven't traveled well. They struggled putting their opponents away in road games against Fresno State and now Tulsa, allowing them to linger around. Their defense has allowed gashing running plays against the Bulldogs and huge passes against a moribund Tulsa outfit.

I don't think they'd be able to hang with a Texas or a Florida like they did with Oklahoma in 2006. In fact, I think it would go similarly to the Hawaii-Georgia Sugar Bowl from a few years ago.

Kellen Moore is a year or two away from cutting down on his mistakes and making his reads quickly enough, and the running game hasn't been as impressive in years past.

The WAC just doesn't have the competition level yet. Next year they've got OOC games against Oregon State and Virginia Tech. If they survive those, let next year be the year for Boise State to go all the way.

#9: Florida v. Alabama

Let me preface this by saying I am one of a few Michigan fans who was NOT in favor of replaying the Buckeyes in the national championship in 2006.

The possibility of the SEC Conference foes playing each other in a rematch in the BCS championship has been raised. If it's a close game, proponents argue, why shouldn't they?

It might be a fine game. But for what it would do to college football, I think it's an awful option.

This is not what bowl games are for, people! Bowls are for playing teams in other conferences, in games whose results haven't yet been decided. That's why they exist - to match style against style and pride against pride.

If Alabama beats Florida, even if its 21-20, they've earned the SEC championship. They should go on to represent the SEC in the championship like everyone expects.

Florida would have to play in the Sugar Bowl. Is that really so bad?

Why doesn't the SEC just have a playoff to determine their conference winner? Get all twelve teams and have them just play all winter. A 20-game conference is probably not out of the question.

Better yet, let's take every SEC team and just keep playing games until the next season's kickoff. God knows they love playing football that much.

Saying the SEC is the premier conference and that this game is in any way legitimate is too arrogant and misguided for words. Remember when we thought Ohio State and Michigan were the top two teams in the country? Now what do we think of the Big Ten?

Perspective, people. This game would be a sham.

#8: Iowa Vs. Anybody

If Iowa wins out (and with Ohio State's loss to Purdue, that suddenly seems possible), they might be in position to overtake the #2 spot.

This would be borderline disastrous for everyone involved. Though they boast a good nonconference win over the Arizona Wildcats (who are a kicked pass away from being 4-1 in the PAC-10), they had to block Northern Iowa twice to preserve a win in their opening game.

Who thinks Iowa v. Florida would be one of the better national championship games in recent memory?

Right. Nobody.

It's not that the Hawkeyes wouldn't be competitive. They've got a terrific defense, and won solidly on the road over Wisconsin and Penn State. They travel well, and win ploddingly.

They wouldn't score any points against a premier defense. Everyone on offense is a game-manager. As in, they manage to not lose.

The Hawkeyes are #7 in the AP, #6 in the BCS, sniffing #2 territory, with five wins in their next five games more than possible. This BCS game would only interest people in Iowa, and God knows there aren't many of them.

Another loss for the Big Ten would set us back to the Middle Ages. I say, no thanks.

#7: Cincinnati v. Anybody

I'll give the Big East enough credit in saying that their conference winner is superior to the WAC's and the Big Ten's. If they go undefeated, they have more right to the national championship, mainly because their conference hasn't ritually coughed up the big game.

But I will not go so far as to say this would be a really watchable game. Remember Cincinnati-Virginia Tech last year? Of course you don't.

Between Tony Pike's lingering left wrist injury, and the lack of a really solid out of conference win, I don't think Cincinnati is quite to the level of BCS Championship game material - yet.

They couldn't hang with Virginia Tech in last year's Orange Bowl, and they're still a year or two away from elite material. That's not to discount their wins. That's only to say winning isn't all that matters.

After a win in a BCS bowl and another year, I'll be willing to say they're the new game in town in Ohio.

#6: Florida v. Texas

Watching this game would be like correctly guessing who the murderer is at the very beginning of the mystery. You mean no one was able to overcome Texas or Florida for the top spot? No one played a more difficult schedule and won?

Despite any sort of actual conference supremacy/Heisman controversy merit Texas v. Florida might have, this game was long ago tainted by the fact that these two teams have sat atop the rankings all year.

Granted, it would probably be a good game. But it's a year late and a couple offensive players short. It would have been outstanding when both teams were a lot more productive and boasted dynamic offenses, scoring in droves and laying waste to conference defenses and rivals.

Instead, Texas's offense has been missing Chris Ogbonnaya and Quan Cosby all year, and though Will Muschamp's defensive unit has been stifling, McCoy has struggled from a lack of production.

Tim Tebow's Gators have regressed on offense as well. Though they've kept their rushing numbers high, they've won their games in close and sometimes unconvincing fashion, and their offensive playcalling is surprisingly unimaginative.

Tebow's attempts at mimicing a real passer have led to more sacks, and the Gators are simply throwing to wide receivers that aren't championship caliber. The UF defense remains top notch, and will continue to do so if Brandon Spikes is able to overcome Achilles and knee injuries.

This game would probably end 13-6 in the Gators' favor, which sounds like it would have been very exciting thirty years ago. But not now. Go with teams that are going to score a lot of points. Please?

#5: Miami v. Anybody

Miami's a rather dark dark-horse pick here. But their chances at the national championship should be considerable if they can win out and get an impressive victory in the ACC conference game.

They boast a good nonconference win over Bradford-less Oklahoma, and won three of four in the toughest four-game opening stretch of any team in the country. Their only loss was to Virginia Tech, who was ranked #4 as recently as this Saturday, prior to their loss to Georgia Tech (whom Miami beat handily last month). And Jacory Harris is still riding that elite passer hype train.

That said, Miami is in a similar position than Oklahoma was in last year. The ACC Coastal division is in a three way race to determine the representative, with all three teams losing to each other.

The good news for Miami is, if the championship were tomorrow, the Hurricanes would represent, because their one loss is to Virginia Tech, who has two losses on the year. Overall record gets factored in to the decision.

But in my opinion, they're like Cincinnati in that they're still one year away from being completely ready for college football's biggest stage. Jacory Harris is a true sophomore, and many of Miami's playmakers are underclassmen. Their defense is spotty, vacillating between porousness and brilliance and taking the average as a good sign.

A seasoned unit such as Alabama or Florida would pick Harris apart, like VT's defense did in their home win.

If they can beat the Gators next year (they rotate onto the schedule every other year), then Miami is in position to go to the national stage next year. If they get in this year, don't expect anything to go easy for the Hurricanes.

I'd be pulling for this game just based on Miami's guts so far this year. But the watchability is seriously in doubt.

#4: Texas v. Alabama

This is almost equivalent to the Texas v. Florida game - same SEC/Big 12 stakes, same defensive prowess on both sides of the ball - except that Alabama would beat Texas by a hell of a lot more.

Alabama's elite passing defense would be the best McCoy faces all year besides Oklahoma's, which held him to 127 yards and under a 54% completion percentage. The Sooners had several opportunities for an interception, capitalizing once on a pick that was a diving McCoy away from getting taken to the house for a Sooners upset.

In this game, Texas would be like Ohio State against Florida in 2006 - profoundly overmatched, skating by on the number of W's in the win column, but way less seasoned in big game play than its competitor.

The only way this matchup is an improvement over Texas v. Florida is that Alabama would have beaten Florida and received their due as the team which has played the more difficult schedule in the SEC and the tougher OOC games.

I haven't liked Florida all year, and I don't think it's fair that they just don't-move all their way to the big game.

#3: Texas v. USC

I know I've bashed Texas so far, so I want to give them some love. Texas v. USC I think would be a great game that played to both teams strengths.

The Texas defense would be able to hound Matt Barkley and contain Joe McKnight, while the USC D-line would have success clawing at the scrambling Colt McCoy.

And it would be a pleasure to watch whatever schemes Will Muschamp nightmared up to confuse the true freshman.

The 2006 Rose Bowl rematch would fuel Pete Carroll's desire for revenge, while Texas might be able to test the battered Trojans secondary more successfully than they've done against the competition so far.

If it can come within a hair's breadth of its 2006 predecessor, it will be riveting to watch.

#2: TCU v. Anybody

TCU has its work cut out to reach the championship. A lot of national darlings need to fall before they can expect a shot.

Which is unfortunate, because they've got two good out of conference wins against Clemson and Virginia (who aren't great, but are shaping up to be bowl-eligible at least), and are steamrolling the Mountain West as we speak.

In spite of that, TCU still ranks 10th in the AP poll, behind one-loss LSU.

However, the BCS system has recognized their solid wins, and lists them 8th. The true test will be the away game against BYU in Provo and the home game against the Utah Utes, who beat TCU last year 13-10. If the BCS system rewards those wins accordingly, they're only an upset or two away from playing in the big game.

Plus, if they go undefeated in the Mountain West, they can ride the same wave of bad noise that opined Utah getting left out of the national championship last year.

Alabama v. TCU, or truly any SEC opponent, would be a terrific battle of defenses. TCU is allowing just over 100 rushing yards per game, and is fielding 33 points per game behind 225 rushing YPG. If they can keep those numbers up, the game would be close.

Against an Alabama or a Florida, we'd be able to see if the Mountain West can field a true elite candidate like the Utah team that overwhelmed the Tide in last year's Sugar Bowl.

A win in this game would raise the serious possibility of the Mountain West joining the other six conferences in the BCS system. That would be historic, and with stakes that high, they're your #2 best matchup.

#1: USC v. Florida/Alabama

Am I a fan of USC? Good lord, no. That's why I'd really look forward to the epic clash between the "premier conference" and the "decade's greatest college football team".

The Trojans could address all the criticisms about never getting a chance in the big game because of their PAC-10 losses. The SEC could face the team most likely to give them a run for their money.

The Trojans have played outstanding out of conference games, overcome their upset loss, and boast an agile defense and a true freshman who threw for 380 yards and three scores against the Irish defense. I can't think of a team that's more deserving given their schedule and talent.

They'd arrive in the Rose Bowl in time to get smacked in the mouth by an SEC defense unimpressed with true freshmen, and a seasoned offense hoping to grind out scores.

The game would be close, but the teams would match strength to strength. Since USC hasn't faced an SEC foe since stomping out Arkansas in 2006, I say this game would have the highest stakes of all.

This is your marquee matchup. Hope for it.

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