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Left Out Of The BCS: The 2008 Texas Longhorns
Playoff PACNov 12, 2009
This post is part of an ongoing series that recounts the on-the-field accomplishments of elite teams that were left out of the Bowl Championship Series title game. Visit www.PlayoffPAC.com to read about other teams prevented from proving themselves on the field in the postseason.
Who knew that a fraction of a percentage point could be more important than the final score in a football game? Well, in 2008, the University of Texas Longhorns found out just how important a fraction could be.
Who knew that a fraction of a percentage point could be more important than the final score in a football game? Well, in 2008, the University of Texas Longhorns found out just how important a fraction could be.
On October 11, 2008, Texas faced off against the Oklahoma Sooners on a neutral site for what resulted in a convincing 45-35 Longhorn victory. The Longhorns continued their season, losing only one game in its final moments to the then-undefeated Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock. The Sooners did not lose another game that season. Both teams finished with the same record, but only one could challenge Missouri for the Big 12 Championship.
The BCS ultimately did what it does best—it arbitrarily selected teams to play in the BCS championship game. The BCS based its decision on two polls and six computer rankings to determine which team would have the opportunity to eventually play for the BCS championship. As a result of these averages, the Texas Longhorns found themselves .0128 of a percentage point behind the Oklahoma Sooners. Even though the Longhorns won a head-to-head contest by 10 points, they lost to the Sooners in what was the equivalent of a rounding error.
No one could point to an on-the-field reason to explain why Texas was “out” and Oklahoma was “in.” Commentators could only grasp at straws to rationalize the fractional difference in the two teams’ BCS score averages and justify a warped system that overturned an on-the-field result. History need not repeat itself. In the words of Texas coach Mack Brown, college football should “[s]end the best eight teams and let them play it off...In most years, there are going to be six to 10 teams better than the others and it's tough to say who is best without a playoff."
The BCS ultimately did what it does best—it arbitrarily selected teams to play in the BCS championship game. The BCS based its decision on two polls and six computer rankings to determine which team would have the opportunity to eventually play for the BCS championship. As a result of these averages, the Texas Longhorns found themselves .0128 of a percentage point behind the Oklahoma Sooners. Even though the Longhorns won a head-to-head contest by 10 points, they lost to the Sooners in what was the equivalent of a rounding error.
No one could point to an on-the-field reason to explain why Texas was “out” and Oklahoma was “in.” Commentators could only grasp at straws to rationalize the fractional difference in the two teams’ BCS score averages and justify a warped system that overturned an on-the-field result. History need not repeat itself. In the words of Texas coach Mack Brown, college football should “[s]end the best eight teams and let them play it off...In most years, there are going to be six to 10 teams better than the others and it's tough to say who is best without a playoff."
