Preseason 2010 College Football Predictions: Who'll Get Cheated by BCS?

It's an annual tradition in college football. It comes every year, whether you like it or not. It's as reliable as tomorrow following today.

What is it?

It's the BCS's seemingly inevitable ability to completely hose at least one or two teams out of a spot in the Bowl Championship Series. In the worst case, a team is kept from playing for all the marbles because they didn't beat that FCS team by at least 30.

Of course, since the BCS is "all we've got" to determine a national champion, it's just something we college football maniacs have to live with.

Unfortunately there are many teams that could fall prey to the BCS' evil, monopolizing ways in 2010.

Here are a few candidates.

LSU Tigers

Les Miles's boys will head into the 2010 season with their lowest ranking of the Miles era. Some pundits have completely left LSU out of the top 25 to begin the season.

Through all of Les Miles's issues, which have been many, LSU is still a premier SEC school with a chance to make some noise in the conference and the nation.

An opening matchup in Atlanta against North Carolina should tell you a lot about this team, but what happens if the Tigers surprise everyone and lose just once? What if the Tigers are the second best team in the conference, yet don't play for the SEC title?

Will the SEC be without a second BCS team for the first time since the '05 season, all because of LSU's low preseason ranking? It's possible.

If it happens, expect there to be plenty of upset people in SEC country.

Boise State Broncos

Just call them the usual suspects.

The Broncos are probably more than used to being left out of the BCS. Sure, the voters and the BCS have thrown them a couple of bones in the past few years—both of which they have played and won in the Fiesta Bowl (vs. Oklahoma '07, vs. TCU '10), but their lack of a quality schedule has cost them in the past.

Not so in 2010. Boise State travels to Washington D.C. to play Virginia Tech on Sept. 6 this season.

Sad thing is, if Boise State loses that game, their national championship hopes will be all but dashed. It will likely be their only loss in 2010, and it comes in week one. But for a team who's toughest road games are at Wyoming, at New Mexico State, and at San Jose State, BCS exclusion is all but certain.

Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes have an incredible group of talented players returning in 2010. Many pundits have Ohio State in the top two in their preseason rankings.

But what happens if Ohio State loses to Miami on Sept. 11? It's an out of conference game for the Buckeyes. So if it's their only loss it would not cost Ohio State a shot at a BCS bowl game, as they would play in the Rose Bowl for winning the Big Ten.

Would a one-loss Ohio State team have a shot at playing for a national title? It's not a given.

If SEC champion Alabama has one loss as well, who's going to the title game? What if it's Florida that wins the SEC title, with just one loss on the season?

You think Ohio State would be ranked in the top two after completing their schedule on Nov. 27, when Texas/Nebraska/Oklahoma and Florida/Alabama finish their schedule the following week?

Not a chance.

Anyone From the Big East

One Big East team is assured of making a BCS bowl game. The conference is also assured of never having a second team included.

But what if a Big East team—specifically West Virginia, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, or UConn—goes undefeated in 2010?

Well, quite frankly, they'll be screwed.

Cincinnati went undefeated in 2009, but was relegated to face the SEC runners-up, Florida, in the Sugar Bowl rather than facing Alabama or Texas in the BCS National Championship. Rightfully so, of course, but a team that finishes undefeated should get a shot to play for a title—bottom line.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa was a couple of late losses from going undefeated and being completely left out of the national title picture in '09.

Alabama and Texas were undefeated and nothing was going to stop those two from facing off in the championship game.

If that had happened, the Iowa faithful, which is loud and proud, would have been beside themselves.

What happens in 2010? Iowa's schedule is favorable for another undefeated run. An early matchup in Arizona will be tough, but Iowa gets Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Ohio State at home.

Iowa's only other tough road game is at Michigan, where Iowa hasn't won since 2002.

An undefeated or one-loss Iowa team could find itself in Pasadena, but a national championship opportunity is, unfortunately, not in their control.

TCU Horned Frogs

"The Usual Suspects, Part Two" is more than fitting for the Horned Frogs landing place. The program is, like Boise State, is from a non-BCS conference.

Despite beating Oklahoma in '05, TCU was left out of the BCS picture because of a week two loss to SMU. Sure, that's a bad loss, but it was early in the season, and that was a pretty good TCU team that handled BYU on the road, and defeated Utah.

In 2010, their biggest challenge appears to be Oregon State in week one. A late season match at Utah will be no cakewalk either.

But what happens if they split those two games? The Soup Nazi on Seinfeld put it rather succinctly, "No soup for you!"

The Horned Frogs will have to go undefeated for any hope of making the BCS grade in 2010, and even doing that doesn't guarantee anything for the pride of the Mountain West Conference.

Virginia Tech Hokies

The ACC Champion will definitely play in a BCS bowl, but once again, its second best team could end up in the Gator, Chick-Fil-A, or Music City Bowl.

What if Virginia Tech loses once and has to play in a second-tier bowl? What if Virginia Tech goes undefeated, wins the ACC title, and doesn't get to play for a national title over a one-loss Alabama, or Oklahoma team?

The BCS has penalized teams for playing in sub-par conferences many times. The ACC is one such conference.

How loud would the outcry be if Virginia Tech beat a really good Boise State team, and ran the table in the ACC only to go to the Orange Bowl, while Alabama/Ohio State/Florida and Oklahoma/Nebraska/Oregon play for a National title?

Arizona Wildcats

Oregon and Arizona look to be the class of the Pac 10 in 2010. The 'Cats could easily find themselves with a shot as a BCS at-large team. They could even win the conference and go to the Rose Bowl.

What happens if they start out 10-0 only to lose at Oregon on Nov. 26? Not only could they be shutout of the BCS, but they could find themselves back in San Diego for the Holiday Bowl.

No one's complaining about having to play in San Diego, but when you go 10-0 in one of the nation's top four conferences, you should play in a BCS bowl game.

If Arizona wants to assure itself of playing for more than a Holiday Bowl trophy, for the second straight year, it better win every game.

Miami Hurricanes

Miami has a great group of talented players coming back in 2010. It will be their best shot at playing in the ACC Championship Game for the first time ever.

The last time Miami was nationally relevant, it was the premier team in a premier conference. Not so in 2010.

Miami is a historically proud football school, but it plays in the ACC, which is in the bottom two of BCS conferences, along with Miami's old conference, the Big East.

That fact alone could be enough to keep them out of the national title picture whether they go undefeated or only lose once.

It would be a shame, especially if Miami defeats Ohio State in Columbus, but it's definitely possible to see Miami left out of the title picture if any team from the SEC and Big 12 go undefeated.

Texas Longhorns

It's happened before.

Just two short years ago, Texas lost to Texas Tech after the 'Horns beat Oklahoma, but the Sooners played against Florida for the BCS National Championship.

Yes, it was flat wrong. Yes, it was an injustice. But that's exactly what the BCS has given us over the years.

Would it happen now?

Texas has the clear advantage in every aspect in 2010. Texas means money, fans, and ratings, these days. Oklahoma doesn't bring all that now that they're little brother to the 'Horns.

If there's one thing the BCS has shown us, however, it's that one never knows what a computer is thinking. Anything could happen.