In case you've been living under a rock for the past 10 years, you know that there is a major problem with the BCS.
Last night in the Rose Bowl game, USC ran up the score on a clearly inferior Fighting Illini squad without mercy.
Heralded rookie Joe McKnight had the breakout game all Trojan fans and players were waiting for, amassing 125 yards and a touchdown on just ten carries.
USC had 633 total yards, on top of 11 Illini penalties for 130 yards.
49-17? Give me a break.
This game was so lopsided from the start that many fans simply decided not to tune in. Good for them. All that USC proved was that they deserved to be seeded against a much tougher opponent than a Big Ten pushover.
Bur what is the Rose Bowl game? A matchup featuring the Big Ten and Pac-Ten Champions, unless one of those teams is in the National Championship Game. Well , can anyone make a serious case for the Big Ten Conference being superior to the Pac-Ten Conference?
These conferences are at the opposite end of the scale, and the Big Ten (as much as I hate to say it) is a second-tier conference in today's day and age. Even the solid play of Ohio State and Wisconsin can't seem to keep that conference afloat.
Meanwhile, the Pac-Ten features quality teams top to bottom. Even Stanford made an impact this season, defeating USC—which ironically kept the Trojans out of the National Championship Game, precisely because the Pac-Ten is a better conference
If Northwestern beat Ohio State this year, would the Buckeyes be anywhere near the number-one ranking that they hold? Absolutely not.
Bottom line: This system is flawed, and the folks of the NCAA should try their best to change up the system—and fast.
Playoffs, playoffs, playoffs. For the fans, please!
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9 months ago
Weird take - while most analysts rate USC one of the top 2 or 3 teams based on their play right now, they also rank the Pac 10 as the 5th or 6th best BCS conference...and as I'm sure you're aware, there are only 6 of them.
You fuckin idiot.
9 months ago
Yes, a #7 USC beat (decisively) a #13 Illinois.
But this bowl was a mismatch from the start.
The Rose Bowl insisted on a Pac10/Big10 match up, and with Ohio State in the NT game, the Big 10 choice fell to an inferior Illinois team.
This did not demonstrate that the Pac10 is the strongest conference.
The best of the Pac10 (USC) was matched against 2nd best (or maybe 3rd) from a weak Big 10 conference.
If the opponent had been from the Big 12, Big East, or SEC, the result may have been different.
A much better game would have been USC vs. Georgia.
How about the rest of the Pac10?
UCLA lost to BYU and Arizona St lost to Texas, so they won 4 of 6 bowl games, or 67%.
The SEC (with the National Title game not played yet) has won 6 of 8, or 75%.
This includes Georgia giving Hawaii a whooping that was at least equal to USC's performance, and Hawaii was higher ranked than Illinois!
Yes, USC displayed a great performance, it was not that surprising, and not indicative of either the Pac10 being the strongest conference or a USC team that is deserving of being in the top game.
9 months ago
All the conference drama everyones the biggest and fastest and best. Conferences go up and down each year so its time to put the conference drama to rest because next year a different conference will be the best
But bowl bias is a whole different bird. Georgia should have been in that bowl not Illinois but the Rose Bowl took a team out of the top 10 instead because they are conference bias possibly corporate bias.
Your right on the playoff system needed and heck even a wild card like the NFL.
9 months ago
For anyone that has been around long enough, you know that the Pac-10-Big Ten Rose Bowl tradition is an honored one among all of the schools in the two conferences. The BCS just showed up and decided it would be a great idea to make the Rose Bowl change its traditions...
If USC thinks they are too good for Illinois, they have another thing coming. Yes they handily beat the Illini in the Rose Bowl game, but showed less class than should be expected of any NCAA team.
Were they too good for Standford? How about for Oregon? Talk to me when you go undefeated, USC.
9 months ago
"They showed less class than should be expected of any NCAA team"???? I think not.
If you're referring to Desmond Reed's delightful display of gymastic ability at the goal line, well, then you are obviously a fuddy duddy. Besides, last I checked football was not a contest for the classiest gents in school, it's a contest for the most athletic.
9 months ago
"Delightful display"? You mean the display that cost them a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct call and caused Reed to be completely chewed out by Pete Carroll? At least the coach has some shred of human decency.
I would rather lose and be a team that shows respect. When the USC football players graduate (if they do) and they have to enter the real world because they aren't all going to go pro, they'll probably wish they had good manners because huge shoulders and a 2.3 GPA doesn't get you far after college.
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