The month of November is special for football fans. It's what separates men from boys. Those teams who show up and don't lose their focus go to a BCS Bowl, and those who lose track of their goals go to a lower-tiered bowl.
Then there are some who are just destined to go bowless due to other factors such as coaching issues, injuries or lack of discipline.
Which teams are destined, and which are destitute?
Florida is a team clicking on all cylinders and has shown no sign of let-up since their loss to Ole Miss. While some teams have stumbled their way through the mid-season with wins, the Gators have rolled. This team has a running game, passing game, and the D has actually matured. Count them in as a BCS Bowl team.
Alabama is a team that by virtue of its schedule, is undefeated. Preseason rankings of many of its opponents were premature- Clemson, Tennesse, Georgia and Auburn all didn't live up to the pre-season hype, and their non-conferernce schedule is weak.
Yes, they are undefeated, and in this day and age, that's special. Should they be ranked in the top two spots? Yes. Are they are a top two team? No. The conference championship will show who is the best team in the SEC. The Tide will still probably go to the Sugar Bowl, and next year, be a serious contender for the national title.
Penn State lost their focus, but is still a very good team. The problem for the Nits is simple- losing a game they shouldn't have this late in the season is unforgivable, especially in a conference fighting for respect. There is also a serious question if their D can handle a fast, spread-like offense. The Nittany Lions will be bowling for roses, but that's as far as they go.
Texas Tech is probably the team most equal to the Florida Gators. They have a prolific offense and their defense is better than what was expected. They get a week off before finishing an extremely challenging schedule and playing at Oklahoma. If they beat the Sooners, send them to Miami- they deserve it.
Oklahoma has a terrific offense, but once again, the defense is nothing special. In the last three games, they have given up four touchdowns each to Nebraska and A&M, and five to Kansas State. Throw in their propensity for losing big games, and the Sooners will not get a BCS Bowl berth over Texas Tech or Texas.
USC blew it by losing a "little "game, and may pay the price for it on Bowl Selection Day. The good news for the Trojans is that they have two things favoring them when it comes time to handing out bowl bids- one, they show up for big games, and two, they have the No. 1 ranked defense in the nation, so a blow-out will likely not happen, thus saving the BCS from embarrassment for picking them.
Most likely, the Trojans will still play in a BCS Bowl if Oregon State wins out, but most football fans would like to see them play an SEC team in the Sugar Bowl. If Oregon State drops one of their next three games, it's Pasadena for the USC Trojans, if they win out. With Stanford, Notre Dame and UCLA left on their schedule, it's not a given. Two of those teams have beaten USC in the last two years.
Utah won't be going to a BCS Bowl. Too many close games and they still haven't played BYU, their big game of the year. I'm counting them out after losing to BYU.
Georgia is in the top ten, and no offense Dawgs fans, but they are not a top ten team. Two blow-out losses, a squeaker past South Carolina and letting Kentucky score 38 points on you says one thing- you lost your focus.
What was the problem? The Dawgs read into the media hype. This team has so much talent, and they didn't fight for the big games-they assumed some teams would just roll over to them. It happens, and is a great learning lesson for next year. The Gator or Chick-Fil-A Bowl is a sweet prize, considering everything.
Florida State is an interesting team. They are leading the ACC, but don't forget, two of their wins are against FCS schools, and one of those wins doesn't count when the final BCS rankings come out. They will get an auto-berth to the Orange Bowl if they win their conference, but I'm not so sure they will. North Carolina looks good, and will beat them in the conference championship.
Ohio State is on the outside looking in. Penn State could win the Big Ten, and that leaves the Buckeyes out of a BCS Bowl. I doubt a second place Big Ten team will get a BCS Bowl berth, so make plans for a December bowl, Buckeyes fans.
Oregon State is a conundrum. They have three losses, but are in the Pac-10 race and if they win out, will get the tie-breaker over USC and go to Pasadena. Their remaining schedule is tough, however, with Oregon, Arizona and Cal left. Somewhere in there is a possible loss, which means USC could end up going to the Rose Bowl to face Penn State.
Boise State is undefeated, but their schedule is soft. Should it matter? Well, yeah, but the Broncos have proven they can play with the big boys. They have to beat Fresno State whose 5-4 record is deceiving, and they also have to beat Nevada, who plays tough. If they win out, it's Fiesta Bowl for the Broncos.
Biggest busts or disappointments of the season? You would be hard-pressed not to argue with the following teams.
South Carolina showed a lot of promise, but they just don't have that winning mentality. It's part of the team's psyche, and Spurrier won't be able to change it.
Notre Dame has coaching issues, and I've said it all along, Weis is not up to the task of being a head coach. Taking over the reins of play-calling with two less-challenging games coming up- Navy and Syracuse - means he is starting to feel the pressure. I'm not so sure that the Irish will get a bowl bid with six wins, and if that scenario happens, then the school will have to take a hard look at their hiring decision. If the Irish lose to Navy or get blown out by USC, there may be a vacancy in December.
Oregon had huge injury issues this year, with six different quarterbacks taking snaps since last year. It's hard to get into rhythm with that many quarterbacks. Yes, all of the Ducks' losses are to ranked teams, but still, there's so much potential there for a better record.
South Florida should have a better record, and it's starting to look like Matt Grothe's freshman year was a fluke- he has not put up the numbers we thought he was capable of. The bright spot is DE George Selvie, who should win some awards this year. Selvie will be playing on Sundays.
Tennessee was a work in progress, but little did we realize how bad things were. SEC fans must be mortified over the Vols' losses to lowly UCLA and a bottom-feeder in the MWC, Wyoming. The good news is that a new coach will be hired, ending the Vols' fans years of torment.
LSU has actually shown more heart than any of the busts. Their three-loss season can be explained easily- Ryan Perrilloux. He was supposed to be the starting quarterback, but couldn't follow the rules, and his departure left the offense in an average state. But they played Bama hard, and played hard to the end, and you have to give credit to great coaching from Miles for keeping them in the game. Next year? Looks good for the Tigers!
Clemson bombed out in the first game, and you have to wonder what their fans are feeling. To go from national contender to pretender in less than six games is hard. Staff changes will make next year more difficult- Lane Kiffin is interviewing with Clemson, and if he is their new coach, Clemson may not have to wait a year to be back in business- he's a great catch. But Tennessee is interviewing him as well.
Auburn is also feeling some major heat, but they can somewhat salvage their season if they beat Alabama. That's a huge if, and not likely. Tuberville has already lost his OC, and frankly, he needs to look in the mirror himself. The offense is dreadful, and the team has lost all focus. Beating Tennessee-Martin 37-20 impresses no one, and in fact, is downright embarrassing. If they beat Georgia and Alabama, it would be a nice end to the season, but that doesn't look like it will happen.
Arizona State just didn't have enough Wheaties for breakfast. The Sun Devils were the early favorites to challenge USC for the Pac-10 title, and up until the Nevada game, looked like they were up to task. But losing six straight was not what Dennis Erickson had in mind for this season, despite having injury issues with quarterback Rudy Carpenter. There is simply way too much talent on this team to have a six-game skid.
44 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Kristofer Green 7 months ago
Ohio State is not on the outside looking in. PSU and OSU both control their own destiny in the Big Ten title race. If they both win out, they share the title. PSU would get the Rose Bowl nod, becasue of the head to head victory.
Id MSU beats Penn State, MSU and OSU share the title and OSU gets the Rose Bowl nod. Barring any major upsets, of course.
OSU's Big Ten title hopes are alive and well. Beat Illinois and Michigan and they are champs again. Both MSU and PSU have much tougher roads considering they still have to play eachother.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
Kris-
Ohio State controls their own destiny? They lost to Penn State...the only way they would go to Pasadena is if Michigan State beats Penn State. If anything, Michigan State controls OSU's destiny. But I think I wasn't clear in the article...I was talking about who would go BCS bowling, not who would win the Big Ten crown.
I'm unclear on one thing though, if both PSU and OSU have identical records, then the winner of head-to-head gets the tie-breaker, correct? So wouldn't that make them the Big Ten winner, or do they share the crown and only one gets to go to Pasadena?
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Kristofer Green 7 months ago
I was unclear as well. I thought when you said Michigan State or Penn State could win the Big Ten you were saying OSU had no chance to win it. Which, if they win out they will clinch a share of the title.
If both PSU and OSU win out, they will both finish with 7-1 confernce records, and therefore will be Co-Big Ten Champions. The tiebreaker only determines who gets the automatic BCS berth. Otherwise, they both will get the trophy and the rings.
The same thing happened in 2005, when both OSU and PSU finished with 7-1 records. PSU won the head to head and got the BCS berth (the Orange Bowl that season because USC and Texas were playing in the Rose Bowl--this was before the BCS Championship game was initiated).
Michigan State only controls the Rose Bowl berth aspect of the championship. If MSU beats PSU, then MSU and OSU will share and OSU will go to the Rose Bowl (becasue of the head to head match-up).
OSU isn't out of the BCS picture though... it will most likely come down to what happens in the Pac-10. If both Oregon State and USC win out, Oregon State would go to the Rose Bowl and USC will most likely get the at-large nod over Ohio State. And I couldn't complain if they did. OSU lost to USC.
Confusing enough for ya? ;) I do wish the Big Ten had a better system, but it's what we have... oh well.
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Darnell Burton 7 months ago
Kristofer is right on with his comment. There's no two ways to interpret this statement:
"Penn State or Michigan State could win the Big Ten, and that leaves the Buckeyes out of a BCS Bowl, with one of the other two going to the Rose Bowl"
Michigan State won't go to the Rose Bowl unless they win the Big Ten outright. A win over PSU would result in a Big Ten tie with OSU, in which case OSU would go to Pasadena based on their head-to-head throttling.
And the Big ten will absolutely get two at-large invites if they are allowed. What they need to happen is Oregon State to lose a game, and either Boise State or Utah lose a game. There's even a possibility of Boise State going undefeated and playing in the Poinsettia Bowl anyway - I'm not quite sure how it works, but I'm researching it. Stewart Mandel wrote it, though.
If USC plays in the Rose, then a 10-2 Ohio State will be invited to most likely the Fiesta Bowl. Not that anyone wants to see Oklahoma blow our doors off..but it'd be a nice payday.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
Darnell-
If Ohio State loses to Michigan, and Michigan State beats Penn State, then MSU is the Big Ten champ, since both Penn State and Ohio State would have two losses, while Michigan State would only have one conference loss if they win out. So my statement is accurate in respects to MSU could go to the Rose Bowl.
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Kristofer Green 7 months ago
Lisa,
Of course if Ohio State loses to Michigan, or Illinois for that matter they will be out. But the Buckeyes aren't out of the BCS yet. But the way you make it sound they are already out of it.
Truth is both MSU and OSU need eachother. OSU needs MSU to beat Penn State. And MSU needs OSU to lose to Illinois or Michigan.
The only way MSU goes to the Rose Bowl is if they beat PSU and OSU drops one or both of their remaining games. Could it happen, of course. Will it happen, I don't know...
And even if PSU goes to the Rose Bowl, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss OSU's chances of getting into another BCS bowl. I know you are on the "root for Oregon State bandwagon" so USC could go somewhere other than the Rose. Which, I must admit, I don't fully understand considering you are a USC fan. But, that scenario (or of course Ohio State dropping one of their final two games) is really the only way I can see Ohio State being left out. Do you really think the Orange Bowl (who does have the last selection) would pick a non-BCS school over an Ohio State. It's all about the cash. Ohio State will bring a lot of money to whatever bowl chooses them, which makes them very attractive to the Bowl selection committees.
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Scott Pusich 7 months ago
"PSU won the head to head and got the BCS berth (the Orange Bowl that season because USC and Texas were playing in the Rose Bowl--this was before the BCS Championship game was initiated)."
Better to say "fifth BCS bowl" than "BCS Championship game", since even with four bowls, one of them has served as a title game since the 1998 season. The title game between USC and Texas (2005 season) was also the Rose Bowl game, as was the title game between Miami and Nebraska (2001 season). Next time around (2009 season), there will be two games at the Rose Bowl, with one being the "fifth BCS bowl" (the new creation, 2006-present) and one being the BCS title game (1998-present).
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Joe G 7 months ago
Ohio State will be in a New Year's day bowl or better. They can't finish worse than third in the conference, even if they lose their last two games, and that locks them in to at least the Outback Bowl.
Good analysis on your disappointments. Who saw awful seasons like this coming from Clemson and Tennessee?
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Dean Walker 7 months ago
I agree with Kristofer. I would say the Buckeye's have a chance of going to the Rose bowl but it's slim. PSU is not going to lose to the Spartans purely for the reason that the spartan defense will find itself hard-pressed to chase Daryll Clark all over the field. Javon Ringer can run the ball all he wants but he won't be able to keep up with PSU's "HD" offense. The buckeye's have a chance but I wouldn't get my hopes up.
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Kristin Hamlin 7 months ago
I am rooting for Texas tech to go to the National Game this year.....Something about them...they look absolutely amazing.
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RedRaider Red 7 months ago
Why thank you! I hope we make it too!
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
I'm with ya Kristin..it's refreshing to see a new player in the national championship!
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Andrew Nuschler 7 months ago
Loved it just for the Trading Places reference.
But why not discuss Ball State? I actually think they're the better than Boise State and Utah. I know their schedule is the softest of the three, but Nate Davis looks like the real deal and gets them in the discussion in my opinion.
Nitpicking though. Good stuff.
Andrew
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Michael 7 months ago
Alabama did not play South Carolina.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
No they did not, my bad. I was looking at the SEC's sked and got my teams mixed up..thanks for the heads up.
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Ryan Raber 7 months ago
Lisa-
Should those of us that follow the Longhorns and their hopes be concerned about their omission? :-)
Great article, thanks for the insight. As unlikely as it was for Iowa to jump up on Penn State, I hope Florida can somehow stumble against Spurrier or Florida State, and then throttle Alabama in the SEC game. Then maybe I can hope for the rematch against Tech. Failing that, I guess I need Tech to beat ou and then lose in the Big XII game...
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
No...I copied an pasted this, saved it as a draft, added it, and then saved it as a draft..unfortunately, a few teams didn't get saved on the original draft. Sorry. :(
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Mitch at sportschatplace.com 7 months ago
Thanks for the read.
Florida is a sham and is the worst 1 loss team in the country based on what they have done on the field. They suffered one of the worst losses of any team this season, losing outright as a 24 point favorite at home. If you need a measuring stick, Wyoming was a 27 point dog (though they only opened at 24) at Tennessee. While College football doesn't have a playoff, every game is a playoff and the Gators put themselves behind Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State, and USC of the 1 loss teams by virute of how miserable their pathetic loss to Ole Miss was and should by all means still count as just as bad is it is. The y don't call it the studio champion or call it the end of the season who is playing the best champion, it's called the National Champion of the 2008 College Football Season and the Gators are undeserving of any mention in that category.
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Jason Capley 7 months ago
You should do an article on that one, Mitch.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
Mitch-
Umm....you are a Miami fan, so I am sure there some resentment there! :P But you can't gauge a team on one performance. USC lost to Stanford last year and they were a good team....it happens. A team loses focus, but that doesn't diminish how good they are. These guys are not pros.
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Jonny Solovy 7 months ago
I agree ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!!!! Florida has beaten 2 teams in the top 25, UGA and LSU... no other ranked teams... not even at the time they played them. UF has the worst loss of the one loss teams. Oregon St. is a better team than Ole Miss, and Oregon st is actually ranked in the top 25 now which makes USC look better. Why is Florida ahead of Oklahoma that is my biggest beef... the big 12 is better than the SEC by far this year. The SEC is so down this year it isn't even funyn but because the media is so biased towards their HISTORY they always say they are great. Name one good quarterback in the SEC not named Tebow? Stafford is the best followed by John Parker Wilson.. and neither of those guys are great players, sorry. I am not even a big 12 fan but the SEC is not even close this year. They are always praised for their defense... where's the offense this year in the SEC???? People give USC crap for their incredible defensive stats because of the weak pac 10... ironically they have shut down two of the top 20 offensive teams in the nation... including the 2nd best rushing team, Oregon. I have had enough of this SEC is God business... each year should wipe the slate clean....
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Darnell Burton 7 months ago
The Orange Bowl will not have the option of taking USC. The Orange Bowl is basically stuck with the last choice this year - and there really won't be a choice. They'll be forced to take the final remaining automatic qualifier - Utah or the Big East champ depending on how things shake out.
First thing's first - if your conference has a BCS bowl affiliation, your conference champions are automatically placed in their bowl game:
Rose: Oregon State vs. Penn State
Orange: ACC Champion vs. At-Large
Sugar: SEC Champion vs. At-Large
Fiesta: Big XII Champion vs. At-Large
The Big East does not have a BCS bowl affiliation.
Second thing's second - since the Sugar and Fiesta are losing their automatic representative to the BCS Championship Game, they get to pick replacements from the poll of BCS-qualified teams that are not affiliated with another bowl game. The Fiesta gets to choose first this year. Common sense says that they'll just take the Big XII's second-best team - Texas Tech, Oklahoma, or Texas - whoever isn't in the Championship Game. Then, common sense says that the Sugar Bowl would take the SEC runner-up - Florida or Alabama.
Third thing's third - The Orange Bowl is last in the pecking order this year. They don't have a choice for their first team. Their first team is the ACC Champion.
Fourth thing's fourth - now the Fiesta gets to pick an at-large team. They would OBVIOUSLY pick USC in this case, assuming their choices are USC, Utah, and the Big East champion.
Fifth thing's fifth - the Sugar is next in the pecking order this year. Not sure if they'd take Utah or the Big East chump, honestly. I think if it's WVU, they'll take WVU. If it's Cincy, they'll take Utah. If it's Pitt, they'd probably take Utah.
Sixth thing's sixth - the ACC champion gets the lone remaining team. Not USC.
Obviously if Oregon State loses a game, USC will play in the Rose Bowl and a new BCS slot will open up for most-likely, Ohio State or Boise State.
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Darnell Burton 7 months ago
From the BCS official website:
Team-Selection Procedures
The bowls will select their participants from two pools: (1) automatic qualifiers, all of which must be selected, and, (2) at-large teams, if fewer than 10 teams qualify automatically. The following sequence will be used when establishing pairings:
1. The top two teams in the final BCS Standings will be placed in the National Championship Game ("NCG").
2. Unless they qualify to play in the NCG, the champions of selected conferences are contractually committed to host selected games:
Atlantic Coast Conference-Orange Bowl
Big Ten Conference-Rose Bowl
Big 12 Conference-Fiesta Bowl
Pac-10 Conference-Rose Bowl
Southeastern Conference-Sugar Bowl
3. If a bowl loses a host team to the NCG, then such bowl shall select a replacement team from among the automatic-qualifying teams and the at-large teams before any other selections are made. If two bowls lose host teams to the NCG, each bowl will get a replacement pick before any other selections are made. In such case, the bowl losing the No. 1 team gets the first replacement pick, and the bowl losing the No. 2 team gets the second replacement pick. If the Rose Bowl loses both the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions to the NCG, it will receive two replacement picks.
A bowl choosing a replacement team may not select any of the following:
A. A team in the NCG;
B. The host team for another BCS Bowl;
C. When two bowls lose host teams, then the bowl losing the number one team may not select a replacement team from the same conference as the number two team, unless the bowl losing the number two team consents.
4. After steps No. 1, 2 and 3 have been completed, any bowl with an unfilled slot shall select a team from the automatic qualifiers and/or at-large teams in the following order:
A. The bowl played on the date nearest to the National Championship Game (for 2009, Fiesta Bowl) will pick first;
B. The bowl played on the date second-nearest to the National Championship Game (for 2009, Sugar Bowl) will pick second;
C. The bowl hosting the game that is played in the time slot immediately after the Rose Bowl game (for 2008, Sugar Bowl) will pick third.
The rotation noted in paragraphs A, B and C is as follows:
January 2007 games: Sugar, Orange, Fiesta
January 2008 games: Orange, Fiesta, Sugar
January 2009 games: Fiesta, Sugar, Orange
January 2010 games: Orange, Fiesta, Sugar
All teams earning automatic berths must be selected.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
I was under the impression that whomever holds the national championship, ie Orange Bowl, gets first pick of the at-larges after taking the ACC champ. According to bcs.org, in 2009 the Orange Bowl gets first pick.
The question is, is that for the year for which it is held, or the season? I assumed when they said 2009, they meant the 2009 Orange Bowl, which is for the 2008 season. If so, then Orange Bowl picks first.
And yes, I know which bowl has a tie in to which bowls, and I also know the Big East doesn't have a bowl tie in..it is why they weren't addressed in the article, and was commented on previously, so not sure why you felt the need to lecture me when I obviously know what conferences have bowl tie-ins.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
This is where it's confusing:
January 2008 games: Orange, Fiesta, Sugar
Do they mean January for the 2008 season? Or the Bowl? It's not clear.
And I am not so sure the Fiesta Bowl would obviously take USC, especially if the opponent was Oklahoma. :)
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
I'm with ya on the Sugar Bowl...they lose a good match-up, if it turns out that way. geesh....if this isn't a reason for a playoff, what is? The Rose Bowl could feature PSU and Oregon State again. They have an out, but the Pac-10 is a stickler for traditional match-ups. The thing is, they can use their out of a repeat match-up as a reason to not pick Oregon State. That would stink for them.
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Scott Pusich 7 months ago
"Rose: Oregon State vs. Penn State"
Darnell, you're jumping the gun. If you were watching last year, you should know by now not to fill your bowl berths before they hatch. Remember how Ohio State and LSU weren't exactly locks for the game before the regular season was finished?
If, for example, by some string of upsets USC is able to make the title game, and is also conference champion (Oregon State has to lose), there is no automatic rule that the Rose Bowl has to pick Oregon State to play the Big "11" champion. Of course, there would be severe pressure for them to do so, if the Beavers were ranked high enough (as was the case with #13 Illinois last year), but more likely they would be tempted to pick one of the "powerhouse" at-large teams (likely from the Big XII or SEC).
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Chris Schmidbauer 7 months ago
maybe i heard this wrong last weekend, but i recall hearing that if the buckeyes and MSU tie for the Big 10, then MSU wins a tie breaker because they did not play a FCS school. Is that right? Or did I mishear something?
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Kristofer Green 7 months ago
That was before Penn State lost to Iowa. If two teams tie, the first tie breaker is the head to head match-up. If the two teams did not play, then the second tie-breaker is the SOS.
The scenario that was being thrown around last week was what would happen if MSU beat an undefeated PSU. In that scenario, since PSU beat OSU, OSU beat MSU, MSU beat PSU the first tie breaker wouldn't break the tie. So the second tie breaker would be enforced, which is SOS. Since both PSU and OSU played FCS opponents and MSU did not, MSU would win the tie break and get the Rose bowl nod.
Since PSU lost two Iowa, the only way MSU can get to the Rose is if the beat PSU and OSU loses a game.
Now, if MSU beat PSU and OSU wins out, both MSU and OSU would finish with identical records. The first tie brek would be head to head match-up. Since OSU beat MSU 45-7, then OSU gets the nod.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
I thought it was the same as the Big 12 tie breaker rules- BCS ranking is the second tie breaker. First, obviously is head-to-head.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
Chris-
LOL..yes, first is head-to-head, second is eliminating a team that played more FCS schools. Since MSU doesn't play FCS schools. Ohio State would be eliminated due to Youngstown State on their sked if they had to go to the second tiebreaker. Those FCS schools are a killer.
HOWEVER.... both teams already played each other head-to-head, Ohio State won, so the second tie-breaker, the FCS schedule, would not come into play. OSU would get the nod.
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Jeff Contizano 7 months ago
Nice article Lisa. It would be nice to see Oregon State bust into the Rose Bowl, but then again everyone says they would get crushed by Penn State/Ohio State/Michigan State so I don't know..
Personally I'd like to see a Florida/Texas Tech NC game. It would be one of those Texas/USC games (05' was it?). Keep up the good work!
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
Jeff-
I am with you on Tech and Florida. They look like the two best teams....if PSU goes to Rose, and Oregon State wins Pac-10, then it;s a big mess. In the rules, it states that second match-ups can be considered for selection process. Uh Oh.
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Jeff Contizano 7 months ago
Really? To be honest I'd almost have to say take USC. Oregon State is a good team, I think, but they aren't ready yet to be competing against the best.. but wait, they beat the best? I am so confused. Hopefully the BCS will sort itself out soon.
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Tim Seeman 7 months ago
illinois was no match for SC in the rose bowl last season, so why not have oregon state be no match for penn state in the rose bowl this season? the conference champs are the conference champs and that's what the rules say, so let them play.
glad to see wisconsin wasn't mentioned as a disappointment...but maybe it goes without saying...hopefully they can keep the axe, cuz that's what this season comes down to for the badgers
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thomas moreland 7 months ago
i hope texas tech beats okla. florida / texas tech game will be great, then people can see who is the best! the undefeated team that waded through texas oklahoma and okla state, or yhe team that lost focus for an instant against miss state but annilated ga, lsu and alabama! oh its coming alabama!! bet me! thomas
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Jason Capley 7 months ago
I love that everybody hates Bama! How many points do you want to give me?
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Michael Inglis 7 months ago
I didn't realize you lost to Miss State????
Florida has played no team this year with a good defense besides Tennessee. Don't get cocky, South Carolina, FSU, and Bama are 3 hard games and I wouldn't be surprised if they lost one. Those games will be by far the toughest defenses they have played all year and the Gators finesse offense might not go over well when they meet a physical team.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
Jason-
Who said they hate Bama? Why is it than when someone gives an honest analysis of a team, they are haters if they don't call them the greatest team in the country? I don't get that mentality. It's an overused word, and misused at that.
Bama does not look like the No. 1 team in the nation. Sorry. They are a very good team, but not a No. 1 team. I also said that about Georgia after their game against Georgia Southern, and the Dawgs fans called me haters. I haven't heard much from them since the Bama and Florida games, except for some dear friends here on the site, who are great fans and people as well. (Georgia Dawg, Gray Ghost).
Get back to me after the SEC Championship game. If Bama beats Florida, I'll write about how great they are. In the meantime, I'll take Florida and lay 12 points minimum.
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Jason Capley 7 months ago
Lisa I was more responding to Thomas's comment about, Oh its coming Alabama! Bet me!
Lisa you always kill Bama because of their SOS. At the beginning of the season Bama had the 12th hardest schedule in the nation. We just happened to be the one to expose the pretenders. The deal is they have won all of their games. How can Alabama control their strength of schedule? I mean it started at 12 and now its 67th.
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thomas moreland 7 months ago
lsu was supposed to be aphysical team they said they were going to smash tebow! remember! we shall see! i m not a gator fan just observe and i think they are the best team in football. texas tech has the best chance to prove me wrong. alabama must be looking at a lot of film with all this anticipation of the game. i hope they are up for a war! thomas
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O-town Gator 7 months ago
"Of course if Ohio State loses to Michigan, or Illinois for that matter they will be out. But the Buckeyes aren't out of the BCS yet. But the way you make it sound they are already out of it."
Honestly I don't see that happening this year; clueless Ron Zook is back to his "it is correctable and we're getting better and better" unaccountable, mediocre ways again in Champaign and Michigan is weak this year due to their being both in transition and rebuilding. Ohio State's not the powerhouse they were in the past, but they still could have a shot at the Rose Bowl depending on what Penn State and Michigan State do before the end of the regular season.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
Ohio St is not control of their own destiny when it comes to playing for the roses...they need help, since they lost to PSU. That was the gist of my analysis. :) Go Gators!
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CrimsonUte 7 months ago
When you say Fresno State's 5-4 record is deceiving, I'm guessing you mean they are a better team than that. (If you're actually saying they're worse than that, my apologies.)
All of their wins are against teams with losing records. In fact, those teams are a combined 13-34. Especially suspect in that group of games are a 55-54 overtime win over 2-7 Toledo and a last second field goal to beat out 2-8 Utah State.
Wins:
Rutgers 4-5 (3-2) W 24-7
@ Toledo 2-7 (1-4) W 55-54 OT
@ UCLA 3-6 (2-4) W 36-31
Idaho 2-8 (1-5) W 45-32
@ Utah State 2-8 (2-4) W 30-28
All of the teams that have beaten Fresno have exactly five wins and no fewer than four losses. Fresno kept it close in most of these games, but that is what you would expect for a mediocre team playing mediocre teams.
Losses:
No. 10 Wisconsin 5-5 (2-5) L 13-10
Hawaii 5-5 (4-3) L 32-29 OT
@ Louisiana Tech 5-4 (3-2) L 38-35
Nevada 5-4 (3-2) L 41-28
If anything, the 5-4 record might make the team look a little better than they really are. But I think this is a 5-4 team playing like a 5-4 team. And I think Boise State will roll them.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
They tend to play better than they are in high profile games. Yes, their record is mediocre, but they do keep the games tight, as you can see by their games. They don't get blown out...they stay even with most teams.
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Brad James 7 months ago
Lisa,
I've scorned the BCS once again. Please read my latest article if you have time.
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thomas moreland 7 months ago
ohio state barely deserves to be in a bcs bowl game! Jesus! they lost twice now. get over it!
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