Come To Think Of It...Ugly BCS Controversy For Oklahoma, Texas and Florida

All year long, with the exception of one ugly game, the Florida Gators have arguably been college football's best team, in my opinion. Yet that one loss (a one-point loss to Mississippi) has left them with the unenviable task of having to beat vaunted #1 ranked Alabama to even sniff the BCS championship game.

But wait - now that the game is nearing, and people are seeing how well Florida is playing and recognizing that they have a legitimate chance to beat the Tide, some are suggesting that even if Florida wins they might not make the championship game.

Crazy computer say what?

Let's get back to that in a minute. At least one half of the BCS game is relatively clear, though there is controversy there as well. Oklahoma will represent the Big 12 South in the conference championship game against Missouri on Saturday, giving the Sooners a chance to play their way into the BCS National Championship Game with a victory.

However, the cumulative total of the human element of the BCS formula had Texas ranked ahead of Oklahoma by the slimmest of margins. It was the computers that ultimately boosted the Sooners into the Big 12 championship game, and into the national championship game if they can beat the Tigers, as well.

No matter which side you're on in the Texas-OU debate, the bigger issue is how the polls can be manipulated from week to week when coaches are operating on an agenda.

Some coaches changed around their rankings to try and beat the system and it's a shame they don't publicize each coach's results.  If they did, I bet some of those coaches wouldn't have tried to do what they did.

Which brings us back to the Florida situation.

Thanks in part to SEC opponents Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt all losing nonconference games Saturday, No. 4 Florida lost some schedule strength in the BCS computers and still trails the No. 3 position in the BCS standings by a decent margin.

That raises the question: Is it still certain that Florida reaches the BCS National Championship Game by simply beating No. 1 Alabama on Saturday?

It should. If Oklahoma goes on to win the Big 12 championship, chances are good that some (if not most) of this week's Longhorns supporters will move the conference champion back ahead of UT on next week's ballots.

But with BCS poll manipulation going around, who knows for sure?

If Florida wins the SEC and somehow doesn't climb higher than second in one of the polls, there's a chance Oklahoma and Texas could have a rematch for the BCS title.

And that would be wrong.

Here's hoping that if the Gators win, the polls get things right. If not, they'll be some hungry gators looking to bite off a few heads come to think of it.