How a Nebraska Upset of Texas Would Rock the BCS Projections

Show of hands. How many of you thought that Nebraska would play in the Big XII Championship?

A few of you?

Duly noted. The Huskers or the Jayhawks were the preseason favorites to win the North. Though I doubt that many of you thought Nebraska would punch their ticket the way they did, winning against Oklahoma and losing versus Iowa State.

Another show of hands. How many of you thought that if Nebraska made it to the Big XII title match and won, it would send the BCS world spinning off of its axis?

Neither did I.

But that's exactly the scenario that the BCS bigwigs fear the most.

Forget for a moment the improbability of it all. In the event of a Nebraska win, no matter how unlikely, the much-maligned BCS system might very well implode.

If everything goes according to Hoyle, and virtually everyone believes it will, Texas should dispatch Nebraska with relative ease and then face the SEC Champion for the BCS National Title.

The BCS fat cats would get the marquee match-up they crave between two undefeated powerhouses replete with rich histories and long-standing traditions. They'll be able to pat one another on the back and claim that the system actually worked, that it delivered a showdown worthy of the sacred cow that is the BCS.

Never mind that the possibility will exist that, when the dust settles, there might be three more undefeated teams still standing, each of them arguing that the whole debate should have been settled on the field, not by crunching numbers.

The only number that will matter to the "also-rans" is the zero in their loss columns.

A Texas win will not come without an additional price, however. At least to the Big XII.

Oklahoma State had a chance to stake their claim to a second Big XII BCS berth by winning this year's installment of the Bedlam Series. However a 27-0 thrashing by the Sooners quickly put any of the Cowboys' BCS dreams to bed.

Therefore, the Longhorns will most likely be the lone Big XII representative at the BCS party, ultimately costing their conference $4.5 million in additional revenue had a second Big XII team secured a BCS bid.

However, don't expect the fans from the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-10, Big East or ACC to shed any tears for the Big XII.

Far from it.

The Big XII's failure to secure two BCS bids will only throw more gasoline on the fiery, annual debate between fans of the various "major" conferences concerning overall supremacy.

Every year, even before the first touchdown is scored, supporters of the six BCS conferences argue their cases, each claiming, some more vociferously than others, that their conference is best.

Nowhere is this conference unity more prevalent than the SEC. While they are bitter rivals on the field, they will quickly defend each other for sake of the bigger picture, routinely claiming that the middle-of-the-pack SEC teams are superior to the best teams that the Big Ten, Big XII and Pac-10 have to offer.

In fact, one of Sports Illustrated's recent cover stories examined the SEC's conference pride more closely, their headline essentially agreeing with SEC fans that "Nobody Does It Better."

It's not hard to see why SEC fans feel this way, considering the mess in the Big XII North Division, the stranglehold that USC had over their Pac-10 rivals and the lackluster performances by both Oklahoma and Ohio State in their recent BCS bowls, especially against SEC foes.

All of that withstanding, what exactly would a Nebraska win in the Big XII Title game mean?

Plenty.

Plenty of chaos, that is.

First off, it would give Nebraska an automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl, per the Big XII's contractual commitment with that event. Texas would then receive a BCS at-large bid and the Big XII would get that extra $4.5 mil after all.

Secondly, it would give No. 4 ranked TCU a shot at facing the SEC Champion for all the marbles. The Horned Frogs are clearly pulling for the Huskers, despite the fact that, even with a Nebraska win, they might not reach the promised land.

Working against the Frogs are a couple of factors.

Although TCU completed a perfect regular season, No. 5 Cincinnati will have the final opportunity to make an impression on voters this weekend as they face a Top 15 Pittsburgh Panther squad in the Big East Championship. In addition, the fact that TCU hails from a conference without an automatic BCS bid might make voters reluctant to give them the nod.

So, if the Bearcats scratch out a win over Pitt, they could leapfrog the Frogs.

But even then, it's not that simple.

Cincinnati, not traditionally viewed as one of the nation's elite programs, could be passed over by voters in favor of a "sexier" matchup, paving the way for the first rematch in BCS Championship history.

Yes, college football lovers, all hell could break loose.

Brace yourselves for Florida vs. Alabama II, especially if their first meeting lives up to its billing or is decided by a few points in the game's final seconds.

I can already hear the rebel yell rising up from SEC country.

If you remember correctly, this was a possible scenario in 2006. Number-one ranked Ohio State prevailed over number-two ranked Michigan in an epic 42-39 battle, prompting many analysts to make the case for a rematch in the BCS Championship game.

Instead, one-loss Florida got the bid to the BCS title game, by a margin of .0101 points, and promptly crushed the Buckeyes, 41-14.

So essentially, we'd be left with three options, each sure to spark yet another round of BCS controversy. Take your pick.

The one thing I believe I can say with absolute certainty is that Boise State will not be rooting for the Cornhuskers. As mentioned in the above scenario, a Texas loss would still result in them getting an at-large BCS bid and the undefeated Broncos (providing that they take care of business this weekend vs. 3-9 New Mexico State) would be busted, relegated to a second-tier bowl game.

So while they'll be chanting "GO BIG RED" in Fort Worth, they'll be shouting "NO BIG RED" in Boise.

Having said all this, I feel that I should remind everyone that this whole chaotic mess would only occur if (and it's a BIG if) Nebraska manages to pull off the one of the greater upsets in recent history.

So please save your emails; I already have tired-head just thinking about all of this.