NCAA Screws TCU and Boise State Yet Again

We all know that the NCAA is not fond of people questioning the validity of the BCS. They have done their best over the years to thwart any suggestions that center around a playoff system, and have provided counter arguments that use only a select bit of information to prove that bowls are more beneficial to all involved.

The BCS is a flawed system and even the casual fan can see that. But far be it from the NCAA to let any argument that proves this fact gain any traction. This season will be no different.

The selection committee assured on Sunday night that there would be no such arguments this postseason.

As the committee held its collective breath, Hunter Lawrence drilled a game-winning FG for Texas and sent TCU and Cincinnati's hopes of crashing the BCS title game flying out the window. No matter how well TCU had played, and how poorly Texas had looked, there was no way that the Horned Frogs would be allowed to play for the championship while the Longhorns were still undefeated.

But the NCAA wouldn't let it rest there. To avoid an Auburn situation from years past, they thought up a way to ensure that even if TCU finishes the season undefeated, they will still hold no legitimate claim to a share of the title.

The solution: pit the Horned Frogs against the other underrated, non-power conference BCS crasher, the Boise State Broncos.

The two teams have been two of the strongest all season, putting up impressive victories against ranked and unranked teams alike, but have failed to gain any respect from the NCAA higher-ups.

Boise State has the nations top scoring offense, with 574 points (averaging 44 points a game) and an average of 460 yards per game. According to College Football Stats (cfbstats.com), the Broncos rank 8th in total offense, ahead of every bowl BCS bowl-bound team not named TCU or Cincinnati. Not to mention they have a win over Rose Bowl bound Oregon and the 13th ranked total defense. 

The Horned Frogs are arguably more well rounded than the Broncos. They boast the nation's 4th best scoring offense, with 488 points (40 per game) and 469 yards per contest. They have the 4th ranked total offense according to cfbstats.com, and the first ranked defense, ahead of Florida, Alabama, Texas and Ohio State. In addition, they have thoroughly convincing beatdowns of ranked BYU and Utah, yet the Horned Frogs are still getting very little NCAA love.

If TCU were to have taken on a team like Iowa and Boise State faced off against, say, Georgia Tech then a disaster scenario could have occurred, as far the committee was concerned. If both teams were able to knock of top BCS contenders, possibly even convincing beatings, and finish the season undefeated, questions would have rained down regarding why neither team was selected for the championship game and why a playoff is not instituted to make sure this doesn't happen, again.

Pitting them against each other rules out any chance of such an argument for both team. But it also ruins the arguments of the victorious team as well.

As it stands, it's a no-win situation for both TCU and Boise State. Regardless of which team wins, the NCAA committee will simply make the argument that they were able to defeat a team that was undefeated only because of a weak overall schedule. It will be nothing more than another victory against a ranked team that is "not a true NCAA power."

It's a situation that would be easier to swallow if it didn't have such an negative impact on the players and schools involved. As fans, we can make our own decisions about which teams are the true powerhouses, and while it's fun to see some of the games played out, some of those games will never match the ones that occur in our minds.

What's worse is the opportunity that is taken away from these young men who work so hard to hone their craft and work with their teammates to take their team to the highest of heights. Only to be told that an undefeated season still doesn't make them good enough.