BCS Rankings: An Unbeaten Auburn Would Not Be Left Out of the Title Game

The first BCS rankings of 2010 were released yesterday and it seems to business as usual for this system with countless angry fans across the country.

Like always, controversy surrounds the BCS and there will inevitable calls for a playoff system in college football by the media and fans alike.

Surprisingly, Oklahoma currently holds the top spot in the rankings over Oregon and Boise State. Last year on October 18, there were seven remaining unbeaten teams; at the moment there are 10 remaining unbeaten teams in college football. While there won't be 10 unbeaten teams at the end of the regular season, there is still a chance that up to six unbeaten teams could be playing in bowl games in December and January. 

Last season, the unbeaten teams of Cincinnati, Boise State and TCU were left out of the national title game in favor of Texas and Alabama. This year, Boise State and TCU could once again have strong cases for the national title game as could an unbeaten Michigan State, the Big 12 champion and/or Oregon.

Once again, there will be endless debates about the legitimacy of putting a non-BCS conference team in the national title game. An unbeaten match up between Utah and TCU is going to help either team's national title chances, but how badly was Boise State's chances affected by unbeaten No. 19 Nevada losing to Hawaii on Saturday night?

Michigan State could finish the regular season 12-0, but how strong is their case for the national title game since they didn't play Ohio State?

An unbeaten Oregon may receive the same approval from fans that USC did during the Pete Carroll days for their perceived lack of competition. Oregon beat No. 9-ranked Stanford 52-31 at Autzen Stadium, but the only remaining ranked opponent on their schedule is No. 18 Arizona, which also a home game. The only team that is assured of a spot in Glendale on January 10 with an unbeaten record is Auburn.

In 2004 Auburn finished the season 13-0, but the Tigers were left out of the championship game in favor of Oklahoma and USC. I still think the Trojans would have won that game if they played Auburn, but an offense led by the backfield duo of Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams would have performed much better than Oklahoma, who lost the game 55-19.

Six years later an SEC team has won the last four national titles and the Tigers are off to a 7-0 start in college football's toughest division and conference. The Tigers put up 65 points on Saturday against Arkansas and Cam Newton is quickly becoming a favorite for the Heisman Trophy.

However, the road to perfection has already proven to be a tough challenge for Gene Chizik and his team. The 5th ranked Auburn have already had to win three games by three points and only beat South Carolina by eight points. Still remaining on the schudele is a home game this weekend against No. 6 LSU and the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa.

If Auburn is able to win out during the regular season and beat the SEC East Champion (South Carolina, Florida?) in Atlanta they will get their spot in the BCS National Title Game without any debate from voters or controversy from computers. A 13-0 regular season record would include wins against seven teams that were ranked at some point during the season and prevent the injustice that Tommy Tuberville faced in 2004.