BCS Rankings Week 15: Who Got Screwed in the Eighth BCS Rankings?
The BCS Rankings for Week 15 aren't all that different from those for Week 14.
This is not surprising, of course, as there were only so many games this past weekend. Those that did play really didn't cause that much calamity as far as the rankings are concerned.
But make no mistake, it is still the BCS. Because of this, there are always going to be teams that get screwed.
In order of how badly they got screwed, here are the top 10 teams that couldn't get no respect in the eighth BCS rankings.
10. No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers
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"He can't be serious," said the unknown man or woman reading this slideshow.
But I am serious. And the reason I'm putting Wisconsin first on this list is because I took a very close look at the BCS rankings, and I saw something I didn't like.
There are some who have argued that Wisconsin is by far the best non-undefeated team in the country, and their No. 4 standing in the Harris Poll, the USA Today Poll, and the AP Poll would seem to support this.
But they are No. 5 because the computers hate them. And their hate, it would seem, is growing before our very eyes.
If you look at the Week 14 rankings, you'll see that the computers assigned Wisconsin to an average ranking of No. 7. In these final rankings, in a week where Wisconsin has done nothing wrong, the computers have them at an average ranking of No. 8.
Allow me to cry foul on the Badgers' behalf.
9. No. 20 South Carolina Gamecocks
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Yes, I'm putting South Carolina on this list, but I'm doing so with a slight disclaimer.
It's not so much that the Gamecocks got screwed, per se. The fact that they dropped just one spot after getting beaten as badly as they did is actually not that bad.
However, I do think that they have been insulted in these latest rankings, as they are now looking up at the Utah Utes.
The Utes, for those of you who haven't been paying attention, have been one of the most unimpressive teams in the country over the last several weeks. And yet there they are, sitting on top of a Gamecocks team that had their shot at winning the toughest conference in football.
The reality, of course, is that the Gamecocks would destroy Utah, and they could probably do it with the backups in the game. Fact.
8. No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers
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I figure I may as well count West Virginia among those that got screwed, but simply because they look more like a No. 21 team than they do a No. 22.
In other words, I'm in agreement with the Harris Poll and the USA Today Poll, which both have the Mountaineers at No. 21.
The computers, in all their digital wisdom, have them at No. 24.
Nonsense. Just because they're not going to a BCS Bowl doesn't mean they're chopped liver.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. No. 24 Hawaii Warriors
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I hadn't considered the idea that Hawaii may have been screwed by being placed at No. 24 in the BCS rankings.
But when I read fellow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Tom Kinslow's list of Who Got Screwed in the Week 15 Coaches' and AP Polls, I realized that they very well may have.
To illustrate my point, I will direct your attention to NC State. The Wolfpack were able to crack the rankings at No. 23 in Week 13 after being unranked in Week 12. So why not give the Warriors the same satisfaction?
After all, with Florida State suffering its fourth loss of the season against Virginia Tech, dropping them to No. 24 wouldn't be too much of a slap in the face. Instead, they dropped just two spots to No. 23.
In fact, this is one instance in which the computers seem to have it right, as they have Hawaii at an average rank of No. 23. Nothing like a bit of computer love.
6. Maryland Terrapins
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With Arizona and Northern Illinois playing their way out of the Top 25, there were going to be two spots available for fresh blood.
As far as I'm concerned, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Hawaii would nab the No. 24 spot, but I wasn't so sure about No. 25.
It ended up being Central Florida, which makes sense given the fact that they've been No. 25 in the USA Today Poll for two weeks now.
While I mean no disrespect to the Knights and their well-earned 9-3 record, I for one have a problem with a Conference USA team getting the nod over one from a major conference.
Why not Maryland, which is just outside the Top 25 in the USA Today poll, and has played through a tough ACC schedule to earn an 8-4 record.
In addition, their final win of the regular season was over NC State, which knocked the Wolfpack from the BCS rankings.
Just a suggestion.
5. No. 16 Alabama Crimson Tide
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I'm going to go ahead and throw Alabama on this list simply because I'm not sure why they got passed up by Nevada, which moved up to No. 15 following their win over Louisiana Tech.
If ever there was a time for the Wolf Pack to be No. 15, it was last week. They were still glowing from an epic win over Boise State, but instead just moved up to No. 17.
With Nebraska losing, the most reasonable thing to have happen would have been for the teams immediately behind them in the Week 14 rankings to move up one spot each.
Instead, the Tide remained suspended in animation at No. 16 while the Wolf Pack jumped two spots to No. 15. Is Louisiana Tech that good, or is the BCS making up for shafting the Wolf Pack last week?
Either way, Bama got the short end of the stick.
4. No. 13 Virginia Tech Hokies
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The Hokies actually made out pretty well in the final BCS rankings, riding a win in the ACC Championship Game from No. 15 up to No. 13.
But I'm going to go out on a limb and say they got screwed anyway. In fact, if you take away their computer average, the Hokies could very well be as high as No. 11. Instead, those blasted Skynet computers have them at No. 18.
That's no way to treat a conference champion. And besides, they at least deserve to be higher than the freakin' Missouri Tigers, who really only have one good win to their credit.
Oh well.
By the way if that Skynet reference is lost on you, please let me know so I can give you a proper scolding.
3. No. 11 Boise State Broncos
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Because the difference in BCS average between No. 10 LSU and No. 11 Boise State was a mere 0.0262 in the Week 14 rankings, one thought that a win in Boise's final game of the season was going to be enough to allow them to switch spots with the Tigers.
The Broncos did indeed get their 11th win of the season by defeating Utah State 50-14, but remained just barely behind LSU at No. 11.
This is a petty gripe, of course, as it's not like that No. 10 spot means anything. But if we can pretend for a moment that it's the principle of the thing that counts, I daresay Boise got screwed.
Who screwed them? Why, the computers, of course. They have the Broncos at an average rank of No. 12, a considerable difference in light of the fact that both the Harris Poll and USA Today Poll have them at No. 10.
2. No. 18 Nebraska Cornhuskers
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While I think we all knew that Nebraska was due to take a hit in the BCS rankings after they lost the Big 12 Championship Game, I didn't think the hit would be hard enough to knock them all the way down to No. 18.
After all, it's not like they lost to an unranked team or anything.
And exactly how they're No. 18 when they're No. 16 in the USA Today Poll, No. 17 in the Harris Poll, and No. 17 in the BCS computers is beyond me. I'm no math guru, but those three numbers shouldn't average out to No. 18.
Yes, I know that's not how it works. But I'm just saying...
1. Connecticut Huskies
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The fact that the winner of the Big East gets an automatic BCS bid has been the matter of some debate in recent weeks, as the Big East has given us a relatively weak collection of teams in 2010.
But with their dramatic win over South Florida late Saturday night, the UConn Huskies clinched their first conference championship since 2007, and tiebreakers have allowed them to claim the coveted BCS bid. They'll be playing in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day.
Yet they are not in the BCS Top 25, which is almost as comical as it is baffling. Of all the teams that could have fit into that No. 25 besides UCF, they are by far the most deserving one of all.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
