Attention TCU and Non-AQ Teams: The BCS Got It Right This Season

Let me start by saying that Gary Patterson and Texas Christian University put together a great football season in 2010. They were one of only three teams to finish the regular season undefeated. In addition, their 21-19 victory over No. 5 Wisconsin was yet another piece of evidence that the mid-major conferences can beat the major conferences. 

However, they are not worthy of a spot in the BCS National Championship Game to play against either the No. 1 Auburn Tigers or the No. 2 Oregon Ducks. 

TCU’s best victory in the regular season was on the road against Utah, a Mountain West Conference team. The Horned Frogs beat the Utes 47-7. The following week, Utah was demolished, 28-3, by Notre Dame and was blown out by No. 10 Boise State, 26-3, in the Las Vegas bowl. 

The only two teams they played from major conferences during the regular season were Oregon State and Baylor. Oregon State finished a dismal 5-7 and Baylor finished 7-5, but beat only one team with a winning record.

On the other hand, Oregon beat No. 4 Stanford by 21 points and went 9-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference, which many believed to be the second best conference in the FBS this season. The Ducks’ strength of schedule according to the GBE Rankings was 95th, while TCU’s was 102nd. 

Auburn finished the season 13-0 with six victories against teams that finished in the top 25 of the final BCS rankings (South Carolina x 2, LSU, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Alabama). The Tigers GBE strength of schedule was 17th. 

Oregon and Auburn have played stronger schedules and in superior conferences and won all of their games this season. The Horned Frogs played a weak schedule and in a mid-major conference. 

The BCS is rewarding the Ducks and Tigers for playing more quality competition on a regular basis. TCU and other mid-major teams have to show up for one maybe two big games a year, while Oregon and Auburn are playing against stronger competition week in and week out.

Boise State coach Chris Petersen even admitted earlier this year that the mid-major teams lack the size and depth to play against major conference teams every week. 

Given a month to prepare for BCS bowl games against major conference opponents, mid major teams like TCU, Utah and Boise State have proven they can win a big game on a neutral field. But, to earn a spot in the BCS National Championship game, it’s about the full body of work, and Oregon and Auburn have better resumes then TCU. 

The mid-major conference teams know the only way to earn respect during the regular season is to play ranked major conference opponents. Boise State scheduled Virginia Tech on a neutral field and an Oregon State team that was supposed to be ranked in the top 25 this season. However, they stumbled against WAC conference rival Nevada and lost 34-31 in overtime. 

Even if they did beat the Wolf Pack they still would have needed another quality opponent to leap frog Oregon, which they clearly did not face this season. 

I have a hard time believing teams like TCU that go out and play maybe one big game a season, run through a weak mid-major conference and win one big game can think they have some claim to a national championship.

If TCU would have played in the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC or Pac-10 this season there is no way they would have been 12-0 by season’s end.

Look what happened to Penn State after they joined the Big Ten. 

The Nittany Lions had won two national championships in the 1980s and had only one losing season since 1967 when they were an Independent. After they joined the Big Ten in 1993 have only won the conference three times, have only finished with an unblemished conference record once, and haven’t won a National Championship.

Schedule some ranked major conference teams and prove you can hang with the major conferences more then once or twice in a season and then I might be on the side of letting a mid-major into the national championship game. 

Once again, this is not meant to take away from anything TCU did this season. I am a big fan of seeing the mid-majors beat the major conference teams and I hope one of the non-AQ’s will play for a championship one day.

This year however, the two best teams are Oregon and Auburn.

The BCS got it right this season.