For Non-BCS Football Teams Winning Is Not Enough

Here we go again, another “woe is me” article about the inherent unfairness of the BCS system.

I promise, this is not that article.

Although it may be true that the BSC ranking model is not an equitable assessment of football team quality, life in general is not fair either.

As a football coach or player in the vast majority of the nation’s colleges and universities who does not happen to be in one of the “chosen” conferences, there is a choice to make.

You can whine about why your team doesn’t have a chance to succeed given the “broken system” or you can figure out a way to excel within the framework of the current system. Any athlete who has worked hard enough to play at the college level has surely encountered and overcome greater obstacles.

Those who allowed unfairness, hardship, physical deficiencies or an imbalance of life’s trials to divert them from success are generally not competing anymore. The bleachers are filled with whiners and excuse makers while the field is populated with those that know how to overcome opposition.

Winning all of your football games probably won’t be enough. Winning all of your football games by large point margins can help. Utah is ranked lower than BYU only due to not having a 59-0 blowout over a BCS opponent.

Winning all of your football games and having some inspirational human-interest stories on the team for media consumption, ala Colt Brennan and Hawaii, helps. Although Hawaii was completely overmatched in the BCS match-up granted them by the BCS gods, winning it would not have gained them any national champion consideration.

Winning all of your football games and your BCS bowl game like Boise State did is not enough either. Respect is built over time. Maybe another undefeated season this year will solidiy longer term respect for the Broncos.

Winning all your football games is certainly a requirement, but not a trump card.

As a player or coach in one of the “mid-major” conferences, whose obstacles to fielding a national championship deserving college football team include: lack of national exposure, deficiency of recruit interest, lower staff salaries, inadequate training facilities, smaller fan bases, and poor competitive opportunities, how can you prove that your team is the best in nation?

What the fans and national polls are looking for is reality. Like watching The First 48 instead of CSI. The writers of the story may be better on CSI but we all know the blood is ketchup and the blood on the A&E is actual human trauma.

Football fans don’t want to be fooled by another Hawaii. We should have suspected fraud after all those junk faxes promising $299 eight day/seven night vacations to Honolulu. Even in this age of college football parity, you must have a consistent, quality, winning program over several seasons to be considered a real contender.

Utah had one great season then lost Urban Meyer to the Gators and virtually disappeared.

Currently there are more non-BCS, undefeated, ranked teams this year than suspended Fighting Irish.

Although they have not lost, none have consistently and impressively disposed of credible foes.

The closest thing we have to a real contender this season is Brigham Young. Led by a second tier Heisman Trophy candidate in Junior QB Max Hall, BYU is putting up some of the best offensive numbers in the nation.

Consecutive 11 win seasons hints at consistency, but recent games against pathetic teams have been closer than they should have been.

Thursday night Brigham Young plays against a strong TCU team whose only loss so far was to Oklahoma. This is the first opportunity for BYU to become a real contender.

They must win by a wide margin or become another “see, I told you so” mid-major with delusions of grandeur.

Here is a memo to all FBS coaches in non-BCS conferences: blow-outs are necessary for national credibility.