BCS Rankings: Teams That Prove Rankings Are a Total Failure

The BCS rankings system is a disgusting excuse for a playoff. They continually whiff on teams. Some are too low, some are too high, and some it is simply impossible to know what to do with.

Here is an example of each of those instances.

Too Low

No. 14 Georgia

Georgia has won 10 straight games but they are only No. 14. That is due to the fact that they lost their first two games.

Since then, they have been on a tear, including two wins over ranked teams.

They beat an Auburn team, No. 20 at the time, 45-7. They then beat a Georgia Tech team that was ranked No. 23 at the time 31-17.

Georgia is one of the hottest teams in the country. They have clearly gotten better as the season has gone on—especially on defense. This team is now No. 10 in points allowed per game.

Yet that magnificent run can't even land them in the top 10. As a point of reference, they are only five spots ahead of the next team, yet they are vastly superior.

Too High

No. 19 Nebraska

Nebraska has one really impressive win on the season. They beat Michigan State 24-3. They have one other win against a ranked team. That was a 17-14 triumph over Penn State that was the first game played in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Their other two games against ranked teams were a disaster. They were humiliated by Wisconsin 48-17, and then managed to almost equal that by getting blown out 45-17 by Michigan.

Wisconsin and Michigan are now ranked No. 15 and 16, respectively.

First of all, a team in the top 25 should not have to blow out losses to teams ranked No. 15 or lower. Nebraska does not have enough positive on their resume to make up for those blowouts.

That's not all Nebraska has going against them, either. They lost at home 28-25 to a 6-6 Northwestern team.

Impossible

No. 6 Houston

What do you do with the Houston Cougars? They are undefeated, but they haven't played a ranked opponent. They will finally play a ranked opponent in the Conference USA championship, but that is too late to add any real context.

As it is now, the only real point of comparison for this team is their result against Tulsa. Houston beat Tulsa by 32 points.

Oklahoma beat Tulsa by 33 points, Oklahoma State beat Tulsa by 26 and Boise State beat Tulsa by 20.

So there you have it. Houston is obviously right there with the best teams in the nation, right?

It should go without saying that those comparisons are flimsy at best. That's all right when the rankings are little more than a measuring stick, but when they determine postseason fate, the legacy of a team and millions of dollars, that simply isn't going to cut it.