December 03, 2006

Florida Will Face Ohio State in BCS Championship Game: Thanks to votes in the non-computer polls, Florida jumped over Michigan to grab the No. 2 spot and a chance to face Ohio State for the national championship. This is the first meeting ever between the storied college football programs.

posted by rcade to football at 07:17 PM - 119 comments

Would have liked to see Michigan, but Florida is certainly deserving. I think an even bigger controversy is Notre Dame getting in!!! Check out: http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6229904 There are certainly schools more deserving!!!

posted by pcbenedict at 07:27 PM on December 03, 2006

We wuz robbed!

posted by commander cody at 07:30 PM on December 03, 2006

As hard as it is to say, I'll be rooting for Ohio State on January 8th. I still think Michigan was the best choice and the only team that really has a chance. Congrats to Florida, even though I'm guessing Ohio State is going to blow them away. And in response to Notre Dame making the Sugar Bowl over Wisconsin and Auburn, I say fuck the whole system.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:31 PM on December 03, 2006

Good point with Wisconsin and Auburn. It's a shame that neither team could make it with only two teams from each conference being able to make the BCS (SEC: Florida, LSU Big Ten: Ohio State, Michigan). Here's to hoping for a playoff system or some other major overhaul soon.

posted by NightingalesGone at 07:38 PM on December 03, 2006

So it came down to human interaction to f**k this up, which is why I am suing the human race, as a species, for being stupid. I just saw on the Discovery channel that Chimpanzees just passed us on the evolutionary chart. This was the final straw. We start wars, pollute the planet and generally screw things up across the board. Of course, tops on the list of the lawsuit will be the BCS and the designated hitter. How can I lose?

posted by smithnyiu at 07:43 PM on December 03, 2006

Ya got my vote!

posted by commander cody at 07:52 PM on December 03, 2006

Commander Cody, every single member of the BCS is an enemy of the Republic. Excuted Order 66.

posted by Jedi Master at 08:02 PM on December 03, 2006

Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN) just stated Michigan's only crime was not playing yesterday. Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case. Prediction: a boring-ass OSU: 38 - UF: 13 pounding.

posted by smithnyiu at 08:10 PM on December 03, 2006

I don't think it is going to be as bad of a game as you all think it will be. Michigan had there chance and they lost. Case closed. Florida played the toughest scheduel in the toughest conference in the NCAA. And with the earlier comment- That crybaby coach at Florida kissed alot of ass the last week. he was doing what any other coach would do in the same situation. He felt his team deserved a shot and apperantly his kissing ass has worked and so it has for the other coaches that do so.

posted by kidrayter2005 at 08:16 PM on December 03, 2006

"It's a shame that neither team could make it with only two teams from each conference being able to make the BCS" That's my biggest gripe- Notre Dame is independent!! Admittedly, they play some tough teams- but if I am not mistaken, the BCS is set up as the five "major" conference champs- and Notre Dame if elig. That is Horse@#$&!!! Get in a conference and earn your way just like the other nine BCS teams do! Why is the Irish football team not in a conference anyway??? Their basketball team plays in the Big East, Why not football- because they don't want to join a good conference (Big East, or the logical Big 10) for fear of getting pounded, and they can't justify going to a non BCS conference. However, if they did, I'm sure the BCS would anoint that conference as BCS eligible. TV and sports writers would just die without their beloved Golden Domers!!!!!!

posted by pcbenedict at 08:16 PM on December 03, 2006

Have I mentioned I don't much care for Notre Dame?

posted by pcbenedict at 08:16 PM on December 03, 2006

Quit sniveling, Michigan fans. Florida's schedule was much tougher, and they won their conference championship game, Michigan knew their game with OSU was exactly that, too. 33 coaches changed their vote, and for that reason I bet. Prediction: a boring-ass OSU: 38 - UF: 13 pounding. I doubt Troy Smith and Company are taking them that lightly.

posted by mjkredliner at 08:25 PM on December 03, 2006

Notre Dame was part of the negotiating entity that is the BCS. Rules are in place that they automatically earn a BCS bid if they are in the top 8: 4. Notre Dame will have an automatic berth if it is in the top eight of the final BCS Standings. From the BCS Website

posted by Jeffwa at 08:33 PM on December 03, 2006

For the BCS, this is the best way to avoid controversy. If Ohio State Wins, then the AP will almost certaintly give Ohio State their championship, so no split title. If Florida wins, then they'll probably also pick up the AP, no matter what Michigan does against USC simply because Florida beat OSU who beat Michigan. Now if a rematch had occured no matter who wins the BCS loses. A Michigan victory is kind of hollow because OSU beat them a month and a half earlier. An OSU victory just pisses off people because they'll say Florida should have played instead of Michigan. Disclaimer: Yesterday I was rooting for UCLA and Arkansas just for this possiblity.

posted by apoch at 08:35 PM on December 03, 2006

"Florida's schedule was much tougher"...... What a bunch of BS. Any respectable Team from a Major Conference that plays 2 C-USA Teams and a Div 2 school can't make that claim. You must be reading the same propaganda that has kidrayter smitten with the SEC myth.

posted by skydivedad at 08:40 PM on December 03, 2006

The BCS is a bunch of BS. Michigsn deseves to play Ohio State and Notre Dame is in the Sugar Bowl for two reasons, tv popularity and money. A playoff system would work and everybody knows it. Have the top 16 teams play in a tournament for the National Championship. There are too many bowls to be begin with. Also I live in Michigan and I have gone to the Motor City bowl the past two years and Middle Tennessee State is going to Ford Field? I didn't even know that they were a Division I school.

posted by dbenedict at 08:43 PM on December 03, 2006

All this proves is what we already know; the system they say works, does not. On the Notre Dame thing, the bcs was developed in favor of the domers, and to my knowledge, have yet to play for a title in which this whole mess was created for. We will get the bracket as soon as ND wins a title under their system. It is all about money, yet what they(the university heads)don't get is that with a bracket, they can draw more interest and make everyone more money, and get a true champion. On the Michigan deal...I'm a huge fan, but I agree, a U of M victory over OSU would be hollow(though I would still feel good about it). They had their chance and now it's Florida's turn to get their asses beat. Anyway, I will feel good when Michigan kicks the cream out of USC. #2 ain't so bad.

posted by sydney2006 at 08:53 PM on December 03, 2006

I agree with all that think about Notre Dame. I can't, never could, and never will be a Notre Dame fan. That is the one team in college sports that I f@#$ing can't stand.They always seem to find a way to get their nose sniveling asses in there somehow. How are they any different or better than anyone else. Make them join a conference.They don't deserve to be in when Auburn and other teams get left out. Complete bullshit is what it is.Screw Notre Dame. And to think we (Patriot fans)lost Charlie Weiss to them makes me cringe everytime I think about it. Thats why a playoff format or some other arrangement has to be put in place. It's all about money. Thats the bottom line

posted by Ghastly1 at 08:55 PM on December 03, 2006

Central Michigan, Ball State, and Vanderbilt graced Michigan's non-conference schedule, sdd. Your point is rendered null and void. Heaven forbid the Lions ever become contenders....

posted by mjkredliner at 08:56 PM on December 03, 2006

it all comes down to michigan had their shot and blew it, now let someone (who in alot of coaches minds) deserve the chance. and those of you who think it will be a blowout.. obviously don't have any clue about college football, being there are alot of uspets all the time against favored opponents. GO GATORS

posted by devildog37 at 09:07 PM on December 03, 2006

but dont get me wrong, i absolutly believe there should be a playoff system!

posted by devildog37 at 09:11 PM on December 03, 2006

If Michigan played Florida on a neutral field, who would win? If Notre Dame were in the spot Michigan was in, would Florida still be playing Ohio State?

posted by smithnyiu at 09:48 PM on December 03, 2006

I thought this thread was supposed to be about Florida getting in the championship game and not Michigan, yet a third of the comments are about blaming Notre Dame for the BCS. :/ The BCS (and the bowl system that supports it) is all about money, true. And, like it or not, people want to watch Notre Dame- I would wager that all of you that have spent time griping about ND would like nothing better than to watch them lose, no? (Nevermind the fact that if your college could swing it's own television deal, you would have no problems with it.) But, you also have to blame the six automatic-bowl conferences (and the seventy-odd schools that they represent) for being money-grubbers as well. Granted, it's a lot easier to make accusations of a papist conspiracy, but there are a lot of other universities that are culpable. If you are really serious about this, write to your alma maters and let them know that you can't support this charade. By the bye, I don't know a single ND alumnus (self included) that wouldn't rather see a playoff system. I'd like see a Michigan/Ohio State rematch, but I would much, much rather see a playoff with Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, and Boise State (remember them?).

posted by avogadro at 09:50 PM on December 03, 2006

And if Florida upsets Ohio State and UofM whomps all over USC, then even though the BCS says so, we'll still not know who the National Champs really are.

posted by commander cody at 09:50 PM on December 03, 2006

This is why it is called The Mythical National Championship.

posted by mjkredliner at 09:59 PM on December 03, 2006

Let me get this straight. Michigan doesn't lose to any team ranked lower then #1 on it's schedule (unlike Florida) and get dropped from #2 this weekend without playing a game and don't give me this tougher schedule BS, it that was a criteria then Tuberville's unbeaten Auburn Squad would have been taken to the BCS Championship Game in 2004. Vanderbilt, by the way mlkredliner, is a SEC Team and also played Florida. Florida didn't really have to play typically top-notched Alabama, Georgia or Florida State Teams (check their final records , pretty pathetic) and no matter how you slice it W. Caraolina is a Div 1-AA school so my point is null and void exactly how?

posted by skydivedad at 10:04 PM on December 03, 2006

Only in that Michigan's non-conference schedule featured patsies too. (Vandy is the equivalent of Indiana, hardly a "test" for big, bad Michigan). And the Big 10 wasn't that tough this year, either, but if you scrutinize the two teams schedules, you will see that Florida opponents Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Georgia,South Carolina, Florida State, Arkansas, Kentucky, Southern Miss and Alabama are all going bowling. Me and 90% of the so called "experts" are wrong, though, and Michiganders are correct, I reckon. Win at OSU (like Texas did last year, HA!), and none of this matters.

posted by mjkredliner at 10:20 PM on December 03, 2006

And if Florida upsets Ohio State and UofM whomps all over USC, then even though the BCS says so, we'll still not know who the National Champs really are. So if Florida beats a team that beat Michigan we will know that Michigan is actually better than Florida. Michigan logic.

posted by tron7 at 10:27 PM on December 03, 2006

(Vandy is the equivalent of Indiana, hardly a "test" for big, bad Michigan) Yes, Michigan beat weak little Vanderbilt. But wait, Florida played them too; and they held on for a 25-19 victory. And the year prior, Vandy took Florida to 2OT, in the swamp. They're a test for someone, just not Michigan. More Michigan logic.

posted by smithnyiu at 11:10 PM on December 03, 2006

If Michigan beats up on USC they'll be 12-1. If Florida beats OSU they'll be 13-1 and OSU will be 12-1. All will have had one loss, but Michigan loss will be to then #1 OSU and Florida's loss was to #11 Auburn. All three end up with a legitimate claim to the national title, based on who they lost to.

posted by commander cody at 11:36 PM on December 03, 2006

I figure OS will win, but I would love to see Florida just spank them. I hope USC gets a real beating from Michigan too. Glad Mich didn't get to try again though. LSU is going to absolutely destroy Notre Dame but I guess that will be interesting in a way. And nobody has any sort of claim to the title except the team that wins. Nobody else will even deserve a momentary thought except maybe Boise State, if they win big. Not that they would be likely to beat any of the "big three" this year anyway.

posted by bargle at 11:48 PM on December 03, 2006

To all out there who honestly believe that Florida should be there, Get real. They were ranked behind michigan even after the ohio state loss. The coaches have even come out and said that Michigan is the better team but the fact that they didnt want to see a rematch was the ONLY reason why Florida is going. The BCS failed to place they 2 best teams against each other even yet again. If there was a playoff Florida wouldn't make the finals if they had to play Michigan. Michigan lost to Ohio State, yes. They lost to #1, who did Florida lose to???? This is why the BCS sucks big A**.

posted by ok5561 at 12:07 AM on December 04, 2006

We wuz robbed! Tissue? No matter who was chosen, some fans would be upset. It's a football game/entertainment. A diversion in our lives. Get over it.

posted by tommybiden at 12:10 AM on December 04, 2006

Michigan's only crime was not playing yesterday. I knew that Florida was going to jump us. Congrats to them, and hopefully they pack a lunch when they play the Buckeyes. I honestly don't think that this will be a good matchup. OSU is too powerful on both sides of the ball, and Florida just has not seen this much power all year. They will be overwhelmed, and get smacked around and called Sally. Florida 3, OSU 42. Oh, and USC 20, Meeeechigan 35.

posted by wingnut4life at 12:17 AM on December 04, 2006

We wuz robbed! Tissue? Yes tissue, my heart! Anyway, I'll of course get over it and I'm not going to lose major sleep over it. But just because it wasn't quite Grand Larceny doesn't mean it was any less of a crime. So I still say, we wuz robbed!

posted by commander cody at 12:34 AM on December 04, 2006

The NFC won something like 15 of 16 straight Super Bowls in the 80s and 90s, and it got to the point that commentators and fans alike started calling the NFC Championship the "real" Super Bowl. And in a way, it was. However, even though that game was pitting the top 2 teams in the NFL, they didn't have a rematch in the Super Bowl just because they were the two best teams. Yes, I also realize that I am comparing a playoff with the BCS, but Michigan lost their playoff game a couple of Saturdays ago. I don't care how good your conference is (and for the record, I think the SEC is head and shoulders above everyone else), if you can't win it, you don't deserve to be playing for the national championship. Furthermore, it would be totally unfair to Ohio State to make them beat Michigan twice. Because if they lost, how could you say that Michigan was better than Ohio State, when they lost to them earlier. (Granted, I think that Ohio State would beat Michigan pretty soundly. No one seems to remember this, but Ohio State dominated that Michigan game and a couple of stupid turnovers and questionable play calling made that game much, much closer than it should have been.) As for the game that we have, I actually think that Florida will win, 24 - 21, by blocking a game tying field goal attempt with less than a minute left in the 4th quarter (a la South Carolina). (My feelings on the winning your conference in order to play for the national title game come from 2001. I am a huge Colorado fan, and when nebraska (I can't even capitalize that word) got to play in the Rose Bowl over us, or what proved to be a much better Oregon team, I was outraged. Also the same thing happened in 2003 when Oklahoma lost to Kansas State in the Big XII Championship, but they still got to play in the Suger Bowl, and got promptly trounced by LSU. Split national title stink and this game on Jan. 8 will prevent one.)

posted by edub1321 at 12:47 AM on December 04, 2006

Yes, but the BCS championship is not supposed to be like a playoff system, but rather is to pit the 2 best teams against each other and the 2 best teams this season were OSU and Michigan. The fact that they are in the same conference or that Michigan lost to them a few weeks ago is meaningless, because the game a few weeks ago was not a playoff game, it was a regular season game. Would people who keep saying it was a playoff game feel the same if Michigan played OSU on the first game of the season and lost? I think not because it's just a regular season game and has no more or less meaning then any other game during the regular season when it comes to standing. UofM and OSU are the two best teams this year and that should end any arguement about them playing for the championship. As far as I'm concerned Michigan got screwed out of at least a split of the national title and I'm in favor of split titles because it might give the NCAA the incentive to start a real playoff system

posted by commander cody at 01:26 AM on December 04, 2006

Split national title stink and this game on Jan. 8 will prevent one. I disagree. I still think that if Florida beats OSU and Michigan soundly beats USC, then Michigans claim to a portion of the National Title is just as valid as anyone else of the top 3 teams. Personally I'd see it as a 3 way split.

posted by commander cody at 01:35 AM on December 04, 2006

Why is everyone so certain that OSU will dominate this game? While yes Ohio Sate is the favorite, have they seen a team who has mutliple players who can throw touchdowns passes against a top ten team, or sub quarterbacks at any moment, completely change the complexion of the offense, and still be effective? Also, all the OSU fans were dumping on Lloyd Carr in comparison to Tressel; maybe Meyer is a bit smarter? I guess i think that it's a little naive to assume that OSU will dominate Florida, when to the best of my knowledge, they haven't seen a team as versatile while still having amazing athletes all season as Florida is. While i think the smart $$$ is on the Buckeyes, i wouldn't be too surprised with a Florida win. I think that then you could rule out USC & Michigan Co-champs; maybe we could get an "fairly" undisputed champ after all?

posted by brainofdtrain at 01:45 AM on December 04, 2006

I must say, I've never seen as much whining as I have from Michigan fans over the past couple of weeks. You all knew that if UCLA somehow upset USC and Florida beat Arkansas in the SEC Championship Game, your idle Wolverines were going to be skipped over. You bitched about it starting almost immediately after the UM - OSU game, and you've been bitching about it ever since. Michigan had their chance at OSU, and were found wanting. Florida beat the eighth-ranked team in America this weekend while you sat idle, and you were supposed to hold on to the number two BCS spot why, exactly? Because of your cool helmets? For the sake of poor ol' dead Bo? Please. And if Florida beats OSU (a stretch, to be sure, but hope springs eternal), then this crap you're shoveling about a three-way championship is just that...crap. Michigan lost to OSU; OSU is currently the number one team in America; Florida is currently the number two team in America; therefore, if Florida beats OSU, they're the National Champions, no questions asked. No matter how you massage the situation, OSU or Michigan have no claim at all. Sober up, Wolverine fans. You had a chance to knock off number one, and you couldn't do it. Yeah, it was a three-point game, but it was the most anticlimactic three-point game I've seen in years. Everybody in that stadium knew who was boss that day, and most of us watching at home did, too. Florida and OSU play for the National Championship. Michigan and USC play for number three, maybe number two if they're lucky. Deal with it.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:28 AM on December 04, 2006

I can see the arguments for both teams, but I think it's best that two conference champs play for the title. That said, if I were a Michigan fan I'd still be pissed. What does piss me off is how the BCS folk and the NCAA folk will spin this as a good thing for college football. They'll say look at all the interest it generated, and look how the last month or so was basically an elimination tournament. And so the BCS will roll on. But we all know this shit should NOT be decided by a couple voters and some computers. It has to be decided on the field. Joe Paterno said yesterday, asking the computers to decide this is like asking a computer to compare Shakespeare to Hemingway. He makes the point it's only going to spit out what you put into it. Not that you can blame the computers since they had UF and UM tied, but, this system sucks. Why, oh why, oh why can't we have the "plus-one" format? It's far from perfect, but it beats this crap.

posted by SummersEve at 06:11 AM on December 04, 2006

By the way, here's a column from the Orlando Sentinel ranking the 32 bowl games. Bowl games from worst to best. I thought of making it an FPP, but with all the college football, I thought it would be overkill.

posted by SummersEve at 06:15 AM on December 04, 2006

It's weird to see so many people treat the Michigan vs. Florida judgment call as if the facts were on their side. It's a popularity contest. The Florida/Ohio State match is more popular, presumably because Michigan already had a chance against the Buckeyes and lost.

posted by rcade at 06:41 AM on December 04, 2006

The Fox "Bowl Bash" may have been the worst sports program I've ever seen. I haven't seen introductions to old clips more cheesy since the last time Happy Days had one of those clip shows. "Remember the time Fonzie jumped the shark?" Did they really get hundreds of fans in Boise to sit in a stadium just to be the background in a live shot?

posted by rcade at 06:47 AM on December 04, 2006

If the Big Ten is so upset about Michigan not getting a chance to play for the National Championship, they should work at getting the Michigan-Ohio State game scheduled for the beginning of the season, as either the second or third game of their respective schedules. Since most years these two teams are playing such a meaningful game as their last game, this year would have been a classic example: Michigan loses that game in September, then both run the table the rest of their games, and they would probably have been given that shot at a rematch for this game. Their biggest problem was it would have involved back-to-back games for both teams, and many had big arguments for why that shouldn't happen. Those arguments would have long since disipated if they had played each other in Sept. (especially since all the other teams (Boise State as the exception) have one loss). Having their one loss be to the number one team at the end of the year would have probably worked in Michigan's favor if they had played each other really early.

posted by dyams at 07:34 AM on December 04, 2006

My guess is the BCS, ABC and the Rose Bowl didn't want Wisconsin to play against USC. Michigan got screwed in many respects but if they beat Ohio State the first time; this point is moot. By the way, how can a team fall in the polls by not playing? And all of us who think the BCS is a joke will tune in and watch the games thereby reinforcing to ABC and BCS their system works. Don't watch the games people! lol

posted by panteeze at 08:07 AM on December 04, 2006

Forgot to add that Wisconsin should be outraged by being snubbed. They only lost to Michigan. How the f*ck does Notre Dame deserve a BCS bowl over Wisconsin?

posted by panteeze at 08:14 AM on December 04, 2006

how can a team fall in the polls by not playing? When the other team plays an additional game against a highly ranked team for a conference chamionship, thereby adding to an already impressive list of opponents is how. Here's betting Pete Carroll puts y'all out of your misery. Wisconsin, bah, they only played one team that was ranked at the time they played them. ND is a better choice by far.

posted by mjkredliner at 08:46 AM on December 04, 2006

Forgot to add that Wisconsin should be outraged by being snubbed. They only lost to Michigan. How the f*ck does Notre Dame deserve a BCS bowl over Wisconsin? As has been mentioned upthread, conferences can only get two teams in the BCS bowls. Because Michigan and OSU were already in, Wisconsin couldn't make it by rule. Notre Dame, on the other hand, gets an auto bid if it's ranked in the BCS final top 8 (which it was not here), but can get an at-large bid if it's in the top 12 (which happened here). The BCS bids for at-large teams are not based on what team is the best (subject to a rule about the #3 or #4 team that is not a conference champion getting in under certain circumstances). Notre Dame fans travel well and Notre Dame has good TV rankings; that's apparently good enough for the Sugar Bowl selection committee. As to dyams' idea about OSU and U of M playing earlier in the season, there's some merit to that, although it likely would not be done because of the history of the two teams playing in the last game of the season. An alternative would be to keep the game on the weekend before Thanksgiving but to extend the season by scheduling a game for Thanksgiving weekend and potentially having the Big Ten add a championship game (which means the conference may have to add a new team to have an even number of teams in two divisions). That way, the best team (or, as is the case this year, the second best team) in the Big Ten would have two additional games to impress the voters. In general, teams that win in one week do not get leapfrogged by a team that is lower in the standings, as happened this week with Florida moving past an idle Michigan. Of course, adding additional games and a championship game makes for more opportunities for a top team that is BCS-bound or even BCS championship-bound to get knocked out.

posted by holden at 08:52 AM on December 04, 2006

the big ten is just as competitive as the SEC.(three teams in the top ten), i just don't think Florida will match up to OSU, we alsways say in Michigan our favorite team is U of M, then a close second to whoever is playing OSU, but now i'm undecided on who to root for. I'm tired of everyone favoring the SEC.

posted by air2130 at 09:06 AM on December 04, 2006

When the other team plays an additional game against a highly ranked team for a conference chamionship, thereby adding to an already impressive list of opponents is how. Exactly. The conference championships are kind of an odd bird -- I don't think they make sense to anyone other than the TV networks -- but they gave Florida one more high quality opponent to beat. When the gap between No. 3 and No. 4 was so close, it was tough to foresee Michigan staying ahead of Florida if they beat Arkansas.

posted by rcade at 09:41 AM on December 04, 2006

Just to add some more questions to the never-ending controversy, why does the BCS include conferences it's not ever going to be willing to recognize as being worth of playing in a national championship game? I still can't get Boise State out of my mind, since the WAC is part of the BCS and they finished undefeated. If some of these conferences are deemed to be inferior, for whatever reason, they need to be taken out of the equation. Take the so-called "Power Conferences" (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 10, and SEC), have them all play a conference championship, then have those champions play in the BCS games, only they will serve as playoff games. For example: This year, the teams would be seeded like this: 1)Ohio State 2)Florida 3)USC 4)Louisville 5)Oklahoma 6)Wake Forest. These teams would play a tournament, with the top two seeds (OSU & UF) having a first-week bye. The Fiesta Bowl would be (3)USC vs. (6) Wake Forest; the Sugar Bowl would be (4) Louisville vs. (5) Oklahoma. The lowest seed winner of those two games would play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, while the other winner would play Florida in the Orange Bowl. The winners of those two games would play for the National Championship. The sites of these games would continue to rotate. This is the only fair way of doing this. All conferences would need (and should have) a championship game, and whoever loses in that game is shit-outta-luck. For example, should Ohio State vs. Michigan have been considered the Big 10 Championship game, with Michigan losing, their whining would fall on deaf ears. The runner-up of a conference can't play for a national championship. I realize this doesn't necessarily mean the two top teams play, but you can't ever be sure of who that is anyways. At least this way each team controls their own destiny, not a bunch of pollsters and computers. This also keeps the other conferences that will never truly get any respect, off on their own where they can be free to set up a similar mini-tournament. Notre Dame, of course, would need to join a conference. I can't think of a fairer way to do this. Any thoughts?

posted by dyams at 09:59 AM on December 04, 2006

Sounds like a good system to let the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, dyams. If you let the Boise States of the football world in on a BCS game, then you won't be killing the mid-major's recruitment. I couldn't image just how shitty it would be for a mid-major coach to have to constantly deal with the power house conferences plucking the best players off your team year after year.

posted by NoMich at 10:04 AM on December 04, 2006

Why are we all debating? Lets just give Florida their championship now and start the OSU heart break cause with all the guarantees everyone is giving to OSU they are bound to lose now so why drag this out for another month? Everyone can save their money from the trip to AZ and go out and buy their Blue and Orange and enjoy their holiday season.

posted by warstda at 10:16 AM on December 04, 2006

Just to add some more questions to the never-ending controversy, why does the BCS include conferences it's not ever going to be willing to recognize as being worth of playing in a national championship game? I still can't get Boise State out of my mind, since the WAC is part of the BCS and they finished undefeated. If some of these conferences are deemed to be inferior, for whatever reason, they need to be taken out of the equation. I'm pretty sure the minor conferences got a seat at the table in order to head off potential lawsuits.

posted by holden at 10:20 AM on December 04, 2006

Many Michigan fans are arguing that they should have the right to be in the National Championship game vs. Ohio State. I haven't heard one argue that they would win that game, as at least a few bold Florida fans have. An interesting point. I understand that a lot of the hatred and vitriol in this argument comes from college football's tendency to cause people to shut their brains down and rely on pure passion when arguing; however, I will posit a few questions that must be answered before I comment further. To Michigan: 1. Exactly why do you deserve to be in the national championship game? As I understand it, mainly because you were the #3 in the polls coming in to the game and with the loss of USC, you became effectively Numero Dos. All right let me amplify this question-why did you deserve to be #2? The Big Ten was mediocre this year at best, and your best win was against Notre Dame (who many of you disparage)(yes, I am aware of the Wisconsin game. For all those arguing about Wisconsin being in the BCS, who has Wisconsin played? What have they done to deserve that award? The best win on that schedule may be Penn State; we have not seen Wisconsin play enough quality teams to get a good gauge of where this team is. Besides, you shouldn't be playing in the BCS if you are third in your conference). You did come within 3 of OSU, but they dominated that game far more than the scoreboard showed. Florida, to their credit, has played a difficult schedule, even though they haven't always dominated it like a national championship caliber team should. Basically, Big Blue, what is your signature win of the year? I don't trust poll position because I don't trust polls, and a lot of teams are awarded positions in a poll without earning. What have you guys really done to earn number two? 2. What have you done since Nov 18th to indicate that you would do something different than what happened that day? What defensive adjustments you have made that would tell me you could handle OSU? Your vaunted defense allowed 500 yards and 40 points to OSU. Why should we think it will be any different? Has the back seven learned how to tackle yet, and learned about cut off angles? To Florida: 1. Fine, you are in the national championship game, congratulations. Now justify yourselves. Which Florida team will show up? The one that beat LSU and Arkansas, or the one that almost gagged to South Carolina? Yes, you have played the toughest schedule in the nation, and beaten some impressive teams. However, you have often gotten by against lesser teams. Was this fluke or trend? Another question-what will you do to stop Ohio State? I know your defense is amazing so far, however, you haven’t played Troy Smith, and I doubt you have faced an offense as multidimensional and dangerous as this one. Will you be able to contain this offense? 2. Can your offense keep it together? The O hasn’t been the most spectacular part of your team this year, and they need to be prepared to have the game of their lives against what is generally thought to be one of the best defenses around (I’m not sure about that after the 18th). Can Chris Leak keep it together to make a game of this? I doubt you can have Tim Tebow carry the ball enough to be victorious. And while gimmick plays may work well, you cannot rely on them. Pure and simple, Florida-can you match up well enough against the No 1. team in the nation to hang on, and not turn this into an even bigger mess than it is?

posted by Bonkers at 10:47 AM on December 04, 2006

I'm not much of a college football fan, and when I see proclamations from voters saying that they thought Michigan was the better team and deserved to be #2 but they put Florida at #2 because they didn't want to watch a rematch - well, it doesn't exactly make me like college football any more. If Florida had dominated their game, I would have understood this vote a little more. But they didn't dominate at all. Florida won, but it was a competitive game till the end.

posted by spira at 11:09 AM on December 04, 2006

Central Michigan, Ball State, and Vanderbilt graced Michigan's non-conference schedule, sdd. Your point is rendered null and void. Heaven forbid the Lions ever become contenders.... Actually redliner Central Michigan (9-4) won the MAC Championship and I believe Florida played Vanderbilt (4-8) as well in which they won by a score of 19 to 25 whereas Michigan beat them by a score of 27 to 7. And as far as Ball St. (5-7) well I would imagine they could handily beat a (2-9) Western Carolina team who was one of the worst teams in Div I-AA. You also forgot to metion that Michigan played a Notre Dame team (10-2), who yes I believe is way overrated, but nonetheless are still playing in a BCS bowl and beat them by 26. You played a decent Southern Miss team (8-5) and beat them rather handily and an awful Central Florida team (4-8) and and a horrible Western Carolina team which I would be embarrassed to even call a win.

posted by jakegood at 11:16 AM on December 04, 2006

A. U of M president recently outraged over passage of state proposal outlawing college admission policies promoting diversity. B. U of M "family" outraged that championship game participants chosen in a fashion that favors national interest in diversity of the participants. Wolverines: Figure out which side of the fence you're on. Most qualified? Or most beneficial sample?

posted by Bill Lumbergh at 11:16 AM on December 04, 2006

Personally I'd see it as a 3 way split. So, it's a 3 way split between Florida, Ohio State and Michigan if Florida beats Ohio State, who beat Michigan? Also, has it ever happened that one school held both the football and basketball titles at the same time, as Florida has the chance of doing?

posted by edub1321 at 11:18 AM on December 04, 2006

I think the BCS got it right this time. The entire point of the BCS is not to decide who the second best team is. It is supposed to figure out who the #1 team is. We already know it isn't Michigan because they just lost to the #1 team (Ohio State). So, let's give Florida (another impressive one-loss team) a shot to see if Ohio State is really the best team in the country.

posted by bperk at 11:22 AM on December 04, 2006

I still can't get Boise State out of my mind, since the WAC is part of the BCS and they finished undefeated. The WAC's not a BCS conference. The six members are the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac 10 and SEC (and Notre Dame).

posted by rcade at 11:27 AM on December 04, 2006

jakegood, I have no Florida allegiance, and neither Florida's nor Michigan's non-conference was anything to brag about, however, almost all the scribes, pundits, talking heads, blah blah blah, anyone with eyes, can see that Florida played perhaps the most difficult schedule in the country. Plus, they won their conference championship game, which, I reiterate, everyone knew that that is what the Michigan-OSU clash was.

posted by mjkredliner at 11:45 AM on December 04, 2006

The WAC's not a BCS conference. The BCS conferences are these, but the six big conferences get automatic bids.

posted by dyams at 11:46 AM on December 04, 2006

I forgot to mention as for strength of schedule less the SEC Championship Game b/c the Big 10 doesn't have a championship game Michigan's opponets record 84-61 (+25 differential) and Florida's opponent's record 81-63 (+18 differential). The odd thing is even if you did add another opponent (Arkansas) on to Florida's schedule there opponents record would be 91-66 (+25 differential) tying with Michigan. Also I would like to say Michigan scheduled a team from the SEC to play even though it was only vanderbilt. How come Florida couldn't schedule a Northwestern, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, or Iowa all so-called mediocre teams instead of Western Carolina?

posted by jakegood at 12:46 PM on December 04, 2006

Good question.

posted by mjkredliner at 12:49 PM on December 04, 2006

Actually, Florida's schedule wasn't quite as tough a couple of others, such as LSU, because LSU had to play at Florida. They had an otherwise comparable conference schedule, I believe, but had seemingly all the tough ones on the road. However, for the purposes of this argument, by the numbers, Florida's was tougher than UM's, and even USC's, despite USC's commendable non-conference scheduling. If Florida can play mistake-free, they can hang with and beat OSU. Trouble is, I haven't seen them play a full 60 minutes of mistake free ball. Too many penalties, a bad QB decision or two, and a few plays a game where the corners take a nap. They've got several weeks to figure out how not to do that stuff. Hopefully they can.

posted by Bernreuther at 12:57 PM on December 04, 2006

Here's the one and only reason OSU should NOT play UM. If they played and UM won, OSU would piss and moan that they should get a "rematch" also for all the marbles since UM got their rematch since both teams would then be 12-1, right? Right! UM had their chance, they lost, end of story. The Big 10 is not the center of the football universe, the SEC offered up the only other viable candidate in Florida, live with it, enjoy it and get over it.

posted by crimsonblood at 12:57 PM on December 04, 2006

Not that I'm defending Florida playing Division I-AA Western Carolina, but I understand why. If you ever go to Boone or the area around Cullowhee, you'll see half of the population of Florida there. I don't see how a team that considers itself a contender for the national championship can schedule a game against a I-AA school. Shouldn't that automatically take you out of the top 10? No? Well, it should. *crosses arms and old-man scowls*

posted by NoMich at 01:09 PM on December 04, 2006

Why should Ohio State have to beat Michigan twice in order to be considered champion? And why should Michigan, which did not win its conference, have any right to play for BCS championship? In 2003, a lot of people went crazy because Oklahoma got to play in championship game when it did not even win its own conference. I thought BCS was going to fix it then and require that any team playing for the championship should at least win its own conference title.

posted by graymatters at 01:21 PM on December 04, 2006

Losing to FUCLA hurts, but a win against notre dame, makes the season good, BTW that call for a cheer, Hail Mary full of grace who the h-eck's in second place!

posted by rockyxgone at 01:30 PM on December 04, 2006

Can someone explain to me how a playoff would work in college football? Everything I see has the #1 playing in the playoff. My question is why should they if they have a perfect season (12-0)? Am I missing something?

posted by lil'red at 01:35 PM on December 04, 2006

If Michigan beats up on USC they'll be 12-1. If Florida beats OSU they'll be 13-1 and OSU will be 12-1. All will have had one loss, but Michigan loss will be to then #1 OSU and Florida's loss was to #11 Auburn. All three end up with a legitimate claim to the national title, based on who they lost to. Then you would have to add Wisconsin who only lost to #2 Michigan and Boise St. who only lost to nobody(assuming both teams win bowls). But nobody gets a share, it's a title game. Like Bperk said, the BCS is to determine who is #1. Michigan couldn't beat OSU maybe Florida can and if they win, they alone are the champions. Let me join the masses in calling for a playoff. It seems like 90% of fans, media, and coaches desperately want a playoff and yet we can't get it. A +1 system seems to make so much sense and doesn't seem like a problem to implement.

posted by tron7 at 01:38 PM on December 04, 2006

Lil'Red, you've asked the second most complicated question known to mankind and that is why isn't there a plan for a playoff in Div 1 college football and how would it work if there were. The number one question, why isn't there a plan for peace in the Middle East and how would it work it there were?

posted by crimsonblood at 01:56 PM on December 04, 2006

The Big 10 is not the center of the football universe Sacrilegious! Heresy! The Big Ten is not only the center of the football universe, it is the center of THE universe! Everyone else are also-rans.

posted by commander cody at 02:16 PM on December 04, 2006

I. Hate. The. BCS. Look what it's done to us. We're like a bunch of fourth graders saying "My dad can beat up your dad." Paging Barbaro. Barbaro, please report to the white courtesy phone.

posted by SummersEve at 02:22 PM on December 04, 2006

Yeah, but maybe my dad can beat up their dad! lol

posted by commander cody at 02:43 PM on December 04, 2006

Barbaro can't come to the phone right now. He is reading his fan mail. He will call you back when he's done. Grow, hoofie, grow. Indeed.

posted by BullpenPro at 02:57 PM on December 04, 2006

Cody everyone knows the SEC is the universe of college football. Show me another conference with 5 different teams with national championships in the last 25 years. There's only one, the SEC. Now go do your homework and figure them out.

posted by crimsonblood at 03:02 PM on December 04, 2006

That last stat would be a lot more impressive if Miami by itself didn't have five titles in the last 23 years, Crimsonblood. But keep trying. (Plus GT, Clemson, and two from FSU.) Seriously, four titles by four schools since 1992 is much more impressive. There is depth in SEC country, even if SEC fans are insufferably smug about it. (By the way, that is 5 in 26 years, but I realize realize subtraction isn't very popular in SEC country! :)

posted by tieguy at 03:18 PM on December 04, 2006

By way of comparison, during the past 25 years, the Big Televen has two titles by PSU, one by UM, and one by OSU, and the Big 12 has two by OU, one by Texas, one by Colorado, and three by Nebraska. One thing we can all agree on, by the way: the Pac10 sucks. :)

posted by tieguy at 03:23 PM on December 04, 2006

GT, oh yeah those one hit wonders and Clemson another one hit wonder did win titles, but then the ACC did "manufacture" the ACC "football conference", that's a johnny come lately conference, 4 different titles, not too shabby, but still not as deep at the SEC, yeah correction on the math, I was thinking Georgia's title was 81, good catch, still is 5 in 26 years, to 4 for the New-Build conference. New Build is still all about Miami and FSU, and lately they ain't much to brag about.

posted by crimsonblood at 03:46 PM on December 04, 2006

This is too funny. We're all wrong. According to Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Louisville should be number two. Duh, obviously. From the Detroit Free Press... so you know there's no bias... Harris poll voting oddities • What was Jim Walden thinking? Walden, a former coach at Iowa State and Washington State, voted Florida No. 1 in the Harris Interactive poll. Then Ohio State. Then Michigan. • Here are some who voted Michigan FOURTH in the poll: Tim Neverett (play-by-play announcer from Colorado); Gene Ponti (Louisiana sports radio host); Paul Zeise (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) and Ray Melick (Birmingham (Ala.) News). Louisville was Zeise's second ranked team. • Former sports writer Larry Keech voted Boise State No. 2, Michigan No. 3 and Florida No. 5. Hmm, sounds like a protest vote. ... Dear BCS people, Your system is really stupid. Sincerely, SummersEve

posted by SummersEve at 04:35 PM on December 04, 2006

Dear BCS people, In case you didn't read SummersEve's post, your system is really stupid. Sincerely, Ying Yang Mafia I understand why Florida is playing in the National Championship game. I don't think they're a better team than Michigan, but the logic does make sense. My big problem with the BCS is the stupid rule that only two teams from one conference can make a BCS bowl game.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:12 PM on December 04, 2006

Any system that counts votes from people is going to have problems. Why? People make mistakes and they are not objective. When there are so many stats to compare (schedule strength, W vs L, common opponents etc...) it makes it even more likely that there will be a mistake made. The only problem with everyone crying about the BCS is that the system it replaced was actually worse. They should go back to the old ranking system and just put #1 vs. #2 and #3 vs. #4 etc... We can all talk about a play-off system, however we would have to do away with 2-4 non-conference games in order to leave enough room on the schedule for 2-4 playoff games. Without the non-conference games it will always be conference champs vs. conference champs. Strength of schedule will be determined by the strength of your conference, but you won't be able to compare them because no teams will play other teams that are out of their conference. It seems like maybe they need to break the teams up into 4-8 divisions regardless of their conferences and let the winners of each "division" join in the playoff.

posted by yay-yo at 05:26 PM on December 04, 2006

Any system that counts votes from people is going to have problems. Why? People make mistakes and they are not objective. When there are so many stats to compare (schedule strength, W vs L, common opponents etc...) it makes it even more likely that there will be a mistake made. The only problem with everyone crying about the BCS is that the system it replaced was actually worse. They should go back to the old ranking system and just put #1 vs. #2 and #3 vs. #4 etc... We can all talk about a play-off system, however we would have to do away with 2-4 non-conference games in order to leave enough room on the schedule for 2-4 playoff games. Without the non-conference games it will always be conference champs vs. conference champs. Strength of schedule will be determined by the strength of your conference, but you won't be able to compare them because no teams will play other teams that are out of their conference. It seems like maybe they need to break the teams up into 4-8 divisions regardless of their conferences and let the winners of each "division" join in the playoff. Then we can argue over who really won their division etc... I guess the point of this is that there is no good way to pick a champion out of 110+ division 1 teams when there is no way for all of them to play eachother. Even in college b-ball there are disputes over who should have made the top 65. No matter what there will be disputes.

posted by yay-yo at 05:26 PM on December 04, 2006

I actually love the BCS. I don't really see how college football could do anything better than what they are doing if they want to keep the bowl games around. Bowl games are just one of the things that make the college game the best brand of football around (marching bands and fight songs being some others). I have heard some talk about turning the current BCS bowls into part of the playoff system, but that just wouldn't work unless there were only 4 teams in the playoff, and then there would still be as much bitching and moaning about being left out if you were the #5 or 6 team. The reason it wouldn't work with more than 4 is that it would use too many "bowl" games on too few schools. An 8 team playoff would require 7 games, a number that could currently accomodate 14 teams. This means that either a) you use some lower tiered bowl games in the first round, or b) quality teams who should be playing in some of the better bowls (i.e. Cotton, CapitalOne) will be relegated to a worse bowl. Now, the best way to make it work, would be to have (in an 8 team playoff) the top 4 seeds host the first round game. Then the winners would square off in two of the current BCS games and the losers would play in the other two. Then the top 2 teams would play in the current National Championship game. This idea is still flawed in multiple ways. First, it would require that some teams (those with conference championships) could play 16 games, which is way too many. The alternatives would be to decrease the season to 10 or 11 games, but this doesn't work for a multitude of reasons (not the least of which is money). Second, it wreaks havoc on the players. While many are skeptical about the "student" in student-athlete, it is true that a large majority of athletes do take their studies very seriously. Requiring them to play 15 or 16 games seems a little ridiculous when NFL players only play 19 or 20. In every other college sport that has a major professional counterpart (so, baseball, hockey and basketball), college teams play roughly 1/3 the number of games. Why should college football players have to play the same number of games as 2/3 of the NFL? Third, it wreaks havoc on the fans. The additional home game would be easy enough, but imagine Ohio State fans having to travel to, say, Miami for the National Semifinal formerly known as the Orange Bowl one week, and then to Tempe (whoops, Glendale) for the National Championship. For many fans diehard enough to make the trip to A bowl game, making a second trip a week later for the National Championship is financially impossible. So, the BCS makes the best of what the current system offers. Yes, it might not be the absolute best for determining a national champion, but the bowl system is one of the things that makes college football so different and endearing to so many fans. A playoff to determine the national champion is not worth sacrificing the whole idea of the bowl system.

posted by edub1321 at 06:06 PM on December 04, 2006

Florida Schedule not tougher than Michigans? That is BS Florida Schedule (rankings at time of game) Southern Miss W 34-7 UCF W 42-0 at No. 13 Tennessee W 21-20 Kentucky W 26-7 Alabama W 28-13 No. 9 LSU W 23-10 at No. 11 Auburn L 27-17 at Georgia W 21-14 at Vanderbilt W 25-19 South Carolina W 17-16 Western Carolina W 62-0 at Florida State W 21-14 No. 8 Arkansas W 38-28 Michigan Schedule (rankings at time of game) Vanderbilt W 27-7 Central Michigan W 41-17 at No. 2 Notre Dame W 47-21 Wisconsin W 27-13 at Minnesota W 28-14 Michigan State W 31-13 at Penn State W 17-10 Iowa W 20-6 Northwestern W 17-3 Ball State W 34-26 at Indiana W 34-3 at No. 1 Ohio State L 42-39

posted by kidrayter2005 at 06:20 PM on December 04, 2006

Has anyone ever seen edub and Mike Slive in the same room at the same time? Well said, Edub, but you assume they'd keep the 12 game schedule, but they wouldn't have to. 10 games would be fine, (would anyone miss Florida-West Carolina?) plus a conference title game (if neccessary) then the playoffs. Only two teams would actually play the maximum number of games. The games would be over winter break so there is little worry about missed school work. Fan travel is a very valid concern, keep it regional and it shouldn't be a problem. I can only speak for myself, but I wouldn't miss the papajohns.com bowl. Well stated case, you deserve a more thought out response, but this is a start. Thank you for bringing some sense back (or to) this thread.

posted by SummersEve at 06:21 PM on December 04, 2006

The BCS sucks. Everyone agrees (except edub1321). The most likely fix is a four-team playoff (edit: with no other major changes, e.g., same number of other games, etc.). I'm guessing it's close to unanimous that Ohio State, Michigan, and Florida make it, but who's the fourth team in? Would everyone be happy with LSU and an all Big Ten -- SEC playoff? Should there be a one-team limit per conference (and no Michigan)? Personally, if it were OSU, UM, and UF, I would like to see Boise State or Louisville as the fourth team. If the Big Ten is so upset about Michigan not getting a chance to play for the National Championship, they should work at getting the Michigan-Ohio State game scheduled for the beginning of the season ... Naaahh. The build-up to the OSU-Michigan game was the best thing about this season, and the rivalry weeks are annually some of the best weekends in American sports.

posted by Aardhart at 06:22 PM on December 04, 2006

If they are going to do a playoff system I say do it to were each conference is represented by their champ. That would be the easiest no bicker way about it and if there is an odd number their could be a wild card like team that could be a team like Michigan.

posted by kidrayter2005 at 06:27 PM on December 04, 2006

If they are going to do a playoff system I say do it to were each conference is represented by their champ. The issue I have with that is sometimes conference champs have no buisness being ranked higher than teams who finished second in their conference. I don't think there is anyone here who would argue that Wake Forrest is better than Michigan.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:16 PM on December 04, 2006

Interestingly enough the last bowl game is more than 18 weeks after the season started. That would be more than enough time to have a 13 week regular season with 1-2 bye weeks, Week 14 for Conference Championships, the Army / Navy game etc, Followed by oh, I don't know, a sixteen team four round playoff format with higher seed at home for the first two rounds, neutral site for the last two. Only the top eight teams in the country would play more games than they do now, mostly on winter break. And all of the mediocre "your ad here" bowls would still fit in the Monday through Friday of the four weeks of playoffs. Why is it again this can't be done?

posted by kyrilmitch_76 at 07:19 PM on December 04, 2006

Jeez, Michigan, isn't losing to OSU once a year enough? I'm trying to remember if you have beaten them this century. I've got an idea.How about before you cry about the national championship you try winning a Big 11 championship? And I strongly suggest you keep bitching right up to the Rose Bowl. Pay no attention to that USC team behind the curtain. It's usually the team whose fans bitch the most that gets whacked hard in the BCS. Them and Notre Dame, who are always overranked and always get a better bowl than they deserve. Happy New Year, domers. Enjoy the big payday and your ass-kicking from LSU, maybe the best team in America right now. Personally, I hope USC beats Michigan just because I'm tired of hearing this crap. And I hope OSU beats Fla. by a hundred so we can go two weeks without the SEC honks telling us how hard it is having to face Vandy and Ole Miss every year. Oh, and one more thing about the BCS bowls this year. As a life-long fan of the 2006 ACC Champions, may I be excused for a moment to scream at the top of my lungs GO DEACS!!!! Thank you. I feel better now.

posted by gradioc at 08:15 PM on December 04, 2006

could somebody please explain to me why the gators are ranked # 2? gators and michigan both have lost 1 game. michigan was to ohio state. gators was to............oregon state. enough said. all i can say is that the gators are going to have their asses handed to them. it might be more exciting to watch paint dry, or even watch an nba game.

posted by vito938 at 09:49 PM on December 04, 2006

could somebody please explain to me why the gators are ranked # 2? gators and michigan both have lost 1 game. michigan was to ohio state. gators was to............oregon state. Florida lost to Auburn. It was USC who lost to the Beavers earlier in the season.

posted by holden at 10:18 PM on December 04, 2006

gators and michigan both have lost 1 game. Florida beat three of the four ranked teams it faced, defeating No. 13 Tennessee , No. 9 LSU, No. 8 Arkansas and losing to No. 11 Auburn. Michigan beat one of the two ranked teams it faced, defeating No. 2 Notre Dame and losing to No. 1 Ohio State. If you judge the toughness of schedule by the number of ranked opponents played, Florida's road was tougher.

posted by rcade at 11:12 PM on December 04, 2006

if florida had a tougher schedule beat more ranked teams, then why were they not ranked # 2 alot earlier than last week? bottom line, florida is going to get totally destroyed.

posted by vito938 at 11:45 PM on December 04, 2006

if florida had a tougher schedule beat more ranked teams, then why were they not ranked # 2 alot earlier than last week? They were ranked at 4 before the SEC Championship. That number's pretty close to 3, even by Michigan math. It's hardly out of the realm of possibility that winning your conference championship might push you one spot ahead of a team that didn't win its conference.

posted by rcade at 12:13 AM on December 05, 2006

It's hardly out of the realm of possibility that winning your conference championship might push you one spot ahead of a team that didn't win its conference. Also, it's hardly out of the realm of possibility that apples make better apple pies than oranges, but oranges make better orange juice than apples. Let's face it: the fact that the SEC has a championship game and the Big 10 doesn't gave Urban Meyer an extra week to whine his way up the coaches' polls. And the SEC was shite this season. Still, like I said upthread, the BCS system seems designed to generate more 'what-ifs' than answers. And perhaps deliberately so.

posted by etagloh at 03:09 AM on December 05, 2006

Hey pcbenedict, Stop complaining about Notre Dame. They got in because the 2 teams ranked ahead of them (Auburn and Wisconsin) have conference rules that prohibit two teams from the same conference being in a BCS game. That should be your gripe. The 'powers that be' did not want all the money going to the same conference. Or maybe you should complain that #15 Wake Forest is going to the BCS ahead of #13 West Virginia because the ACC is one of the "chosen" conferences that get an automatic bid to the BCS. Those two factors are grounds for complaint. #11 Notre Dame falls into a BCS game because the other two conferences (Big 10 and SEC) have those stupid contracts.

posted by FonGu at 04:42 AM on December 05, 2006

the SEC was shite this season. Which explains why the SEC finished with five teams (Florida, LSU, Auburn, Arkansas, and Tennessee) in the BCS poll, the AP poll, and the USA Today Coaches poll, while the Big Ten could only muster three teams (Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsine) in each. Yeah, that's a shit conference, alright. Nice call.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 06:38 AM on December 05, 2006

"You're all playing right into their hands!" SummersEve shouted, though he knew no one would listen. "It's their ruse; their cunning attempt to trick you!" He continued, but to no avail. The Florida and Michigan fans, fueled further by the SEC and Big Ten fans, continued at each other's throats. Both sides fighting a futile battle that neither side could win. Finally, SummersEve, at the end of his vinegar-stained rope shouted above the din, "Soylent Green is PEOPLE!" Everyone paused, gave him the strange look he deserved and continued their debate. A debate that would best be decided on the field, but year after year ends up decided in boardrooms, back room deals, and brothels.

posted by SummersEve at 07:05 AM on December 05, 2006

The issue I have with that is sometimes conference champs have no buisness being ranked higher than teams who finished second in their conference. Of course they do. That is the point of a playoff. It happens all the time in the NFL and any other sport that has a playoff. Sometimes the conference championship game is better than the Super Bowl. College could provide a wild card slot, but I don't think it is necessary.

posted by bperk at 08:40 AM on December 05, 2006

Or maybe you should complain that #15 Wake Forest is going to the BCS ahead of #13 West Virginia because the ACC is one of the "chosen" conferences that get an automatic bid to the BCS. Last I checked, so is the Big East.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 10:39 AM on December 05, 2006

Apparently we can safely add the BCS to the list of topics that draws well (see, e.g., Yankees-Red Sox and Bonds, Barry). I must say, however, that the level of discourse on this thread is of higher quality than in many of the other hot-button topics.

posted by holden at 11:48 AM on December 05, 2006

Up yours.

posted by yerfatma at 11:56 AM on December 05, 2006

Yeah, that's a shit conference, alright. Nice call. I can only presume that most of the coaches, like the BCS computers, didn't watch many SEC games this year. And I'm limiting my criticism to this year, just because the overall quality of SEC matchups was way down.

posted by etagloh at 12:38 PM on December 05, 2006

Has Florida played against a team that can spread you out with 5 very good WRs with a Heisman QB then the next play line up in an overloaded power I with Chris wells, then Spread out four and run Pittman (4.3 - 40)? Have they played the #1 scoring defense and turnover kings that is tOSU? I think not. Who is going to line up against the fast Ginn/Gonzalez and big Robiskie/Hall? Ohio State causes mismatches in any formation they run. GL Florida, meyer got you want you wanted, A big ten beatdown.

posted by nicholasr87 at 12:50 PM on December 05, 2006

Oh shit, you are really bringing it now. Look out internets! I thought I'd already ruined the attitude holden cited, but here you come again. Looking better than a body has a right to. Here I go.

posted by yerfatma at 01:56 PM on December 05, 2006

I agree, they haven't played a team with 5 good wideouts but has OSU played a team that has as much speed and strength on the line as Florida? Have they played a team that has an offense that uses 2 QBs and just changing that QB changes the entire gameplan? Troy Smith has never faced as much pressure as he is going to face on Jan. 8th. It is going to be an awsome game and it is a shame we are bashing any of these teams for having great seasons.

posted by kidrayter2005 at 03:01 PM on December 05, 2006

Have they played a team that has an offense that uses 2 QBs and just changing that QB changes the entire gameplan? I sincerely think neither one is anything to tremble over. One is overrated, the other is still really young.

posted by dyams at 03:54 PM on December 05, 2006

He knew a non-vote was a vote for Florida, a team he knows Ohio State will slaughter. buzzpop The only difference from playing Michigan, USC, or Florida is that we would beat Florida by the most. Clevelander32 I am very excited to see ohio state just totally destroy a team that in no possible way deserves to be ranked #2. vito938 If we see Ohio State and Florida it will just be to see Ohio State blow them out. livewire Prediction: a boring ass OSU:38 - UF:13 pounding. smithnyiu To all out there who honestly believe Florida should be there, Get real. ok5561 They will be overwhelmed and smacked around and called Sally. Florida 3, OSU 42. wingnut4life I just don't think Florida will match up to OSU. air2130 Just one more. Florida's battle hardened, well coached team takes OSU out behind the woodshed and thrashes 'em. mjkredliner Much as I respect Smith, Ginn, and Gonzales, someone had to say it. I reckon we'll see which conference was "down " this year.

posted by mjkredliner at 04:37 PM on December 05, 2006

Wow. No matter who wins, there's going to be a ton of crow eaten by some SpoFiers. Could make for another interesting discussion come January.

posted by ctal1999 at 05:00 PM on December 05, 2006

Here's a novel idea. Why don't we scrap the whole system and revert to a playoff?

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:09 PM on December 05, 2006

Your team sucks! Where can we get those spofi mugs again, this thread is reminding me I need to get one.

posted by tron7 at 05:15 PM on December 05, 2006

Has Florida played against a team that can spread you out with 5 very good WRs with a Heisman QB then the next play line up in an overloaded power I with Chris wells, then Spread out four and run Pittman (4.3 - 40)? Have they played the #1 scoring defense and turnover kings that is tOSU? I think not. Well duh. They will in Jan. Illinois played OSU close this year too, want to give them a national title rematch?

posted by louisville_slugger at 08:59 PM on December 05, 2006

Illinois played OSU close this year too, want to give them a national title rematch? Great point ... Except that Illinois lost nine other games.

posted by SummersEve at 05:28 AM on December 06, 2006

I sincerely think neither one is anything to tremble over. One is overrated, the other is still really young. Leak isn't the best. I never said that. Tebow isn't the fastest out there. I never said that. I mearly said that the gators can change the gamplan very easily against a defense before they can make a change. And it isn't like Leak had a horrible season. Games 13 Pass Attempts 329 Pass Completions 207 Passing Yards 2729 Touchdown Passes 22 Interceptions 13 Carries 74 Rushing Yards 23 Rushing Average 0.3 Rushing Touchdowns 3

posted by kidrayter2005 at 04:47 PM on December 10, 2006

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