BCS NIGHTMARE IV
DMN’s Gerry Fraley is pretty outraged by the exclusion of consensus #1 USC from the championship game. (Apparently the staff of the San Jose Mercury news is, too, since they’re compiling every BCS-related op-ed they can find to put on their site.)
The BCS has been in business for six seasons. On Sunday, it failed for the third time to produce a true national championship game.
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The BCS came into existence to prevent the split-champion scenario from happening again. It is happening again.
If USC beats Michigan in the Rose Bowl, it is the national champion. The Oklahoma-LSU winner will be the equivalent of the champion from a third-rate boxing federation.
The only good thing to come from this is another reason to adopt a playoff system.
“We look at the Rose Bowl as the national championship game,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “I know there’s controversy. Until you have a playoff, that’s what you’re going to have.”
If USC beats Michigan in the Rose Bowl, it is the national champion. The Oklahoma-LSU winner will be the equivalent of the champion from a third-rate boxing federation.
OK but what if USC wins 14-13 and LSU wins 48-19?
The BCS is hosed but they still don’t have a point above.
USC is ranked #1 by both of the polls that matter to anyone except the BCS committee. If USC wins their game, they’re #1 in the AP poll, regardless of LSU’s margin over the #3 team.
Indeed, if USC wins 120-0 over Michigan, and #3 Oklahoma beats #2 LSU, the coaches must still take the winner of the BCS game–they only have latitude in who to rank 2-25.
Go Sooners!