If Oregon St wins out....THEY and not USC go to the Rose Bowl....USC better be careful of Stanford......they are only a 23pt fave this year....
USC is the best "big game" team.....w/o a doubt......but Pete Carroll is the most overrated coach in CFB.....every year he loses to teams that have 1/50th of the talent USC has.........that is pathetic....that is all coaching....
They'll start preparing for next years Ohio St game during Spring ball.......blow up Ohio St again.....then hear how great and wonderful they are.......then lose to like Washington St or someone like that....
For what its worth the BCS at this point last year
1. LSU (before the loss to Arkansas)
2. Oregon (before the Dennis Dixon injury)
3. Kansas
4. Oklahoma (before the loss to Texas Tech)
5. Missouri (remember, Mizzou would eventually be No. 1)
6. West Virginia (the Mountaineers couldn’t lose at home to Pitt, right?)
7. Ohio State (yup … seventh)
8. Arizona State (what a difference a year makes)
9. Georgia (Tennessee just wouldn’t lose)
10. Virginia Tech (the Hokies finished the regular season No. 1 according to the BCS computers)
Last year before the last week of the regular season, it was going to be West Virginia vs. Missouri playing for the national title if the Tigers could get by Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship. LSU was left for dead after losing to Arkansas, and Ohio State needed a ton of help.
1. LSU (before the loss to Arkansas)
2. Oregon (before the Dennis Dixon injury)
3. Kansas
4. Oklahoma (before the loss to Texas Tech)
5. Missouri (remember, Mizzou would eventually be No. 1)
6. West Virginia (the Mountaineers couldn’t lose at home to Pitt, right?)
7. Ohio State (yup … seventh)
8. Arizona State (what a difference a year makes)
9. Georgia (Tennessee just wouldn’t lose)
10. Virginia Tech (the Hokies finished the regular season No. 1 according to the BCS computers)
Last year before the last week of the regular season, it was going to be West Virginia vs. Missouri playing for the national title if the Tigers could get by Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship. LSU was left for dead after losing to Arkansas, and Ohio State needed a ton of help.
Hi. Please go back and look at the "roughing" the kicker call against Texas that was barely a touch of the punter who then went down and winced and rolled around and limped off he field which even got the announcers to make fun of him. it was embarassing. That led to an OU score which should not have happened. Refs called it both ways. OK? Thanks!
Texas is not screwed if both OU and UT win out and the voters realize that Texas beat OU straight up by double digits on a neutral field and put them ahead of Oklahoma in the polls. Otherwise, yes, Texas is screwed
Oh one other scenario...I guess TT could lose both of their games against OU and Baylor :nohead:
whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? why why why why why? they have beaten only ONE good team (OhioSt) and even then it was a home game against a n00b QB and they were missing their top offensive player. And even though, OhioSt is just good, not great.
the only other decent teams USC faced was Arizona (whom they struggled to beat), Cal (whom they struggled to beat, good thing the refs called back those Cal TDs!), and OreSt (who dominated them from the first snap)
USC is a great team, dont get me wrong...but UF, Bama, UT, TT, OU all belong ahead of USC in the MNC game. Put USC in the Fiesta Bowl or something.
6. USC
USC appears to be the wedge issue this year. The defense has been a killer, but the offense has been mediocre and the team hasn’t played a decent team since the win over the Beanie-less Ohio State. Some pollsters like the talent level and the speed and athleticism, while others can’t get over the loss to a mediocre Oregon State. The poor Pac 10 has been a disaster, but the USC brand name should overcome the down year for the league if the opening is there to play for the national title. If this was Oregon State or Arizona in this position instead of USC, there wouldn’t be any chance of playing in Miami. Track record counts for something.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: USC has to win out and annihilate Notre Dame on national TV.
Step Two: Oregon State needs lose again. USC needs to win the Pac 10 outright.
Step Three: Alabama has to win the SEC title and be unbeaten. Florida has to be eliminated from the discussion.
Step Four: Missouri needs to win the Big 12 title and the USC brand name has to overcome a one-loss team from the Big 12 South.
Step Five: The pollsters will need to be blinded so much by the USC talent level that they ignore the Oregon State losses to both Penn State and Utah.
Step Six: Penn State has to lose to Michigan State. This isn’t a must, but it would help make things smoother.
Step Seven: Utah needs to lose to BYU. USC will have tough enough time overcoming the Pac 10’s record against the Mountain West.
The Deserve Factor: No one’s questioning whether or not USC would show up in the national title game. On talent and the past performances, the Trojans might be the favorites against anyone other than Florida in a BCS Championship Game. Could USC win the national title? Absolutely. Does it deserve get the shot? Probably not this year. To anyone who has watched Pac 10 football this year on a regular basis, the USC offense hasn’t been at a high enough level to warrant the consideration for the national title, but the defense has been unbelievable in picking up the slack at times. Would the mediocre strength of schedule (currently 63<sup>rd</sup>) matter all that much? Not for USC, but if Utah goes unbeaten and USC gets in, the Mountain West will blow a gasket.
5. Oklahoma
Oklahoma is the new Georgia. Last year, it seemed like everyone was waiting for Tennessee to blow it down the stretch so Georgia could go off to play LSU for the SEC title. If the Dawgs had won, they’d have been playing Ohio State for the national title, but instead, they didn’t get their chance to represent the East and they ended up taking it out on poor old Colt Brennan and Hawaii. This year, the offense has been so amazing and the team so dominant at times that no one would be too upset to see what Sam Bradford and company could do in Miami.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Beat Texas Tech with ease and then get by Oklahoma State on the road. Human pollsters have a funny way of moving teams up when they win, and if OU blows out the Red Raiders and win impressively in Stillwater, the polls will quickly change. If a three-way tie is needed and it goes to the BCS rankings, expect OU to come out on top despite being currently ranked behind Texas Tech and Texas.
Step Two: Win the Big 12 title. The Sooners probably can’t play for the national title without winning the Big 12 championship. However …
Step Three: … get a groundswell of respect after being hosed by the quirky system (if OU doesn’t play for the Big 12 title).
The Deserve Factor: Picking a Big 12 South team to play for the national title appears to be on the pollsters’ can-do list. If OU beats Texas Tech and Texas wins the three-way tie-breaker and goes off to lose to the North in the championship, the pollsters might simply want OU in. To put this a different way, Texas will be out with two losses, and Texas Tech will be ranked lower than the Sooners if it loses in Norman. OU, with the one loss coming to Texas, would likely get the benefit of the doubt over everyone but, maybe, USC. OU’s schedule at the moment is the fifth toughest in America.
4. Florida
Is Florida this year’s LSU? Yeah, there was the loss to Ole Miss at home, but that was a lifetime ago and it has been blown off by a public that likes anything from the SEC. Tim Tebow is playing better, everyone is healthy, and the defense is humming. This might be the nation’s most complete team, and no one would have any problems putting it in a second national title game in three years.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Beat South Carolina in Steve Spurrer’s return to The Swamp ….
Step Two: … beat The Citadel ….
Step Three: … beat Florida State ….
Step Four: … beat Alabama ….
Step Five: ….prepare for Miami Beach.
The Deserve Factor: If everything else is equal, there’s no way, no how the SEC champion doesn’t play for the national title. The Gators have played the 13<sup>th</sup> toughest schedule, and when all is said and done, they could close the SEC championship game having played as many as 11 bowl bound teams (but it’ll more likely be nine). Florida is one of three teams that controls its own national title destiny. Win five in a row and it’ll be Urban Meyer’s second national title.
3. Texas
Texas is in a tough spot. Its one loss came on the road with Texas Tech needing to pull off the greatest play in the history of its program to win. However, the sandwich might be coming. If Texas Tech beats Oklahoma, the Longhorns are out of the Big 12 title hunt and, almost certainly, out of the national title hunt (unless there’s a ton of help). If Oklahoma beats Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, it’ll likely be playing for the Big 12 title game and Texas will be squeezed out.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Obliterate Kansas and Texas A&M. At this point, a single-digit win might as well be a loss.
Step Two: Oklahoma has to be unimpressive and sloppy in an ugly win over Texas Tech, and then it has to beat Oklahoma State.
Step Three: Texas has to be ranked highest in the BCS rankings and it has to win the Big 12 championship game, OR …
Step Four: … … Texas gets squeezed out of the Big 12 Championship, the South representative loses, and the BCSers can’t find anyone else worthy of playing the SEC champion for the national title.
The Deserve Factor: Absolutely. Having played the nation’s third toughest schedule and having lost to Texas Tech in the final second should be enough. The whole idea of a team needing to win the conference championship game to play for the national title might be suspended for a year because of the goofy tie-breaker rules. If it’s Missouri in the title game, and it beats Oklahoma or Texas Tech, Texas will get all the credit and all the benefit of the doubt after blowing away the Tigers earlier in the year.
2. Texas Tech
Sometimes, it’s about when you lose as much as it’s about if you lose. If Texas Tech loses to Oklahoma, it’s over. The pollsters would rank OU higher than the Red Raiders, and the standings would follow accordingly. However, Tech has it’s destiny in its hands. It’s this simple …
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Beat Oklahoma …
Step Two: … beat Baylor ….
Step Three: … beat the North representative ….
Step Four: … go to Miami. OR …
Step Five: … Texas Tech loses a nail-biter to OU and gets squeezed out of the Big 12 Championship, the South representative loses, and the BCSers can’t find anyone else worthy of playing the SEC champion for the national title.
Step Six: USC has to lose. It doesn’t matter who it’s to. Losing to Stanford, Notre Dame or UCLA would end it.
Step Seven: Boise State has to lose to Fresno State
Step Eight: Penn State has to lose to Michigan State
The Deserve Factor: If Texas Tech can pull off the trio and beats Texas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma in a row, than it’ll be more than worthy of playing for the national title. The joke of a non-conference schedule is made up for by playing the nation’s 17<sup>th</sup> toughest schedule overall
1. Alabama
Everyone knew Nick Saban would turn around the Alabama program and make it a national title caliber superpower, but no one expected it all to happen so fast. The national title is there for the taking, but the Tide can’t afford a loss and hope to get in. One regular season gaffe against Mississippi State or Auburn and there will a slew of Barbarians at the gate for one of the coveted top two spots.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Beat Mississippi State …
Step Two: … beat Auburn
Step Three: … beat Florida.
Step Four: … go to Miami.
The Deserve Factor: Of course, if you’re the undefeated SEC champion, at this point after the way the last two years have gone, you’re going off to play for the national title no matter what else happens across the college football landscape.
USC appears to be the wedge issue this year. The defense has been a killer, but the offense has been mediocre and the team hasn’t played a decent team since the win over the Beanie-less Ohio State. Some pollsters like the talent level and the speed and athleticism, while others can’t get over the loss to a mediocre Oregon State. The poor Pac 10 has been a disaster, but the USC brand name should overcome the down year for the league if the opening is there to play for the national title. If this was Oregon State or Arizona in this position instead of USC, there wouldn’t be any chance of playing in Miami. Track record counts for something.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: USC has to win out and annihilate Notre Dame on national TV.
Step Two: Oregon State needs lose again. USC needs to win the Pac 10 outright.
Step Three: Alabama has to win the SEC title and be unbeaten. Florida has to be eliminated from the discussion.
Step Four: Missouri needs to win the Big 12 title and the USC brand name has to overcome a one-loss team from the Big 12 South.
Step Five: The pollsters will need to be blinded so much by the USC talent level that they ignore the Oregon State losses to both Penn State and Utah.
Step Six: Penn State has to lose to Michigan State. This isn’t a must, but it would help make things smoother.
Step Seven: Utah needs to lose to BYU. USC will have tough enough time overcoming the Pac 10’s record against the Mountain West.
The Deserve Factor: No one’s questioning whether or not USC would show up in the national title game. On talent and the past performances, the Trojans might be the favorites against anyone other than Florida in a BCS Championship Game. Could USC win the national title? Absolutely. Does it deserve get the shot? Probably not this year. To anyone who has watched Pac 10 football this year on a regular basis, the USC offense hasn’t been at a high enough level to warrant the consideration for the national title, but the defense has been unbelievable in picking up the slack at times. Would the mediocre strength of schedule (currently 63<sup>rd</sup>) matter all that much? Not for USC, but if Utah goes unbeaten and USC gets in, the Mountain West will blow a gasket.
5. Oklahoma
Oklahoma is the new Georgia. Last year, it seemed like everyone was waiting for Tennessee to blow it down the stretch so Georgia could go off to play LSU for the SEC title. If the Dawgs had won, they’d have been playing Ohio State for the national title, but instead, they didn’t get their chance to represent the East and they ended up taking it out on poor old Colt Brennan and Hawaii. This year, the offense has been so amazing and the team so dominant at times that no one would be too upset to see what Sam Bradford and company could do in Miami.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Beat Texas Tech with ease and then get by Oklahoma State on the road. Human pollsters have a funny way of moving teams up when they win, and if OU blows out the Red Raiders and win impressively in Stillwater, the polls will quickly change. If a three-way tie is needed and it goes to the BCS rankings, expect OU to come out on top despite being currently ranked behind Texas Tech and Texas.
Step Two: Win the Big 12 title. The Sooners probably can’t play for the national title without winning the Big 12 championship. However …
Step Three: … get a groundswell of respect after being hosed by the quirky system (if OU doesn’t play for the Big 12 title).
The Deserve Factor: Picking a Big 12 South team to play for the national title appears to be on the pollsters’ can-do list. If OU beats Texas Tech and Texas wins the three-way tie-breaker and goes off to lose to the North in the championship, the pollsters might simply want OU in. To put this a different way, Texas will be out with two losses, and Texas Tech will be ranked lower than the Sooners if it loses in Norman. OU, with the one loss coming to Texas, would likely get the benefit of the doubt over everyone but, maybe, USC. OU’s schedule at the moment is the fifth toughest in America.
4. Florida
Is Florida this year’s LSU? Yeah, there was the loss to Ole Miss at home, but that was a lifetime ago and it has been blown off by a public that likes anything from the SEC. Tim Tebow is playing better, everyone is healthy, and the defense is humming. This might be the nation’s most complete team, and no one would have any problems putting it in a second national title game in three years.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Beat South Carolina in Steve Spurrer’s return to The Swamp ….
Step Two: … beat The Citadel ….
Step Three: … beat Florida State ….
Step Four: … beat Alabama ….
Step Five: ….prepare for Miami Beach.
The Deserve Factor: If everything else is equal, there’s no way, no how the SEC champion doesn’t play for the national title. The Gators have played the 13<sup>th</sup> toughest schedule, and when all is said and done, they could close the SEC championship game having played as many as 11 bowl bound teams (but it’ll more likely be nine). Florida is one of three teams that controls its own national title destiny. Win five in a row and it’ll be Urban Meyer’s second national title.
3. Texas
Texas is in a tough spot. Its one loss came on the road with Texas Tech needing to pull off the greatest play in the history of its program to win. However, the sandwich might be coming. If Texas Tech beats Oklahoma, the Longhorns are out of the Big 12 title hunt and, almost certainly, out of the national title hunt (unless there’s a ton of help). If Oklahoma beats Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, it’ll likely be playing for the Big 12 title game and Texas will be squeezed out.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Obliterate Kansas and Texas A&M. At this point, a single-digit win might as well be a loss.
Step Two: Oklahoma has to be unimpressive and sloppy in an ugly win over Texas Tech, and then it has to beat Oklahoma State.
Step Three: Texas has to be ranked highest in the BCS rankings and it has to win the Big 12 championship game, OR …
Step Four: … … Texas gets squeezed out of the Big 12 Championship, the South representative loses, and the BCSers can’t find anyone else worthy of playing the SEC champion for the national title.
The Deserve Factor: Absolutely. Having played the nation’s third toughest schedule and having lost to Texas Tech in the final second should be enough. The whole idea of a team needing to win the conference championship game to play for the national title might be suspended for a year because of the goofy tie-breaker rules. If it’s Missouri in the title game, and it beats Oklahoma or Texas Tech, Texas will get all the credit and all the benefit of the doubt after blowing away the Tigers earlier in the year.
2. Texas Tech
Sometimes, it’s about when you lose as much as it’s about if you lose. If Texas Tech loses to Oklahoma, it’s over. The pollsters would rank OU higher than the Red Raiders, and the standings would follow accordingly. However, Tech has it’s destiny in its hands. It’s this simple …
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Beat Oklahoma …
Step Two: … beat Baylor ….
Step Three: … beat the North representative ….
Step Four: … go to Miami. OR …
Step Five: … Texas Tech loses a nail-biter to OU and gets squeezed out of the Big 12 Championship, the South representative loses, and the BCSers can’t find anyone else worthy of playing the SEC champion for the national title.
Step Six: USC has to lose. It doesn’t matter who it’s to. Losing to Stanford, Notre Dame or UCLA would end it.
Step Seven: Boise State has to lose to Fresno State
Step Eight: Penn State has to lose to Michigan State
The Deserve Factor: If Texas Tech can pull off the trio and beats Texas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma in a row, than it’ll be more than worthy of playing for the national title. The joke of a non-conference schedule is made up for by playing the nation’s 17<sup>th</sup> toughest schedule overall
1. Alabama
Everyone knew Nick Saban would turn around the Alabama program and make it a national title caliber superpower, but no one expected it all to happen so fast. The national title is there for the taking, but the Tide can’t afford a loss and hope to get in. One regular season gaffe against Mississippi State or Auburn and there will a slew of Barbarians at the gate for one of the coveted top two spots.
What has to happen to play for the national title …
Step One: Beat Mississippi State …
Step Two: … beat Auburn
Step Three: … beat Florida.
Step Four: … go to Miami.
The Deserve Factor: Of course, if you’re the undefeated SEC champion, at this point after the way the last two years have gone, you’re going off to play for the national title no matter what else happens across the college football landscape.
sarcean....nice write-up bro......very well thought out and well written...
The only thing I have a problem with is the whole Texas/OU debate.....
I think OU needs to blow out BOTH Tech AND Okie St. Say OU beats Tech 45-42 and then beats Okie St 48-35.....why would pollsters put OU ahead of Texas when Texas won head to head on a neutral field?
OU 62
Tech 35
OU 58
Okie St 24
That'll get OU in imo.....
The only other issue I have is whoever doesn't play for the BIGXII title should have NO chance to play in the Nat'l title game.......the BCS learned their lesson when this happened a few years back...if you don't win your conference....no chance to play for nat'l title
Even if Mizzou wins the title game.....and Bama loses to Fla...USC should go in that instance....as much as I dispise USC...they always play big in big games....even though they caught Ohio St w/o the best RB in the country and BTP (before T. Pryor).....
The only thing I have a problem with is the whole Texas/OU debate.....
I think OU needs to blow out BOTH Tech AND Okie St. Say OU beats Tech 45-42 and then beats Okie St 48-35.....why would pollsters put OU ahead of Texas when Texas won head to head on a neutral field?
OU 62
Tech 35
OU 58
Okie St 24
That'll get OU in imo.....
The only other issue I have is whoever doesn't play for the BIGXII title should have NO chance to play in the Nat'l title game.......the BCS learned their lesson when this happened a few years back...if you don't win your conference....no chance to play for nat'l title
Even if Mizzou wins the title game.....and Bama loses to Fla...USC should go in that instance....as much as I dispise USC...they always play big in big games....even though they caught Ohio St w/o the best RB in the country and BTP (before T. Pryor).....
