NCAA Football: Who wins the BCS this year?

The Big Ten has a deal with the MAC, or whatever conference that is. All Big Ten teams play these pushovers....it's not Ohio State that wanted it that way.

T. Rex wrote:

Flagpole Willy wrote:

Can't blame Ohio State for the schedule.

Here's where we disagree. You can't blame a team for a weak conference schedule, although being from a weak conference does reflect in the rankings and is the reason an undefeated like Hawaii won't sniff the top 10. However, you have to punish a team like Ohio State for scheduling such an horrendous non-conference schedule. It happens in NCAA basketball, the tournament seeding takes into consideration the scheduling, and teams know they need to schedule in some quality games to get a top seed. It's one thing when you put, say Notre Dame on your schedule a couple of years out and they turn out to be a shell of their former selves, but Akron? Kent State? There needs to be some disincentive for this.

Dude, it's tough enough for Ohio State to line up many non-conference foes who are any good; not all of them want to face Ohio State out of conference. Akron and Kent State want to come to Ohio State to play for the big pay day and the chance for their kids to play in the big stadium.

AND, Ohio State has played MANY tough out of conference games in the RECENT past. Games against Miami (Fl.) and Texas -- two games each, and while both teams were good. Washington was scheduled a while ago, and they just happen to be mediocre this year.

Not Ohio State's fault that Washington isn't that good this year. All 5 of Ohio State's final teams have winning records (all with 2 losses). Big tests ahead. Still, not their fault that the teams on the schedule so far haven't played better.

Flagpole Willy wrote:

Not Ohio State's fault that Washington isn't that good this year. All 5 of Ohio State's final teams have winning records (all with 2 losses). Big tests ahead. Still, not their fault that the teams on the schedule so far haven't played better.

Tis true, though UW hasn't been good for roughly 15 years, and the schedules are put together much more recently than that. By way of example, look at CU's schedule this year. They had Florida State, ASU, Miami-Ohio (a perennial conference contender), and Oklahoma, in addition to their perennial showdown with CSU (who sucks this year, but has been ranked in previous years) in four of their first five weeks. Maybe not the best of the pack, but certainly solid programs over the years and this IS what I'm getting at. Teams, irrespective of conference, should attempt to schedule stout out-of-conference schedules, and the ones that don't should be punished or certainly not rewarded.

This is what always used to kill me about Nebraska. They would schedule four straight patsies before conference play, beat them all 52-7, and not face a tough game until the end of the year, garnering an artificially high ranking by wirtue of their win-loss record. This was my biggest problem with Florida last year and also my biggest support of USC. We can go round and round about which conferences are tougher than others in any given year, but I have a hell of a lot more respect for teams that try to play a solid out-of-conference schedule.

You've also got to pay some respect to Cal and South Florida who scheduled tough out-of-conference matchups this year, despite their mediocre conferences.

I can't wait until the bowl season and they get in over their head again and get ran off the field. The narcissistic and over the top attitude of you ohblowme state fans is once again irritating as hell. I wonder if DougE is beginning to regret being in columbus during this part of the year yet or not?

You bash OSU for scheduling a weak OOCS, but teams like Florida, WVU, BC, Oklahoma, SCAR, USC, Kansas, ASU, all get off the hook? These are all top 15 teams that have arguably as weak or weaker OOC opponents as/than OSU; that is more than half of the top 15.

You also bash OSU for playing teams like Akron and Kent State. While LSU plays Middle Tennessee and Tulane, USC plays Idaho, Cal plays Colorado State and La Tech, Oklahoma plays North Texas and Utah State, yet you fail to notice all these teams who also need disincentive for scheduling.

ignorance is bliss wrote:

You bash OSU for scheduling a weak OOCS, but teams like Florida, WVU, BC, Oklahoma, SCAR, USC, Kansas, ASU, all get off the hook? These are all top 15 teams that have arguably as weak or weaker OOC opponents as/than OSU; that is more than half of the top 15.

You also bash OSU for playing teams like Akron and Kent State. While LSU plays Middle Tennessee and Tulane, USC plays Idaho, Cal plays Colorado State and La Tech, Oklahoma plays North Texas and Utah State, yet you fail to notice all these teams who also need disincentive for scheduling.

How could you possibly include Florida in that list? When looking at the schedule as a whole, giving Florida byes in all non-conference games still makes the Buckeye schedule look like a cakewalk...

MJB wrote:

How could you possibly include Florida in that list? When looking at the schedule as a whole, giving Florida byes in all non-conference games still makes the Buckeye schedule look like a cakewalk...

The complaint as against OSU's out of conference schedule, not their schedule overall. Read first, then reply. Yes Florida has a much tougher overall schedule than the Buckeyes overall schedule. But guess what, the Buckeyes can't control how good their conference is year in and year out. Neither can Florida. They CAN however, control how tough their OOC schedule is. And Florida did not schedule a tougher OOC schedule than OSU did. That was my point, and that is how I possibly included Florida in that list.

i should say: they can control how tough their ooc schedule is to a certain extent.

Four teams are ranked in the top 14 in the "mediocre" Pac-10. It is the best conference this year.

St. Henry wrote:

http://simononsports.blogspot.com/2007/10/what-we-know-about-ohio-st-nothing.html

I can't wait until the bowl season and they get in over their head again and get ran off the field. The narcissistic and over the top attitude of you ohblowme state fans is once again irritating as hell. I wonder if DougE is beginning to regret being in columbus during this part of the year yet or not?

Not sure where this comes from, but brother, in the last 5 years, the Buckeyes won their Bowl game 4 times. Not like they have a history of getting pounded in Bowl games. They got beat badly last year. Doesn't mean it will happen again.

ignorance is bliss wrote:

You bash OSU for scheduling a weak OOCS, but teams like Florida, WVU, BC, Oklahoma, SCAR, USC, Kansas, ASU, all get off the hook? These are all top 15 teams that have arguably as weak or weaker OOC opponents as/than OSU; that is more than half of the top 15.

You also bash OSU for playing teams like Akron and Kent State. While LSU plays Middle Tennessee and Tulane, USC plays Idaho, Cal plays Colorado State and La Tech, Oklahoma plays North Texas and Utah State, yet you fail to notice all these teams who also need disincentive for scheduling.

I wouldn't suggest that the OSU is the only powerhouse school to engage in this practice, but most of your comparisons are weak. Now every school is going to have one or two walk-over non-conference games, so putting up an example of one school on a schedule means nothing. The point is that the OSU (and Florida) put nothing that could even possibly be challenging, no matter what kind of year those opponents were having. Look at the teams you mention:

LSU...VA Tech

USC...Nebraska, Notre Dame

Cal...Tennessee

ASU...Colorado

OK...Miami

BC...Notre Dame

SCAR...Clemson

Now, not all those schools are world beaters, but because these opponents all play in reasonable conferences, against quality opponents, it allows for some assessment of performance outside their own conference schedule. Notre Dame has looked like a walk this year, but I don't think that was expected when these schedules were drawn up. And rather than my argument being specific for OSU, I think that abny team that wants to be considered in the running for a national championship needs to schedule at least one reasonable nonconference game. You've got to take at least a small chance. Look at how Cal's whole season was affected last year by getting beat by Tennessee. Not only would they have started 8-0 or 9-0 or whatever their record was if they had penciled in Akron, but that showdown between the Pac10 and SEC set up public opinion all season on the relative strength of the 2 conferences.

I didn't suggest OSU is the only powerhouse school to engage in this practice, simply that OSU is not the only powerhouse school to have a a mediocre OOC schedule this year. There aren't many teams that attempt to schedule more than one opponent from another major conference. OSU at least attempts to schedule one a year, and they should be giving props for that. Sure Washington wasn't a very strong opponent, but it is at least admirable that they went to Washington. And look at the teams they have played/will play. Texas last two years, USC, Miami, Oklahoma; how can you criticize a team that schedules these types of games?

You are contradicting yourself. First you say OSU needs to be held accountable for scheduling teams like Akron and Kent State, then you say that every school is going to have one or two walk over nonconf. games. Quit picking on OSU when many other schools are doing THE SAME THING. Teams like LSU don't play teams like VT every year; last year they played Arizona at LSU. You have got to give more props to OSU for playing in Washington this year.

There is no way anyone can blame OSU for their weak schedule this year. They are one of the best teams at attempting to schedule a reasonably tough OOCS. Had the B10 came close to living up to its pre-season ratings, OSU's schedule would be pretty tough this year.

You also give credit to teams like Clemson, Nebraska, and Colorado for "playing in reasonalbe conferences, against quality opponents," but Washington isn't one of these teams? Look at what you are saying.

LSU played Arizona at home because it was the second game of a home and home series - they played AT Arizona in 2003. They then played Oregon State in 2004, at Arizona State in 2005, and had previously played Virginia Tech in 2002, at Blacksburg.

Good God, stop it you bunch of OCD football fanboy fags!

Do any of you idiots have anything even remotely resembling a *LIFE*?

Southerner wrote:

Good God, stop it you bunch of OCD football fanboy fags!

Do any of you idiots have anything even remotely resembling a *LIFE*?

How hard is it to click on "Schedule" under "Louisiana State" on ESPN.com??? Oh $hit, I guess it might be hard for some people...

Benson

Thanks for pointing that out, I didn't know. I take back what I say then about OSU playing at Washington as more admirable. It's equally admirable, since both teams are playing traditionally second and third tier Pac-10 teams. I believe Washington played at OSU in 2002 or something like that.

The only team in America that doesn't schedule creampuffs is Notre Dame. Year in and year out they always have the #1 ranked schedule. Every other team either has a AA creampuff or a MAC or WAC school somewhere on their schedule. There are very few games that a team has complete control over scheduling. If your conference has a deal with another then you are stuck playing a MAC school or some other non BCS school for the money. Since the BCS puts so much emphasis on going undefeated it would be stupid not to schedule lesser teams early in the season before heading into tough conference play and conference play is always tough because these teams play you every year and know you front and back.

So now we very likely have two of these teams going into the national title game: South Florida, Boston College, Ohio State. Two of these teams don't belong there. I don't think we need a complete playoff system, but a "plus 1" system would be great. Have the winners of the top two bowls match up. Then the LSU's and USC's who slip up and lose one would get another chance.

Alan