The Bigger Picture
4 comments so far
November 16, 2006 by
As painful as it is this time of year to have Nebraska on the outside looking in at the national championship, it doesn’t mean that we Husker fans can’t get caught up in the arguments that are going on all over the country. In all probability the national championship game will feature a one-loss team and as there are many teams in that category, I’m going to run down who’s deserving and who’s not of a title shot.
The Unbeatens
The OSU-Michigan winner – duh!
Rutgers – If they win their last three games (including @ #8 West Virginia) they deserve to be in this game
Boise State – No way. They’ve played no one. You want a shot at the big time? Schedule some real opponents and bury a team like San Jose State. I wouldn’t even cry foul if these guys were shut out of all of the BCS bowls.
One-loss teams
USC – Should Rutgers lose, this is the top team to invite. Their quality wins would include @ Arkansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Cal, and Notre Dame.
Florida – With losses by Rutgers and USC, Florida would get in with their wins over Tennessee, LSU, and Arkansas
Arkansas – With losses by Rutgers and USC, they’d be next with wins over LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, and Florida
West Virginia – Rutgers, USC, Florida, and Arkansas could all lose again. If West Virginia wins out, they’re next in line.
Michigan – If there are losses by Rutgers, USC, Florida, Arkansas, and West Virginia, I’d say a one-loss Michigan would be most deserving of a rematch.
Notre Dame – I’d put these guys behind the teams above because of the ugly home loss to Michigan (not to mention the close calls with bad teams like Michigan State and UCLA). They get in with a late season win @ USC.
Wake Forest – They also took a home loss but with wins over Boston College, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Georgia Tech they’d get in if all of the teams above falter..
Louisville – Can you believe it? But with it possible for every team above to lose (and Michigan to win), you could put them in next. Their only loss was a close one on the road. Since it came later than West Virginia, I knock them back here though.
Ohio State – Losing your last game at home is usually elimination, but since everyone else can lose, these guys would deserve a rematch if everything fell right.
Wisconsin – The odd men out. They’ve beaten no one of consequence. Just desserts for scheduling Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego State, and Buffalo in a year where they don’t play Ohio State
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doombob Nov 16 06
Boy am I glad we don't have to play that game this year! Well, actually, I wish we could play this game, but maybe next year. What matchup would you like to see the most (other than the unbeatens)? There are people on sports radio down here in Kansas City who are hoping the BCS explodes with the worst case scenario so that a playoff system will be instated. Thoughts on that?
Steve Nov 16 06
Doombob,
Despite my undying loyalty to the Huskers and appreciation for the current coaching staff, I love to watch running QB's. So if it were OSU vs. West Virginia that would be cool to watch. Then again, for a Husker ego boost, a Michigan-USC matchup would be nice because they're recent opponents. I'm not as in love with Rutgers as a lot of folks. It's a nice story, but I feel like they haven't really paid their dues yet (i.e. gotten close without winning it all).
I'm not as in love with the idea of a playoff as a lot of people. We pretend all of the argument and controversy will end if we had an 8 or 16-team playoff but the same arguments about who deserves to be in and who's out will still happen. And games like this upcoming OSU-Michigan game would be a lot less meaningful. It would be fun to have a chance even if your team lost a game somewhere, but with so many snoozers on the schedule, giving everyone a mulligan really sucks the excitement out of a lot of the regular season.
Katie Nov 17 06
I couldn't agree more Steve. College football is the ONLY sport where every game matters. TOO BAD if you are hot at the end of the season, you were sleeping at the beginning -- YOU AREN'T THE BEST TEAM. I am open to the idea of a playoff, but if everyone thinks it's the magic pill.... they are kidding themselves.
I also argue that just because there is a playoff doesn't mean that the best team is crownd. How many times in the NCAA basketball team has the inferior opponent won? Plenty.
I am fine with the way things are now. If the Big 10 would get a title game, this wouldn't be a problem. They could rematch on neutral ground and play again.
GO BIG RED!
-Katie
Scott Nov 17 06
Is it okay to give some props to Coach Solich and his Ohio Bobcats on here?