K.D. Abbey Dec 01 08

Earlier in the year on this blog, I had made mention that to the effect that too bad it has come down to winning big (running up the score) showing "style points".

I was assured by someone that it was not part of the formula in place.

Whoever that was was absolutely CORRECT. However,it was NOT part of the 5 step tie breaking system in place.

It DID, though, play apart of the eventual decision, I feel. The NCAA is too stubborn and needs to rethink their system.

Maybe if we let them think it was their idea, they would be for it.

WyHuskerFan Dec 01 08

There is no such thing as a "neutral" field anywhere in the state of Texas. There are argueably more UT fans in the BigD/FW area than in Austin. Big XII needs to get this fixed this summer. I absolutely do not want anyone outside the Big XII deciding our champion. I would not be opposed to the 2 best teams regardless of N/S division. MU this year is an unworthy representative with so many dominate teams in the South. The once mighty Tigers played an uninspired game against KU and look even weaker now. GBR, let's get our act together and dominate again!

JBLING22 Dec 01 08

All i know is that if I was a SEC team I would have been voting the worse of the two as number #1... It appears thats exactly what they did too... Oklahoma is a great team, possible of beating anybody should the situation arrive, but in the past they have proved that they arn't quite as consistent as Texas seems to be.. If I were a SEC coach and got to pick I would have made Oklahoma #1 just because they seem to not be up to par when the big games come around... You can say well they beat Texas Tech when it counts, but the same can be said about the red-raiders too.. They always beat someone they shouldn't and lose to someone they shouldn't ( Nebraska game was almost that loss this year). Like I said this is in no way bashing Oklahoma they have a great team and truthfully I dislike Texas much more. But the votes were in there to send Oklahoma whom is more likely to stubble, and that my friends is sad....

Hskr in Buckeye Land Dec 01 08

Long-time reader, first time poster.
Steve seems to agree with the consensus of ESPN commentators, and everyone is just discussing Texas and Oklahoma. T-Tech still is just a one loss team. Mack Brown says that Tech is obviously out of it, so between OU and UT, it goes to the head-to-head winner. Well, the only reason he can say that is because OU dominated Tech. What if OU had just edged out a close game? Then Mack Brown's (and Steve and ESPN commentators') logic doesn't work because it's a three-way round robin. So why are we just talking UT or OU? Because OU beat the pulp out of Tech, the highest rated Big 12 team at the time, and that's why OU is heading to the championship game.
If the season of Tech belonged instead to the glamourous UT and vice-versa, the national conversation would be different.
I'm not an OU fan, but few people seem to care that they also beat numbers 11 and 13 in the BCS during non-conference play.
So to get back to the original post, I could argue that OU got screwed had they been left out.

K.D. ABBEY Dec 01 08

JBLING22,

I mean this respectively. If we went by what if's and likely's we would be doing a dis-service to ourselves and our favorite NCAA Football teams.

Actually, I was waiting for someone to bring up this subject to make a point. YES Oklahoma has stumbled in bowl games previously but are still in the top 4 programs in the country in bowl winning pct. My point is that just because OU has stubled the last few years gives them no credit for all of the big bowls that they have won previously and frankly helped make this conference what it is.

Please remember that if people used this logic then they would have discounted and probably fired Tom Osborne himself when he went through a bowl losing stretch that lasted 7 straight years.

Of course, as always, this is just my opinion.

K.D. ABBEY Dec 01 08

I erroniously omitted the fact that Nebrasks's bowl losing stretch happened before Tom Osborne reeled of 3 National Championship teams in just a few short years.

bnahusker Dec 01 08

I seriously thought that OU had played their way out when they gave up 41 to The Pokes. Someone was going to get screwed, and this time it was The Longhorns. It is my new position that the Big XII should have a provision for two division teams playing in the Championship Game when the other division winner has 2 more losses than any of the other contenders. (I'm pointing at you Mizzou!)

In any case, I have not seen any playoff plan that is compatible with the Bowl System, and the money is too great to change. I don't even care if we get a split Championship.

GBR

Bob

JBLING22 Dec 01 08

I do agree with you K.D. Abbey. What ifs and likey's do a great dis-service thats why Im saying Oklahoma dosn't deserve to be in front of texas when it come to whom should be playingthis weekend. IN a game to game battle , albeit earlier in the season TEXAS WON the game. I dont care if it was played in Austin , Texas, Oklahoma, or Hawaii the best determinant of the better team is head to head. By people saying Oklahoma deserves it more its say ing they are likely to beat them now although TExas already showed that they can beat them once. Is it more foolish to say Oklahoma is playing better ball now??? Or is it more foolish to say TExas won before therfore in a head to head matchup it should go to TExas? Not to mention the fact that Tech isnt considered is just stupid because they lost at the end of the year, if they had lost big in the begining and came back and beat TExas who would be considered?? And truthfully I wasn't trying to discredit Oklahoma for any of its past bowl blunders .. Its not a matter if Oklahoma could win the National Championship, and thats a good possibility its the fact that they are more than likely the 2nd best team in the big twelve... Texas beat both teams playing in the championship and lost to the next closest team by a last second play.... Again I actually have a distaste for Texas but they are the more deserving Team...

K.D. ABBEY Dec 01 08

jbling22,

You are right, Texas was the most deserving team and should hasve been picked over OU.

I've been on the message boards and it's just the fact that Head to Head matchups WERE NOT part of the equation in place. AMAZING!!

The tie breaker system currently in place is a freaking joke and if I were a Texas fan, I'd be PISSED.

I did not take your comments to mean any disrespect towards OU and I think you are correct in you thoughts.

It's messed up and needs to be fixed...NOW.

Hskr in Buckeye Land Dec 01 08

If the Texas loss to Tech took place in identical fashion but instead occured last Saturday, everyone would say it is obvious that Texas is out. Then, in a head-to-head, OU is better than Tech.

You can't fix it when three teams lose in a round robin.
The best fix is the law of probability: this is very unlikely to happen again in the next 20 years.