Just so happens that my derriere has been parked in Utah for the last month. Not a bad place to be in the midst of the BCS hubub. Utah fans here are looking for some hope that they will be selected as an at large team in this years BCS. Ofcourse they will have to first conquer mighty Wyoming (this is a good bet by they way +23, Cowboys have been great at home ATS), and thier rival BYU, but it ceritanly looks promising that they end up undefeated at seasons end.
This leaves several scenarios, all of which are interesting. If Utah is able to get into the the top 6 in the BCS, they are guaranteed a spot in the BCS. That is ofcourse if they are let out of thier contract with the Liberty Bowl. But this is where it starts to get hairy. As it stands right now, if all remains equal and everyone above them wins out, they will sit at 7th or 8th in the BCS. All signs indicate that they would be shut out of the BCS equation.
And while in years past, these things have had thier way of working out, it still doesn't prove there isn't a problem with the system. If Utah wins out and is shut out of the BCS in favor of Texas or Michigan, what message is that sending to the non BCS schools. The BCS has contended that everyone has a shot, but Utah has done everything asked of them, pummeling opponents from thier own conference as well as a ranked Texas A&M team, and the same North Carolina team that beat NFL Factory Miami. Yet, they are being abused by the system that claims that it is fair and inclusive.
I certianly won't contend that I think that Utah can keep up with the big boys of college football. They caught an aggie team that is about to lose 4 straight to close the season, including a loss to Baylor. North Carolina isn't exactly a football juggernaut, and damn near anyone can beat Miami with Berlin at the helm. Can Utah beat OU, USC, Auburn? No, they probably can not. They don't have the athletes to stick with them for 4 quarters. Can they hang with one loss Texas and Michigan with thier dominant rushing attacks and stout offensive lines? Not likely. They would probably stick in there for a while before getting crushed in the second half. But this is the fatal flaw with the BCS. They are not letting these teams settle it on the field.
Let's just suppose for a second that everyone in the BCS top 7 wins out. That would likely mean that OU and USC would meet for the title in the Orange Bowl. Auburn, who would have only run through college footballs most arduous conference, would be left to play in the Sugar Bowl. Undefeated Wisconsin would be playing Cal in the Rose Bowl. Texas would likely be the other at large pick, and could possibly play in the Sugar or Fiesta bowls. The Big East and ACC champs will take the other two spots, each of which may ride into the bowl season with two losses, and for the Big East champ, a sub 15 BCS rating. And this leaves Utah out at the Liberty Bowl to play Louisville to try and prove they belong with the big boys. Consequently we could end up with 4 undefeated teams at seasons end, all of whom played in a different bowl, all of whom won thier conferences, none of whom played each other.
Who says we need a playoff.
JC
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