The BCS Standings have been released and it is time to break it down and make some bold predictions………by Trevor Freeman
Finally the BCS Standings have been released. We have listed them below with some of our immediate brainstorms regarding them. Let the record show, no team outside of the top 12 from the initial BCS Standings has ever made it to the national title game. Therefore the teams listed below are the only teams with a shot to still make it in.
1. USC
2. Miami
3. Oklahoma
4. Auburn
5. Florida State
6. Wisconsin
7. Utah
8. California
9. Tennessee
10. Georgia
11. Texas
12. Purdue
13. Michigan
14. Boise State
15. Virginia
16. Texas A&M
Biggest Remaining Game: #3 Oklahoma at #16 Texas A&M
–77-0. That was the score that provoked all the outrage last year. Mike Lupica criticizing Bob Stoops for running it up. Stoops’ claiming that he was not purposely humiliating the Aggies. On November 6, the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A & M Aggies should get it on at Kyle Field in what might be the most important game in BCS Standings history. Why this game you ask? One word will suffice. Utah.
Utah is undefeated at 6-0 and is ranked #7 in the initial BCS Standings. If the Utes finish in the top six, they will secure an automatic BCS bid. This would mark the first time in history that a school from a non-BCS conference was admitted to the BCS party. What makes that Aggie-Sooner affair so important is that Utah’s signature victory was a 41-21 season opening win over Texas A&M.
Karma’s a bitch and I think it will be for the Sooners on November 6th. When you beat somebody 77-0, you have to be prepared for what may happen down the road. How jacked up do you think the 12th Man is going to be for that game? You know the Aggies and their fans have had this game circled on their calendar all year long. I think Oklahoma’s perfect season dies in College Station.
Worst Nightmare: Between USC, Miami, Oklahoma, Auburn, and Wisconsin at least three of them run the table………..or only one of those teams does along with Utah.
Both scenarios would be extremely bad news for the BCS. In the first scenario, let’s say USC, Miami, and Oklahoma all run the table. In this situation, I think Oklahoma would have caught and passed Miami due to their stronger strength of schedule. Can you imagine the outrage around the nation if MIAMI (who produces more NFL players than any other college) goes undefeated and is left out of a national title game? The most likely situation where this might occur would involve Wisconsin. USC, Miami, and Wisconsin all have pretty easy schedules to end the year and odds favor all three schools ending up undefeated. Oklahoma and Auburn both have very tough games left along with Conference Title games at the end of the year. Should USC, Miami and Wisconsin end up undefeated, the Badgers would be the odd team out. Let’s just say, it will not be a very pleasant situation should a Big Ten team get screwed out of playing for the national title. Especially since the Pac 10 and Big Ten both do not like the BCS system anyways and have been wanting to get back to playing their traditional Rose Bowl game.
The other worst-case scenario is if four of those five teams drop a game and Utah remains unbeaten. To make it worse, let’s say Texas A&M is the team that plants the one loss on Oklahoma. How could Utah be left out of the national title game if that happens (especially if the Aggies beat Oklahoma and were the regular season Big 12 champs)? This is the scenario that has the major conferences worried. I can already see BCS hater Mike Lupica getting his speech ready for the Sports Reporters on Sunday morning should this occur.
BCS National Title Game Prediction: USC versus Miami.
One more Bold one: Wisconsin versus Utah in the Rose Bowl.
My prediction is that these four teams will emerge unscathed to end the regular season. USC will then get a bad break, as they will be playing Miami in the Orange Bowl for the National Title. That’s not a good thing for USC. While USC is the best team in the country, beating a jacked-up Miami team in the Orange Bowl will be tough.
To compensate for leaving Wisconsin out of the National Title game the BCS organizers will try desperately to match them up in a “second place game” with Utah. It makes sense. Wisconsin automatically would go to the Rose as the Big Ten representative and Utah can fill the West Coast or Pac-10 void. Utah and BYU have always been rumored to be possible additions to the Pac-10 anyways.
3 replies on “Breaking Down the BCS”
Just my take 1st off:
Utah will lose at least 1 game this year. They play at Wyoming, a mediocre team that is the 2nd best team in that conference.
USC vs. Miami in the Orange Bowl would not be as big of an unfair matchup as one would think. Miami has lost countless Orange Bowl Classics in meaningful matchups. I believe that the game being played in The Stadium formerly known as Joe Robbie takes away even more advantage. Miami still holds the site advantage, but it is not as big as one would think.
My preseason teams to run the table were USC and Boise State, with Boise State being screwed at #8 or #9 in the BCS. That very likely will still be the case when all is said and done.
Also, Wisconsin beat a good, but not great Purdue team that can still rebound and win the conference as Wisconsin will under no pretenses even come close to running the table. In 1998 Iowa started 6-0 and were one of 6 unbeatens from major conferences when half of them fell on the same day. That started a 4 game losing skid and Iowa finished the regular season 7-4 under the guidance of Hayden Fry. Penn State in 1999 started 8-0 but lost to Minnesota and 2 succesive games before shuting out Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl to finish 9-3. Wisconsin is playing in an equally average league (actually a little worse) and by no means will have the talent or depth to stay their in the end. Wisconsin can still finish 4-4 in conference and I would not be surprised.
On that note, Oklahoma is not nearly good enough to run the table. Auburn is good, but was helped by morons who downgraded Miami after winning by 3 to a Louisville team that I have at #8 in my Power Rankings (they were #12 before the game). Oklahoma should lose 2 games from an overrated and belittled Big XII while Auburn could just be good enough to run the table, but I can’t see them winning the SEC title game this year. I guess you can call it a curse that I am putting on them. Miami can still lose. USC cannot. I think Miami will not stumble, but Florida State can still userp the #2 spot even with the new system. USC will only go down from here on out.
I still think Purdue gets the Big Ten title. Missouri can still win the Big XII, as the south division is due for a title game letdown (last year was not a letdown, Kansas State was the best team in the country from mid-October through that game). The PAC-10 is clearly USC’s unless they pull a Blue Jay and completely collapse. The Big East goes to West Virginia and the ACC can go to any of Miami (FL), Florida State, or Virginia or even a split. The SEC East is Tennessee’s to lose, which can very easily happen. They can lose twice to conference foes and very possibly Vanderbilt can be one of those. Thus the Florida-Georgia winner can win the East. The West is Auburn’s to lose. They won’t. The East champion will take the automatic birth, but Auburn will get an at-large spot.
That leaves Boise State to run the table and get screwed out of a BCS bowl.
Hope you enjoyed this.
Should I fix this up and submit it as an independent article?
Nice job and good analysis.
An addendum and Final Predictions With college football winding down these are my final predictions.
Oklahoma is going to run the table unless they choke in the Big 12 title game. The contest in Aggieland was their last real stern test.
Auburn will drop one of these last three games. I think the Georgia Dawgs are a better football team and should never have lost to Tennessee. However even if the Tigers win at Jordan-Hare, they lose either the Iron Bowl or the SEC Title game.
Wisconsin will not run the table either. This week’s game at East Lansing is dangerous. However I’m looking at that game at Iowa as the won they drop. The Hawkeyes have quietly been playing some really good football.
Utah runs the table and I think gets into a BCS bowl. I figure both the Badgers and Tigers losing in front of them should get them in.
Boise State runs the table but they will unfortunately be on the outside looking in. What will make that sting even more is that I see their coach Dan Hawkins taking the UW job at the end of the season.
Utah Georgia = 8th
Utah = 7th
Wisconsin = 5th
Auburn = 3rd
If WISC and AUB lose this week (assuming other top 10 win):
Georgia = 5th
Utah = 6th
Auburn = 7th
Wisconsin = 12th
Utah could still fall into 7th along the line if Georgia gets screwed out of the SEC title game and Auburn wins out from there. Utah will be 7th.
Do not be surprised if that happened. Also, Utah can lose to Wyoming. They beat Ole Miss and their loses have all been close. They can pull an upset in the highest stadium in the land. It is never easy to win at Wyoming.
On that note, my 2 preseason unbeatens remain unbeaten (USC and BSU).
Iowa State, Kansas State, and Missouri control their destiny in the Big XII North while Oklahoma does the same in the South.
In the ACC, one-loss Virginia and Virginia Tech along with two-loss Miami still control their own destinies.
In the SEC, Tennessee is in charge in the East while Auburn has clinched the west.
In the Big East, Boston College and West Virginia can still control their own future.
In the Big Ten, Wisconsin and Michigan are still in control.
The PAC-10 is Southern California’s to lose.
OK. There you have it.