http://www.sportingnews.com/college...10-28/five-title-bouts-we-beg-bcs-not-produce
Five title bouts we beg the BCS not to produce
Dave Curtis
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 - 2:04 p.m. ET
With seven teams still unbeaten and nearly as many intriguing one-loss teams still alive, the prospect of a classic BCS national championship game matchup looms.
There's a flip side, though.
Check out the BCS standings and you'll notice a handful of non-traditional powers near the top. Yup, the BCS system could spit out a title bout that would infuriate fans and devastate television executives.
Here's a look at five title games that -- brace yourselves -- really, truly could happen:
1. Iowa vs. SEC champ/USC
This has a little bit to do with the Hawkeyes and a lot to do with recent history. When folks outside Big Ten country think of the league, Ohio State's title-game losses to SEC teams -- and the Big Ten's annual Rose Bowl pounding against USC -- pop up first. Placing Iowa in the game would produce a double-digit point spread. Not even a continuous loop of Ohio State's Craig Krenzel and Maurice Clarett winning the 2003 Fiesta Bowl would convince the nation Iowa has shot. Heck, even coach Kirk Ferentz is not sure about his squad. "I still have a hard time even picturing us in the top 10," he said on a Tuesday teleconference. The Hawkeyes might deserve a spot in the big game, but it wouldn't make many people happy.
2. TCU vs. Alabama
Putting the Frogs against the Tide would throw college football back to the days of Mr. Inside, Knute Rockne and scoreless ties that ended up as all-time great games. Given the two great defenses, Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin would likely dominate the night. Everyone cringes at the thought of a 12-10 or 9-7 outcome on the nation's biggest stage. TCU would sell out against the run, and they have the speed and scheme to slow Mark Ingram. And while Andy Dalton has improved at quarterback, TCU's offense remains a far cry from, say, Texas Tech's. Spare the world this matchup, BCS gods. We beg you.
3. Oregon vs. Oklahoma State
With so much football left, don't forget some of the one-loss teams on the fringe of contention now. The Ducks need a Boise State loss to hurdle the Broncos, who beat Oregon in the opener. A 12-1 Cowboys team would challenge for the top two with wins over Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma and possibly Nebraska or Kansas. The game might be fun on the field, but with no major media markets and no familiar personalities, the buildup would be lackluster. This matchup is meant for the Holiday Bowl.
4. Florida vs. Alabama
Maybe these will end up being the two best teams in America. Who knows? But college football couldn't handle an all-SEC national championship game that's a rematch of the SEC title game played five weeks earlier. Why should the SEC champion need to beat the loser again? And if they split, why should the second win trump the first? It also wouldn't be fair to the Big Ten, which lost out on an Ohio State-Michigan title game after the 2006 season, in part because of resistance to an intra-conference pairing. America went on to learn quite clearly that Michigan and Ohio State were not the best two teams in the country, after all. Rose Bowl: USC 32, Michigan 18; BCS title game: Florida 41, Ohio State 14
5. Texas vs. Cincinnati
If a Big Ten team in the big game would frustrate fans, then a Big East team would horrify them. Again, this is about reputation and perception, not the statistics or the reality of how teams look on the field. But even if the Bearcats go 12-0 with late-season victories over West Virginia (which lost to 5-3 Auburn) and Pittsburgh (which lost to 3-4 N.C. State), seeing Cincy in the title game wouldn't sit well with fans of a one-loss SEC or Pac-10 champ. The Longhorns would face similar scrutiny thanks to a weak nonconference schedule. Its two marquee wins would have come against Sam Bradford-less Oklahoma (for most of the game, at least) and Dez Bryant-less Oklahoma State. Even with two undefeated teams, this matchup would leave most of the country shouting for a playoff.
Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.
Five title bouts we beg the BCS not to produce
Dave Curtis
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 - 2:04 p.m. ET
With seven teams still unbeaten and nearly as many intriguing one-loss teams still alive, the prospect of a classic BCS national championship game matchup looms.
There's a flip side, though.
Check out the BCS standings and you'll notice a handful of non-traditional powers near the top. Yup, the BCS system could spit out a title bout that would infuriate fans and devastate television executives.
Here's a look at five title games that -- brace yourselves -- really, truly could happen:
1. Iowa vs. SEC champ/USC
This has a little bit to do with the Hawkeyes and a lot to do with recent history. When folks outside Big Ten country think of the league, Ohio State's title-game losses to SEC teams -- and the Big Ten's annual Rose Bowl pounding against USC -- pop up first. Placing Iowa in the game would produce a double-digit point spread. Not even a continuous loop of Ohio State's Craig Krenzel and Maurice Clarett winning the 2003 Fiesta Bowl would convince the nation Iowa has shot. Heck, even coach Kirk Ferentz is not sure about his squad. "I still have a hard time even picturing us in the top 10," he said on a Tuesday teleconference. The Hawkeyes might deserve a spot in the big game, but it wouldn't make many people happy.
2. TCU vs. Alabama
Putting the Frogs against the Tide would throw college football back to the days of Mr. Inside, Knute Rockne and scoreless ties that ended up as all-time great games. Given the two great defenses, Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin would likely dominate the night. Everyone cringes at the thought of a 12-10 or 9-7 outcome on the nation's biggest stage. TCU would sell out against the run, and they have the speed and scheme to slow Mark Ingram. And while Andy Dalton has improved at quarterback, TCU's offense remains a far cry from, say, Texas Tech's. Spare the world this matchup, BCS gods. We beg you.
3. Oregon vs. Oklahoma State
With so much football left, don't forget some of the one-loss teams on the fringe of contention now. The Ducks need a Boise State loss to hurdle the Broncos, who beat Oregon in the opener. A 12-1 Cowboys team would challenge for the top two with wins over Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma and possibly Nebraska or Kansas. The game might be fun on the field, but with no major media markets and no familiar personalities, the buildup would be lackluster. This matchup is meant for the Holiday Bowl.
4. Florida vs. Alabama
Maybe these will end up being the two best teams in America. Who knows? But college football couldn't handle an all-SEC national championship game that's a rematch of the SEC title game played five weeks earlier. Why should the SEC champion need to beat the loser again? And if they split, why should the second win trump the first? It also wouldn't be fair to the Big Ten, which lost out on an Ohio State-Michigan title game after the 2006 season, in part because of resistance to an intra-conference pairing. America went on to learn quite clearly that Michigan and Ohio State were not the best two teams in the country, after all. Rose Bowl: USC 32, Michigan 18; BCS title game: Florida 41, Ohio State 14
5. Texas vs. Cincinnati
If a Big Ten team in the big game would frustrate fans, then a Big East team would horrify them. Again, this is about reputation and perception, not the statistics or the reality of how teams look on the field. But even if the Bearcats go 12-0 with late-season victories over West Virginia (which lost to 5-3 Auburn) and Pittsburgh (which lost to 3-4 N.C. State), seeing Cincy in the title game wouldn't sit well with fans of a one-loss SEC or Pac-10 champ. The Longhorns would face similar scrutiny thanks to a weak nonconference schedule. Its two marquee wins would have come against Sam Bradford-less Oklahoma (for most of the game, at least) and Dez Bryant-less Oklahoma State. Even with two undefeated teams, this matchup would leave most of the country shouting for a playoff.
Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.
