Posted on 12/02/2013 8:34:12 AM PST by xzins
With one week to go before the BCS rankings leave us forever, an undefeated Big Ten power missing out on the national championship is somehow an actual worry. Meanwhile, Florida State's sitting pretty. Full standings below.
It doesn't matter that Ohio State went 12-0 last year. It doesn't matter that an unbeaten Auburn was shut out of the BCS National Championship in 2004. It doesn't matter that Ohio State has lost two national title games against SEC teams in recent years. It doesn't matter that the SEC has won seven straight championships.
Or at least it shouldn't.
What will matter, however, is whether the BCS polls and computers rank Ohio State or Auburn No. 2 next week, assuming the Buckeyes and (burnt orange and navy blue) Tigers win their respective conferences. We'd thought we were just about done with the season's series of debates over which team should rank No. 2 and which should rank No. 3, but we've only just now arrived at the biggest one yet.
For now, the updated BCS standings after Week 14's wild weekend:
A win by either the Spartans or the other Tigers would render all this moot (except for Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs suddenly becoming a huge Mizzou* fan, we trust).
* Though Missouri would have a better case for No. 2 than Auburn would, if you ask me, since the (black and gold) Tigers have spent most of the year smashing fools by exorbitant margins. But nobody's asking me. Mizzou's probably too far back to jump that far, barring insanity.
If our new Nos. 2 and 3 win their conferences, the polls would be where Florida State finds its Pasadena opponent. While many voters would fall back on the SEC's presumed strength of schedule and difficulty (and most strength of schedule numbers do rate Auburn's as tougher so far), others would sympathize with a 13-0 BCS conference champion that was ineligible last year. At the moment, the Buckeyes hold that advantage, and would any voters who were unconvinced by an Auburn win over Alabama really be swayed by one over Missouri?
The difference could be Urban Meyer, who's successfully stumped his team into a BCS National Championship before -- and that was an SEC team at the expense of a Big Ten team. But do voters still think of Meyer as they did then? Whether Meyer's national profile has changed since '06 due to various controversies would actually matter. Like, actually help determine the season's champion. That's insane and ridiculous, but it's the system.
We don't know whether Auburn or Ohio State would win the right to go play FSU if the two played on a neutral field. We don't have a playoff yet, not for 12 more months. We do know the Buckeyes have won all but two of their games by multiple scores, while Auburn's won by a single score six times (including the two luckiest, most improbable winning plays of the year). Auburn's also lost a game by 14 points. Gus Malzahn and Nick Marshall have led an immaculate rebuild, but let's not let that loss be a footnote.
So it begins. One more week. The only vital contributions to the debate going forward will be those made by the players on the field in the Big Ten and SEC championship games.
How so? And a straw argument is meant to be torn apart easily...so I’m not even sure you’re using the definition properly.
I have been following all this chatter about the SEC and Ohio State, but everybody seems to be ignoring the elephant in the room. Namely Florida State. I am a big Bama fan, but having watched Bama and Florida State play throughout the year, I was convinced that FSU would easily defeat Bama had they been matched in the Championship game. I still think Bama is better than Auburn (despite the loss), Ohio State and Missouri, but FSU would destroy any one of them.
Meanwhile, look at SC’s schedule,
In addition to the SEC schedule, they had Central Florida, Clemson and NC. The one cupcake was the second ranked team in the FCS…..
Or, they could have scheduled pasties.
That's ignorant right there……just plain ignorant.
So this year doesn’t matter. OSU getting speed on their team doesn’t matter...why even play the game if we are going to give it to a team based on last years performance.
But then OSU has gone two years undefeated...what other BCS eligible team has done that?
I’m using Sagarin’s.
Look at who Alabama played. They finally played a decent team and lost.
We shall see...that’s why they play the game :-)
….and don’t sleep on…..wait for it……DUKE!! #20!
Auburn lost to LSU and Missouri lost to South Carolina in overtime. One loss shouldn’t exclude you from the title game. Strength of schedule needs to be factored in. Boise State went undefeated for a number of years. Fresno State almost went undefeated and was knocked off by San Jose State. If being undefeated is the main criterion, then Northern Illinois should be considered for the title game should OSU or FSU lose in their conference title games.
Like Alabama did. Too bad they had to play a rivalry game...those can always go against you.
It is the tough conference that causes the losses. Boise State had to live it down for the conference they played in. Face it, the Big 10 has been only a shadow of its former self for several years. Undefeated teams from 2nd class conferences don’t have much of an argument. The object is to find a national champion, not to find the team that can pad their schedule enough to go undefeated to get in a title game. If OSU gets in the title game, FSU will skin them alive.
Now you;re just babbling and not making any sense at all. I’d love to respond to your last post, but have no idea WTF you are talking about?
That is true. Take SC, they lost close one at Georgia, when Georgia was at their healthiest all year, and a last second loss at TN, their worst game of the year. Meanwhile, they won at Mizzou in double OT and beat everyone else, including a damned good Central Florida team as well as Clemson. But it's that week in week out grind that causes a let down at some point in the SEC - like SC at Tennessee…one week after beating Arkansas by 45 at Arkansas.
There's no let up, and navigating that is just miserable at times.
This argument needs to take place next week. Auburn and OSU have one big game left before anyone can argue who goes to the BCS Championship game. By Saturday night it will all be worked out...
You Big 10 proponents are delusional. It’s just the mindset of the northern tier states: If you have trouble winning or being successful, find a way to eliminate the competition. Being undefeated in the Big 10 these days doesn’t mean a lot. If you guys would come out and play more often, I might give your mouth a little more respect.
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