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.
Strength of schedule matters. Would you support Northern Illinois for the title game should OSU or FSU lose? And what happens when there are equal records? Don’t quality wins count for something?
Then you should learn to read beyond a 3rd grade level.
A lot of people weren’t paying attention to FSU because they play in the ACC and that doesn’t attract the National attention that the SEC, Big 10 and Pac 12 get. Take it from me (A Big Bama fan) that FSU is for real. I watched most of their games as I did Bama’s games and I was convinced even before Bama lost that strange game to Auburn, that FSU would romp over Bama. They will easily beat OSU, Auburn or MO>
Yes. The important thing is to make sure the SEC doesn’t play in the championship game unless it is Alabama. Auburn should be ranked higher than both FSU and OSU. The Buckeys played no one, the Noles “hard” games were Miami and Clemson. Auburn beat the Crimson Tide who have! Come on!
No sir, you’re barking up the wrong tree on that one. Your arguments are fatuous and confusing and your conlfate ideas and contradict yourself in almost every post.
I’ve the cred to say that….sorry……
Go Missouri! Go Duke! Go Michigan State!
Chaos!
Why should Auburn be ranked ahead of FSU? They’re really really lucky the way the Georgia and Alabama games ended….theyr’e VERY close to being a 3 loss team.
Now, they deserve those W’s…..but we are allowed to examine those w’s also.
If Mizzou beats Auburn, and Ohio St loses B1G champ game...Mizzou plays for nat’l champ...they will jump Bama with 12 wins and 8 SEC wins (one more than Bama)
So why are there 3 sec teams in the top 5?
It does count so to say OSU played a weaker schedule than N. Illinois is silly.
Besides N. Illinois isn’t an AQ.
Hype.
Missouri will win, probably big.
Duke will get slammed, though they’re a decent team.
Michigan State? That’s a tough one. Not sure their offense is good enough to take advantage of OSU’s not so great defense.
Wouldn’t that be a mess. If Mizzou wins the SEC but the BCS puts Alabama in the title game (assuming OSU loses).
I’d have to say Mizzou would deserve the shot over Alabama since we are talking about this year and not past years.
I fear that if OSU makes the championship game they will turn out to be a real as Manti Te’o’s girlfriend.
This year the overrated acorns would have a good shot at beating either of the two sec championship teams, but not FSU. If fsu doesn’t lose their QB, they would be a nightmare for the buckeyes.
“Go Duke”? You have got to be dreaming! FSU by at least 40+.
Last time I looked Big10 was an AQ.
If OSU loses, should Northern Illinois play in the title game?
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