Boise State, TCU Deserve Better

SI.com ^ | 7 Dec 2009 | Cory McCartney

[The Pack Knight]

This should feel like a just reward for an offseason where the non-automatic qualifiers extolled their virtues in front of Congress, then reached unprecedented heights in the BCS era on the field.

It can't be understated that for the first time, two teams from outside of the major conferences have been granted access behind the BCS' velvet rope as No. 3 TCU and No. 6 Boise State will meet in the Fiesta Bowl. "I think the Fiesta Bowl, to their credit, is putting two very, very deserving teams on the field against each other," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said.

It's a statement, no doubt, but maybe not the one that this landmark moment should deliver, because the Broncos and Horned Frogs are having to play each other.

The Fiesta Bowl has created a matchup that seems more like a cop-out than an achievement; denying the two unbeatens a chance to validate their seasons against the big boys on the sports' biggest stage and opening up an entirely new chapter of BCS bashing/collusion allegations.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/cory_mccartney/12/06/boise.state.tcu/?xid=cnnbin#ixzz0Z1WkeLVo Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription

[dfwgator]

I hope Florida burned those uniforms after the game.

[cweese]

"There are more games than Texas-Alabama"

Not any that really mean anything.

[wardaddy]

This strength of schedule ranking must keep SEC critics and Keith Olbermann awake at night...

Rank Team Rating Last High Low
1 Alabama (12-0) 40.3 5 1 40
2 Auburn (6-5) 38.9 1 1 93
3 Florida (11-1) 38.3 12 2 78
4 Miss State (4-7) 38.1 2 1 56
5 LSU (9-3) 37.8 4 2 63
6 Arkansas (6-5) 37.8 3 2 60
7 Mississippi (6-4) 37.5 7 6 87
8 S Carolina (6-5) 37.0 6 5 68
9 Georgia (6-5) 37.0 8 5 55
10 Tennessee (7-5) 34.5 9 9 105
11 Kentucky (6-5) 34.2 10 7 108
12 Oklahoma (6-5) 33.6 11 1 73
13 Clemson (7-5) 33.2 17 1 67
14 Vanderbilt (1-10) 33.0 13 9 113
15 GA Tech (10-2) 32.7 18 2 25
16 Baylor (3-8) 32.4 14 5 77
17 Florida St (5-6) 32.1 15 2 24
18 Oregon (10-2) 32.1 19 1 45
19 Oklahoma St (8-3) 31.7 16 6 106
20 Arizona (7-4) 31.4 27 5 53
21 N Carolina (6-4) 31.4 21 2 43
22 Oregon St (7-4) 31.3 40 6 43
23 Miami (FL) (8-3) 31.3 22 1 24
24 Nebraska (9-4) 31.3 47 3 88
25 Virginia (3-8) 30.8 29 2 63
26 California (7-4) 30.8 20 8 85
27 USC (8-4) 30.8 23 3 61
28 Texas Tech (7-4) 30.7 26 3 96
29 NC State (3-7) 30.7 28 7 51
30 Texas A&M (6-6) 30.5 25 25 120
31 Texas (13-0) 30.4 34 8 107
32 VA Tech (9-3) 30.4 32 1 38
33 Stanford (8-4) 30.4 24 11 87
34 Kansas (4-7) 30.2 30 19 110
35 Arizona St (3-8) 29.8 31 18 107
36 Duke (4-6) 29.4 35 4 91
37 W Virginia (8-3) 29.3 39 6 78
38 Wake Forest (4-7) 29.3 33 5 64
39 Pittsburgh (8-3) 29.2 50 15 62
40 S Florida (5-5) 29.2 46 9 115
41 Washington (5-7) 28.9 48 8 98
42 Wash State (1-11) 28.7 38 34 101
43 Maryland (1-10) 28.7 37 8 87
44 UCLA (6-6) 28.4 41 5 85
45 Cincinnati (11-0) 28.3 58 13 58
46 Kansas St (4-6) 28.2 43 35 91
47 Connecticut (6-5) 28.2 36 7 74
48 Boston Col (7-4) 28.2 42 22 83
49 Colorado (3-9) 28.0 45 26 119
50 Notre Dame (6-6) 27.9 44 32 73
51 Iowa (9-2) 27.7 54 16 91
52 Minnesota (5-6) 27.6 52 43 109
53 Missouri (7-4) 27.3 49 20 108
54 Iowa State (5-6) 26.4 53 27 103
55 Syracuse (3-8) 26.1 56 31 111
56 Michigan St (5-6) 26.0 61 26 85
57 Ohio State (10-2) 26.0 60 2 83
58 Rutgers (6-4) 25.8 63 30 93
59 Penn State (9-2) 25.6 64 5 117
60 Michigan (4-7) 25.6 65 42 109
61 Illinois (2-9) 25.6 57 11 73
62 Louisville (3-8) 25.4 59 12 66
63 Northwestrn (7-4) 25.3 72 55 118
64 Indiana (3-8) 25.3 69 47 120
65 Utah (9-3) 25.2 55 14 96
66 E Carolina (8-4) 24.5 77 4 95
67 Purdue (5-7) 24.4 78 34 112
68 Wisconsin (8-3) 24.4 68 12 105
69 BYU (10-2) 24.0 62 3 88
70 LA Tech (3-8) 23.5 51 9 111
71 Memphis (1-10) 23.5 73 47 106
72 Central FL (7-4) 23.4 67 54 111
73 Air Force (6-5) 23.4 66 45 116
74 TX Christian (11-0) 23.1 71 5 74
75 Houston (9-3) 23.0 82 8 84
76 Navy (7-4) 22.6 74 13 88
77 Fresno St (7-4) 22.6 75 1 101
78 Nevada (8-4) 22.6 70 50 113
79 S Mississippi (6-5) 22.2 80 39 105
80 UAB (5-7) 21.5 83 73 113
81 Wyoming (5-6) 21.1 81 14 119
82 Utah State (3-8) 21.1 79 15 109
83 Boise State (12-0) 20.4 76 7 91
84 Marshall (5-6) 20.3 87 22 102
85 Tulane (2-9) 20.2 85 52 106
86 Ohio (8-4) 19.8 100 52 116
87 N Mex State (2-10) 19.7 93 87 120
88 New Mexico (1-11) 19.7 86 54 119
89 Central Mich (10-2) 19.6 94 19 117
90 Tulsa (4-7) 19.6 90 46 117
91 UNLV (4-7) 19.4 88 48 110
92 Idaho (7-5) 19.3 84 69 120
93 Rice (2-10) 19.2 92 60 103
94 Hawaii (5-7) 19.0 89 69 115
95 San Diego St (3-8) 18.8 91 56 111
96 Miami (OH) (1-11) 18.6 96 46 118
97 Troy (9-3) 18.4 97 25 116
98 Colorado St (2-9) 17.9 95 23 118
99 S Methodist (6-5) 17.7 99 64 115
100 San Jose St (1-10) 17.7 98 4 101
101 Buffalo (4-7) 17.2 101 54 108
102 Bowling Grn (7-5) 17.0 102 42 112
103 N Illinois (6-5) 16.8 103 34 120
104 Ball State (2-9) 16.3 106 96 119
105 TX El Paso (4-8) 16.3 104 81 112
106 Temple (9-2) 16.3 105 40 120
107 Army (4-6) 15.8 107 84 119
108 Kent State (4-7) 15.4 108 76 118
109 Middle Tenn (9-3) 15.3 109 68 117
110 Toledo (5-7) 14.6 111 80 120
111 E Michigan (0-12) 14.6 114 94 115
112 Akron (2-9) 14.6 113 43 113
113 LA Monroe (5-6) 14.0 115 8 118
114 LA Lafayette (5-6) 13.9 116 16 120
115 W Michigan (4-7) 13.7 118 69 118
116 Florida Intl (3-9) 13.6 112 27 120
117 Fla Atlantic (5-7) 13.3 117 11 117
118 W Kentucky (0-11) 12.9 110 6 119
119 Arkansas St (3-8) 11.6 119 4 119
120

*and why am I paying any attention to college footbal again after 30 years?

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/ranking/strength-of-schedule-by-team

[dfwgator]

And it reminds me back when Ray Perkins changed Bama’s helmets because he wanted to get away from Bear Bryant’s legacy. What was he thinking?

[Alberta's Child]

That's an interesting approach.

I still think the nature of football is such that you'll always have this controversy -- simply because there are so few games in the season and too many teams for everyone to play each other.

It's really no different in the NFL. The AFC East can conceivably be won by a 9-7 team, and there's a decent possibility that one or two 10-6 teams can find themselves on the outside looking in at playoff time.

[Republic of Texas]

To you perhaps. In a playoff, they would ALL mean EVERYTHING. But that would be too much work for the big schools.

[GLDNGUN]

If these second rate conference teams are so good, then why aren’t they happy playing each other?

Obviously, because they are tired of being treated like red-headed step kids. They want a chance to play the "big boys". DUH.

[Sloth]

Every year we hear the same complaints about the BCS system and calls for a Division I playoff, but I think you are always going to have this sort of controversy no matter how a playoff system is organized.

I'm not hearing any complaints about the NCAA basketball tournament system. And no credible contender for the national championship in that sport can claim that they didn't get a chance.

[Alberta's Child]

That’s a good point. I figure if Northwestern can play in a major conference, then ANYONE can. LOL.

[Moby Grape]

“The BCS is run by P*SSIES! They put these teams together because they knew they would both wipe the floor with whatever big conference school they were matched up against.”

Wow, what a rational, non emotional analysis.....NEVER allow facts to get in the way of blind unfounded boasting.

Let’s see...these two “undefeated teams” from weak sister conferences would TROUNCE the big boys:

TCU beat WEBER STATE by 7 points....there that PROVES they would KILL Alabama...They beat Air Force by 3...Yes, they beat Wyoming by 35, but BYU beat Wyoming by 52 POINTS !!!! TCU beat Clemson by 4, while middle of the pack SEC team South Carolina beat them by 17.

Boise State beat TULSA by 7..oh how impressive that is...and they beat LA Tech (who has 8 losses) by 10, while New Mexico State with only 3 wins this year beat LA Tech by 38 POINTS..!!!

I ALSO wanted Boise and TCU to have to play REAL competition in the bowls so all those cry babies who claim that these teams that go “undefeated” in these WEAK conferences could “wipe the floor” with the big conference schools would be brought back down to REALITY rather than living in a dream state and never looking at the STATS before making silly boasts.

[kosciusko51]

Wait, the same UT that barely beat a 9-4 Nebraska team and was almost looking at not being in the non-championship game? I think UT would have had their hands full with Clemson, and would have a tough time with Boise State.

Of course, we will never know now...

Disclaimer: In the sake of fairness, I did not go to a D-I school, so I have no real dog in this fight.

[dfwgator]

And sure there are flaws, what if a team drops off the following year, or another team moves up. But really, the way the system is now, teams are already rewarded/punished for how they did the previous year, so that’s a wash.

[cweese]

"Then why is the BCS so afraid of them that they shuffle them off to play each other,"

The BCS is afraid of Boise and TCU? Most of the teams those two schools beat this season are afraid of their own shadows. Posting an undefeated season after whipping the likes of Slippery Rock, SMU, or Idaho isn't really a claim to much. Certainly not enough to justify an invitation to the National Championship game.

[Alberta's Child]

Good point. That's why NCAA hockey is the last major sport that has real national champions untainted by this "BCS vs. playoff" nonsense.

Has any fan of college football or basketball even heard of Boston University, the University of Maine, Lake Superior State, the University of New Hampshire, Bemidji State, St. Cloud State, North Dakota, the University of Alaska, etc.?

[dfwgator]

SMU was pretty good this year. They got a nice freshman QB, and with June Jones, they could be a potential BCS buster in a year or two.

[IYAS9YAS]

Can you please point out the team on TCU’s schedule that the University of Texas wouldn’t score 77 points against?

Wyoming - Texas only got 41 points on 'em this year. Looks like TCU outscored you versus WY (47-10 vs 41-10). They were both home games for Wyoming, too. So, no difference in venue to account for the difference in score.

[GLDNGUN]

Boise didn’t.

Boise hosted and whipped Oregon on opening night. The Ducks only other loss on the season was at Stanford. Boise State has a heck of a time getting BCS schools to play them. They weren't looking for a "cream puff" schedule. The BCS schools won't play teams like Boise for the most part, then whine about them not playing a tough schedule.

[Alberta's Child]

Right. Basketball is a very different sport, since the season has more games and the NCAA tournament has so many participants.

There's no way in hell a team that doesn't make the tournament can ever make the case that they are one of the top 5-10 teams in the country. Maybe they can argue that they belong in a 64-team tournament, but that's about it.

This thing would never translate into a football championship "tournament," since there is often going to be a ninth-ranked team looking in from outside an eight-team playoff system that can make a very credible claim that they're better than at least half the top eight teams.

[GLDNGUN]

Both teams released the exact same statement: Our team has been slighted by the BCS. Our perfect record has earned us the right not to be matched up with some no-where school that no one has ever heard of, from some no-name conference. Our perfect record and a strength of schedule similar to some Alabama or Texas High School teams has earned the right to play the third of fourth-place team from some major conference.

Huh? In what alternate universe are you living again?

[Zuriel]

The kids at our school couldn’t wait to put on those British racing green helmets on that said “Dragons” on each side. Now they have gold ones, with a hard to decipher, eagle head and school initials logo. Hardly anybody likes it.