Posted on 01/03/2005 6:20:10 AM PST by AppyPappy
The problem with the claim of "4 top ten wins" is the assumption that a team's ranking at the time they played Auburn accurately reflects their ranking at the end of the season. When the final polls come out, Auburn will have likely beaten only one top ten team (Georgia) whereas, for example, OK can claim to have beaten two top five teams (USC and Texas) or USC can claim to have beaten two top ten teams (Cal and OK).
Auburn is a fine time and will likely end up ranked number two in both polls--but there is no way I would put Auburn above an undefeated team that beats the #1 or #2 ranked team in the nation.
Nonsense, USC beat UCLA (unranked) by less than 10 points in their final pre-bowl game. UCLA then lost to Wyoming: not exactly a powerhouse. The only real word to describe that is: double-standard.
Furthermore, VA tech has the best passing offense in the ACC-they only scored two touchdowns for 13 points while averaging close to 30 points a game prior to that.
Bottom line: Oklahoma was a tremendously over rated team with no defense and no chance of beating USC( orange bowl= 55-19). The only team in the country that had a real shot at beating them was Auburn, and they got screwed. Ah, the BCS works its magic again. I wonder who'll get screwed next year?
Style points is for figure skating. Football is about scoring more points than your opponent on the field. A win is a win. Case in point, the Ohio State team from a few years back barely beat a lot of their opponents, they also barely beat the Miami Hurricanes, who everyone thought would destroy them. Guess what, they were the champs and deservedly so.
Then if it were up to you, would you at least let them play the #1 or #2 team?
All this talk about who beat who is a waste. The system will be totally screwed up until a playoff system is implemented. There is no reason why there could not have been games going on for the last month.
The Va Tech scoring average included lopsided wins against Duke, Florida A&M and W Michigan.
If it were up to me I would have a playoff system but that's not happening any time soon. I'm not a big advocate of the BCS but it has accomplished its mandated goal of matching the #1 and #2 ranked teams each year (while conceding that the designation of those teams are highly subjective).
Without the BCS we would have had the likely scenario of USC v. Mich. in the Rose, OK vs. (most likely) Miami in the Orange and Auburn vs. TX or VA Tech in the Sugar. If we assume that OK loses in this scenario and both USC and Auburn win it would still be unlikely that Auburn would claim a share of the National Championship since USC was ranked #1 by both polls (the only time a #1 team won its bowl game and was jumped in the following poll was my alma mater, Colorado, in 1991--thanks a lot Congressman Osbourne).
Auburn should take a cue from Joe Paterno (who, if IRC, had two undeafted Penn St. teams that were passed over) keep plugging away (and throw in a couple of tougher games outside of your conference).
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