Posted on 11/21/2005 12:45:25 PM PST by indcons
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Southern California and Texas remain the top two teams in the BCS standings and only an upset in one of the final two weeks will prevent the two storied programs from meeting in the Rose Bowl on January 4 for the national championship.
The Trojans (11-0) had a close call this past weekend with a 50-42 victory over a tough Fresno State squad, but they'll have this week off before facing city rival UCLA on December 3.
The Longhorns (10-0), meanwhile, had their final bye this past Saturday and will play each of the next two weeks. First up will be the annual showdown with Texas A&M on Friday and then a trip to the Big 12 title game on December 3.
The final BCS standings will be released on December 4.
As of Monday, Southern California is still atop those standings with a BCS average of .9807, down from last week's .9829. Texas, meanwhile, gained some ground and has an average of .9791, up from last week's .9771.
Should one of those teams falter, Penn State, LSU or Virginia Tech would be ready to take a Rose Bowl spot.
Penn State is third in this week's BCS standings with an average of .8900. The Nittany Lions earned a share of the Big Ten title with Ohio State, but will represent the conference in the BCS thanks to a victory over the Buckeyes earlier this season.
LSU is fourth in the BCS and Virginia Tech is fifth. LSU controls its destiny for a berth in the SEC Championship game, while Virginia Tech can do the same in the ACC thanks to Miami-Florida's stunning loss to Georgia Tech this past Saturday.
Miami dropped from third in last week's BCS standings to ninth this week.
If Virginia Tech beats North Carolina this Saturday, the Hokies would play Florida State for the ACC title. An LSU victory over Arkansas this week would put the Tigers into the SEC title game against Georgia.
The champions from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10 and Southeastern Conference make up six of the eight teams in the four BCS games -- the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta Bowls. The other two spots go to at-large teams.
One of those at-large berths will likely be Notre Dame, which needs only to beat Stanford this coming Saturday to lock up a BCS berth. The Irish, who stand eighth this week in the BCS, would then have the requisite nine wins to qualify for one of the BCS bowl games.
The BCS system uses a pair of human polls -- the Harris Interactive and the USA Today -- as well as six computer rankings. Each poll counts one-third toward the overall score, while the average of the computers completes the formula.
I think I could score on most SEC defenses.
As a Penn Stater, I hope that doesn't happen.
But it could depending on the human polls.
You're right about needing a playoff system, but wrong about the schedules. Both USC and Texas have had to get through some tough teams. Texas beat the #5 and #7 teams, and a couple low-ranked ones as well.
Texas' second game was at Ohio State, a non-conference game most contending teams wouldn't even think of putting on the schedule.
WHOOP!
How about Penn St. versus LSU?
It certainly keeps Phil Fulmer up at night.
"Ah yes... one of those SEC teams who plays the vaunted SEC-style defense... "
Your boys are going to have a much tougher time against one of the best defenses in the country, come January 4. Oh, and we also have one of the best offenses!
The level of quarterback play in the SEC makes it not much higher than good old fashioned California high school football. Just take a step back and look at what USC did to Arkansas this year (when Alabama barely beat them) 70-17. LSU is a .500 team in the PAC-10.
I'm still disappointed with the Hurricanes piss poor offensive performance against GA Tech. Kyle Wright and the terrible UM offensive line are not ready for the big time YET.
What about playing Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Georgia?
...and to think that Tennesee was picked to win the National Championship by some.
I believe USC recently played a home-and-home series against Auburn... you might want to go see how that SEC team faired against the Trojans...
If that helps you get by then be my guest.
Now look at what college football conferences have the most NFL players?
Arkansas has gotten much better since that game, I expect them to give LSU quite a battle.
USC gave up 42 points to a WAC team, for crying out loud. That alone should eliminate them from consideration for the Rose Bowl. They'll score some points against Texas, but won't be able to contain Vince Young.
USC has a great offense, but an average, or perhaps below average, defense. And I'm not all that impressed with Texas and their weak-sister schedule. The two best teams in the country at this point in the season may well be LSU and Penn State. But since the media annointed USC and Texas before the season started, we won't get a chance to find out. We need a playoff badly.-
The top 3 teems in the Pac-10 are 30-2. Nuff Said.
Maybe if they spent less time doing obscene rap songs.
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