USC, Texas still 1-2 in BCS

Sports Network ^ | November 21, 2005 | Sports Network

[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.

[nuffsenuff]

I HATE the Huskers.

Specially since they ran up scores in order to win the National Championship in 94. Penn State, my alma mater, should have at LEAST gotten a share of the title.

I say PSU should have won it outright since our strength of schedule was way harder than the Huskers.

I hated Tom Osbourne... Although I like him now as a Congressman.

[The South Texan]

Kyle Field will look like this on Friday because all of the Aggies have sold their tickets on ebay for the "whooping" they are going to take from the Horns this Friday! Wathcing aTm get "whooped" while eating Turkey sandwiches on the Friday after Thanksgiving is fun!!!!!!!!!!!

[dfwgator]

BTW, how's the Old Ball Coach doing? :)

Probably not very well after they lost to Clemson.

[connectthedots]

How about the stats for offense?

[Scoutmaster]

I would agree that today the most overrated conference is the Big 12. The most overrated teams of this year were perhaps BOTH in the SEC: Florida and Tennessee. The last two years? The SEC has not been as good as it has been in the past. The last ten years? I'd say the Big 10 has always been the most overrated. NOT THAT THEY WEREN'T GOOD -- they just weren't as good as the ESPN pre-game hype. If five major conference as discussed, the Big 10 gets 33% of the hype; outside of USC, the PAC 10 gets 4%. It is a factor of the control of sports journalism through Northwestern and the midwest. The last thirty-five years? The old Big 8, no ifs, ands or buts, was incredibly overrated.

Auburn has an all-time winning records against both the Big 10 and the PAC 10 (but with only a 1-2 record against USC) in regular season and Bowl games I haven't been able to put my hands on conference vs. conference stats or conference bowl winning percentage stats.

However, of the twenty NCAA football programs with the most all-time bowl wins, six are SEC teams (plus one former SEC team, Georgia Tech, much of whose hey-day was in the SEC -- Arkansas is not included, so there's not a false SEC team in the mix); four are from the Big 12 (although it's really two Big 8 teams (OU and Nebraska, and two SWC, Texas and Texas A&M); four are from the ACC (although only Clemson and perhaps Georgia Tech, which transferred from SEC, should count full time. Florida State was an independent for many games, and Miami was an independent or a Big East team); three are from the Big 10 (although Penn State shouldn't really count -- its bowl games are mostly pre-Big 10); two are PAC 10; one is an independent (Notre Dame).

Four SEC teams have more bowl victories than Michigan, the winningest true Big 10 bowl team (unless you count Penn State). Auburn is only one behind and could tie them this year.

The SEC's weakness is that Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and South Carolina always stink. Of Florida, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Georgia, and Auburn, generally four to six can play with the top team(s) in any conference in any given year. In the Big 10, Michigan and Ohio State, and perhaps one other, can play anywhere. In the Big 12, two teams, taken from among Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas, can play anywhere (Kansas State was a short-lived fluke). In the PAC 10, probably three teams can play anywhere any year. In the "new" ACC, probably three teams can play anywhere -- Miami, Va Tech, FSU (although not this year).

[BTHOtu]

distinguised=distinguished

Owned.

[Constantine XIII]

Whoops, I was thinking of last week. My bad.

[w_over_w]

Hey Mike,

Great game Saturday . . . congrats. I had a few family members crying in their beer . . . one hell of a college football Saturday.

Well, if the Tigers can get past the Hogs this Friday, an SEC Championship against Georgia ought to be a slug-fest. Well see . . .

[Troublemaker]

I'm a Vols fan

My sympathy. (just kidding, better luck next year)

[in hoc signo vinces]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA a "minor" setback? Yeah...I think that's what Kerry said when he lost the election, and the dems lost more seats in the house and senate last year.

Hey...we had one of the Bush twins...so there.

[dfwgator]

The most overrated teams of this year were perhaps BOTH in the SEC: Florida and Tennessee.

Florida shouldn't have been overrated. Meyer isn't a miracle worker, and Zook left the cupboard pretty bare. We had no depth at all, and the offensive line was atrocious. This is not Urban's team, but it will be in a year or two, then watch out. On another note, it's good to see our B'ball team underrated for once.

[Constantine XIII]

It aggravates me how we have so many fair weather fans.

:(

[aft_lizard]

Its NU revenge against PSU for 1982 and there blatantly illegal clip to lift them against NU. If it wasnt for that game that would have been NU's first NC under Osborne.

Not to mention PSU wouldnt have stood a chance against NU's defense that year.

[eddie willers]

Any League that does not have a Championship Game should be barred from consideration for BCS honors

Bingo!

That SEC Championship Game (while fun) screws up BOTH teams.

[BTHOtu]

The Democrat Party, the University of Texas, and the leftist (ABCCBSNBCCNN NYLATIMES)media are a criminal enterprise!

I noticed you left out the largest liberal institute in Texas out of your tagline, so I fixed it for you.

[CheyennePress]

The PAC-10 is going to collapse per usual this year come bowl season. UCLA is incredibly overrated.

And need I really say more than the following:

UC Davis 20
Stanford 17

If there has been a more embarrassing loss in college football this year, I can't think of it. I mean, South Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin, and New Hampshire were taking out UC Davis.

When you schedule a total pushover D-IAA school on your schedule, you're not supposed to lose.

[nuffsenuff]

Whoa!!!

Wouldn't stand a chance? Dude, every skill player on our Offense is still playing in the NFL except for Kijana Carter who got hurt.

[dfwgator]

Wasn't there a year in the last 80s when UT got off to something like an 0-4 start, and a fan climbed up a billboard and would not come down until the Vols won a game?

[MikefromOhio]

Yeah it was a great game to watch :)

My voice is a bit better today :)

I don't think Arkansas will be much of a match for LSU.

Georgia, OTOH, with a healthy DJ Shockley, could be a whole another matter. ESPECIALLY if the UGA kicker doesn't miss 4 or 5 FGs like the Auburn kicker did.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

She'll be gracing the center of an issue of playboy soon. I've heard UCLA is a target rich enivornment for Hef's talent scouts.

I love it when UW plays UCLA just for the UCLA cheerleading factor alone.

I've heard that UCLA just basically walks potential recruits around the campus during the day so they can see how much "talent" the school is loaded with. Most sign on the dotted line by the end of the day.