So just when you think the college football season couldn’t get any dumber, it goes and pulls something like this…..and totally redeems itself! I mean, how can any sports fan be upset with the kind of system altering chaos that has developed in the last two weeks of the season? First it was Stanford getting knocked around by Oregon on its home field while Boise State lost its first regular season home game in 13 years. That, in itself, was quite disruptive to the BCS system and set up some interesting debates. But it was just a precursor of what was to come.
The real drama began Friday night with a second and way more chaotic weekend in college football. While many experts thought Oklahoma State might lose one of its final two games, not one that I saw predicted that it would come on Friday at Iowa State. Many thought Oregon would be tested by USC, but certainly they wouldn’t get beat on their own field. Oklahoma had already had their hiccup and were on their way back into the BCS conversation. And Clemson had an outside chance of slipping into the title game if all the right things happened.
Well, all the right things happened, but Clemson forgot that they had to beat a scrappy NC State team to keep their shot alive. It’s a funny thing, this college football. One week a team looks unstoppable. The next, all their flaws and warts are on display on national television. Granted, there are no unbeatable teams in this day and age of college athletics. Talent, coaching, and media hype are at an all time high. If a team has a weakness, which they all do, someone or something will find a way to exploit it.
And that leaves us with a possibly landscape altering scenario. No, I’m not talking about conference realignment, although that could speed up the process. I’m referring to the fact that it’s an almost certainty that the top three teams in the upcoming BCS standings will be from the same division, not just the same conference. Last time I checked, only one team could win its division, and only one team could win its conference. And we are faced with the distinct possibility that a non-division winning team could be playing in the national championship.
This brings me to my next point. What if LSU handles Arkansas while Alabama beats Auburn in the Iron Bowl? You would have the top team in the BCS playing a hot Georgia team in the SEC Championship while the second ranked Alabama squad could just sit at home and enjoy the game on tv. With the losses by Oregon, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Clemson, I see Alabama as a virtual lock for the title game if the Tide is 11-1.
But here is the biggest nightmare for the BCS. What do you do if Georgia plays its best game of the season and beats LSU in the SEC Championship? We have already established that Alabama would be a lock for the title without being a conference winner. Would LSU fit that role as well? You would have to think that wins over Oregon, Alabama, Arkansas, and West Virginia would be enough to put the Tigers in the title game, right?
Ultimately, it would come down to the voters. Would the voters penalize Alabama or LSU if they don’t win, or play in, the SEC Championship? Will they promote a one loss Stanford or one loss Oklahoma State to play in the game instead? By the way, Stanford won’t be playing in the Pac-12 title game unless Oregon loses to Oregon State. So, good luck making a case for them. Oklahoma State could have an outside shot if they beat Oklahoma handily and the voters don’t want to see a rematch. What about a one loss Virginia Tech? With only one win against top 25 teams (@ Georgia Tech), coupled with a win in the ACC Championship against Clemson, I don’t think the Hokies have the resume.
So, it boils down to the ultimate of scenarios, but one that isn’t really that hard to imagine. Two teams that didn’t win their conference. Two teams that have already played each other. One giant push for some sort of college football playoff. But that’s just plain silly.
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