How do you explain the BCS Championship Game?

It never ceases to amaze me how the hacks love to ignore facts and attack the SEC especially, but any conference they have a beef with. Kentucky beats an ACC team thought to be one of the conference's best. the fourth best team in the east beats Va Tech. the fifth best team in the east beats the CUSA champ. the Western division runner up wins a BCS bowl. The third place team in the West beats the Big 12 runner-up. Yes, Bama, UT, and Ark were narrowly defeated (UT suffering the worst of the defeats), but no team was blown out that I can remember. (Well, one was....the "best team" in America got hammered by the so-called overrated SEC champion). Plus, a conference good enough to get nine teams in (though Bama didn't belong) isn't half bad.

Hats off to the Big East for being undefeated in the Bowls, by the way. I wish Rutgers could've played a more substantial opponent. Would've been fun to see what they could've done against say Tennessee, Wisconsin (maybe the best team in the Big Ten), Nebraska, etc.

 

1. It is crazy to say that the 51 days didn't hurt OSU. There is no way to practice at game speed and stay sharp for that long.

2. The style of play is a big difference. Florida has a gimmicky offense (send a QB in motion, direct snaps, etc). It works. The Big 10 has never had to play that kind of football, and never has developed it. I don't think it is a speed difference so much as a style difference. OSU is fast; FLorida is fast. But they play different styles.

3. Florida was better prepared and more motivated on this night. Would a rematch be 41-14? I doubt it. Given the circumstances of the game, it is hard to tell. Tedd Ginn was hurt in the first quarter. How much of a difference was that? Probably large. Overconfidence was no doubt in play as well.

4. The SEC is a better conference than the Big 10. But Florida had some close calls.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am an ACC fan. I hate Big 10 football. I like watching the SEC much more.

 

I agree with most of what you wrote. I fail to see how after getting so completely and thoroughly drubbed by Fla, OSU remains such a lock on #2 in the polls. Had this been a three point game, one might have a case, IMO, but not as things turned out. Guess hype still overcomes facts, hmmm?? No doubt Michigan and Notre Dame really should have been #s 3 and 4, and these unworthies at bowl and crunch time like Boise State, Louisville, LSU, USC, and Wisconsin don't really belong in the same conversation.

Maybe next year we can find some way to declare the real national champion during Thanksgiving, with the feathered turkeys! :laugh:

Ed

 

Wisconsin, the number three team in the Big 10, beat Arkansas, the number two team in the SEC. Penn State, the number five team in the Big 10, beat Tennessee, the number three team in the SEC.

The CUSA champ, Houston, lost three games this season, to Louisiana Lafayette, Miami and Southern Mississippi. They wouldn't have finished higher than fifth or sixth in either division of the SEC. Virginia Tech was an also-ran in the ACC, which was arguably a conference that was as bad from top to bottom as CUSA, and Clemson was just awful, a much weaker, lower rated opponent than Kentucky. Auburn barely escaped the Cotton Bowl with a narrow win over a Nebraska team that back-doored its way into the conference championship game in the Big 12. The only reason the SEC has the numbers is that they have more teams. Head to head, they went 1-2 against lower rated Big 10 teams. Granted, Alabama should never have been invited to a bowl, but then, neither should Oklahoma State have been invited.

They got two teams in the top 10 because LSU was mismatched against Notre Dame, and that's the only reason. Head to head, they're no better than any other conference.

 

Tom, Keep in mind Spurrier was brought back to Florida because they were in trouble. He couldn't have the trouble that less say FSU had and get by with it, the NCAA was watching Florida. I think he is in the same boat at South Carolina. You mess up and you are gone. But I think all schools should be like that.

I don't know much about UT, don't hear much about them down here. But what I've heard on radio, UT has had some trouble with the actions of some players off the field. Its all Miami, FSU, Florida and Georgia. We do get a little South Carolina due to Spurrier. Florida eyes are on the Florida schools and Georgia because we are afraid or jealous of them, and get a lot of players from Ga.

 

Arkansas wasn't the #2 team in the SEC. That was LSU. I'm not sure but I don't think they were even #3. Auburn got the Cotton Bowl.

I guess I have to ask again: Do you actually watch any football games before saying stuff like this?

The SEC has 12 as does the ACC and Big12... neither of whom had 9 bowl teams. The Pac10 has 10. The Big10 has 11 with 6 bowl teams this year (a lower % than the SEC). OSU didn't play Wisconsin. The Big East has 8.

Did you watch any of those games? UT fumbled the game away. They even ran the ball effectively with their RB's averaging around 6 ypc. Arkansas physically dominated a supposed bully from the Big 10 outgaining them 368 to 201 but couldn't score. Arkansas averaged almost 7 yds per rush while Wisconsin who ran the ball effectively all year in the Big 10 averaged -.2.

You're delusional. ND was overrated but LSU thumped them harder than anyone and Michigan got beaten handily by USC.

In most years even as an SEC fan, I'll admit that the Big10 is the best conference top to bottom. Not this year and probably not for the foreseeable future considering the coaches now in the SEC.

The Big East is up and coming. Their top three were probably better than any team in the Big12.

The ACC was off but still managed to do better than the Big10 in bowls.

The Big 12 was weak. Neither OU nor Tex were nearly as good as they've been over the past several years.

The Pac10 was a one horse show as usual.

The SEC was the deepest conference in competitive teams and as we saw their BCS reps thrashed their opponents.

Did you ever mention who you pull for?

 

UT had discipline problems both on and off the field that peaked around the 5-6 season. They replaced coaches and Hamilton/Fulmer got tough on off the field discipline. They dismissed a highly touted TE recruit this season before the season even started because he was caught drunk driving. They had players serve suspensions that comparatively were harsh.

As Tom said, UT has improved discipline and is strong compared to other schools.

 

Hard to imagine UT getting tougher (Onterrio Smith and Lynn McGruder come to mind as well-known UT players kicked out of UT who landed at other major programs into open arms), but Lee Smith (the TE you mentioned) was in the doghouse to begin with due to problems with an alleged affair with a principal at Powell HS. The Arkansas game was impacted greatly by Fulmer suspending Foster and other starters over an incident at Goodfellas.

 

I don't think you can judge a conference on bowl records. Too many variables and not enough of a track record. Usually, they match pretty even teams (in season performance and on paper). Virtually anythign can happen.

I do think the SEC was clearly better than the Big 10 this year, but not because of bowl records.

 

Larry's right. The bowls have mandatory tie-ins, but the bowls have discretion as to whom they deem to be the #2, #3, and so on. On paper, the SEC and Big Ten want their best to play each other evenly matched, as does the Holiday Bowl with the Pac 10 and Big 12.

You can't make sweeping judgements on one game. The Big East was undefeated in bowls. Does anyone think that makes Louisville, Rutgers, or WVU automatically superior to Florida or Ohio State, or the Big East superior to the Big Ten? Would be good to see Louisville play FLA or Rutgers play Tenn or WVU play Oklahoma. But we'll never know with just one game.

 

I've been mocking the Big East all season, but after the Big Ten teams' performances in the bowls, I think that Louisville/WVU and possibly Rutgers could beat OSU/UM/UW.