Sports

BCS Is Clear, But Best Team Is Out

With today’s games in the rear-view mirror, it is clear to see who will be at the top of next week’s BCS rankings. Alabama will remain number one, and Texas Tech will be number two. Unfortunately, the best team in the country (the Florida Gators) will not be in the top two. Florida’s loss to Ole Miss (I still can’t figure that one out) means that they are out of the big game unless one of the top two loses one.

LSU has lost every big game that it has played (Florida, Georgia, and Alabama). In two of them, they’ve gave up over 50 points per game (Florida and Georgia). Obviously, this is a bad year for LSU football. I wish it weren’t so, but that’s just the way it is. There’s always next year.

28 Comments

  • John Holmberg

    My team (Tennessee) is absolutely HORRENDOUS!!! What in the world is wrong with them? I like Fulmer, but I agree that it’s about time for him to move on. Our talent (apart from Eric Berry) is just not where it once was.

    Denny, it looks like Alabama will probably play Florida in the SEC championship game. If I were a betting man, I would assume that they will have their way with them, and Florida will probably go to another national championship. Although, I’m not sure they’ll play Texas Tech. They have a tough game against Oklahoma coming up, at Oklahoma, and I think their fair-tale season is about to come to an end.

    Darius, the SEC still rules! Admit it and move on!

  • Crabapple Winthorpe

    I was going to write everything that John wrote, so for my thoughts reread his post.

    I would only add that I do think that the SEC is a bit down this year, and the Big 12 is a comparable conference. And I do think that OU will beat Texas Tech, though watching Tech play is tons of fun. But for OU, it is a revenge game after Tech beat them last year.

    As for LSU, they will be ok. Jarrett Lee will get some needed experience this year, and they have Jordan Jefferson, and then Russell Shepard coming in, so the talent is and will be there.

    And after all, they are 6-3 so far, it’s not like they are having a losing season….

  • Matt Privett

    Denny,

    I think Alabama and Texas Tech will both lose – the Tide to Florida in the SEC Championship, and Tech to Oklahoma. At least I hope, because that national championship game has to be the least appealing I can remember. I agree that Florida is the best team in the country right now. I think the Gators against a one loss Texas team would be the best game.

  • Rick

    Florida is playing great right now and will probably beat Alabama in the SEC Championship game.

    However, apart from those 2 teams, the SEC is very strong, but overall not as strong as the Big 12 this year. Tex Tech, OU, and Texas are all capable of winning it all.

  • Jared

    Florida will trounce Alabama and represent the SEC for the National Title.

    Matt,

    You’re crazy, a Texas-Tech v. Florida match-up would be awesome. Texas-Tech pulled out a last second win against Texas and have been destroying opponents as of late. How would that not be fun to watch? Plus, it would put some new blood in there… An established powerhouse against an up and coming offensive explosion. A possible changing of the guards, a new regime… actually lets just have the same tired teams in there every year. In fact why don’t we just call Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Adrian Peterson and Glenn Dorsey back from the NFL to debate which of their Alma Mater’s was the best instead of a title game? The debate could be endless and we could bring some lesser known players in just to ignore them and when they do make a good point just direct the focus back to how screwed up the BCS is… that sounds like a lot more fun actually…

  • Kyle Barrett

    Florida will go as long as they win out. If Tech loses to OU then it will be Florida vs Texas/OU. If Tech wins out and Florida wins out it will be Tech vs. Florida. Assuming no stumbles it will be our 2nd title shot in 3 years and the SEC’s 3rd in a row.

  • Darius Teichroew

    John, you’re in a fairy tale land. Almost all sports reporters now agree that the Big 12 is way better than the SEC this year. I just heard it this morning on ESPN’s Sports Reporters show. It will be OU or Texas Tech against Alabama or Florida in the championship. Texas Tech is clearly playing the best right now, but get them away from home and it might be a different story.

  • Darius Teichroew

    I’d love to see what Crabtree would do to that Florida defense. It would be a 50-40 game, not sure who would win. Same with OU, they would carve up Florida’s D, but I don’t know if they could stop Tebow very well.

  • Kyle Barrett

    Tech would probably do to Florida’s defense what Georgia did to it – A late touchdown against the 3rd string defense. 🙂

  • Kyle Barrett

    To the dismay of my wife I actually watch both the CBS after school, I mean afternoon special AND the Primetime “big boy school” special.

    Tech’s a great team but I’m not convinced they could put up the same kind of numbers against Florida’s defense. And yes I do think that Florida’s D could shut down Tech’s offense. Explosive offense? Yes. Juggernaut? No. I’ve only seen one juggernaut and that was ’95 Nebraska which dismantled my Gators for the National Title. But they’re Big 12 so don’t tell my fellow SEC slackjaws I said that. 🙂

  • Kyle Barrett

    To back up my comments about ’95 Nebraska: They played 4 teams ranked in the top 10 that season (KSU, Col, KU, and UF). They went undefeated (12-0) and their average margin of victory was almost 38 points. The closest any team got was 14 points (Wash St 35-21). Tommy Frazier and the triple option – that’s a juggernaut. Not ’08 Tech, ’08 OU, ’08 Texas, or even ’08 UF.

  • Darius Teichroew

    Yeah, I miss the days of the wishbone option. Tommy Frazier’s run in that title game will remain one of the greatest of all-time.

    I think I agree that people overrated Tech’s offense. Personally, from what I’ve seen, the best offense in the country is OU’s. I don’t think I’ve seen that unstoppable of an offense in a few years. They put up 28 points in the first quarter of pretty much every single game. The only difference between them and the ’95 Nebraska team is that their defense isn’t quite as solid. Bradford is amazing.

  • John Michael LaRue

    Just to throw out two possiblities….

    Texas Tech could win out in the regular season then lose in the Big 12 conference championship game (ala Oklahoma losing to Kansas St a few years ago). With Texas most likely to win out they would be sitting at #3 before that game (maybe #4 but the SEC championship game will bump one of the other slots out). Texas would theoretically move up to #2 and be put in the NC without winning their conference.

    (As a UGA fan, I would be pretty miffed in the national media didn’t have a hay day at this… however, as UGA noted last year, there is nothing in the rules not allowing this to happen)

    The second possiblity is the UF somehow loses to South Carolina or Florida St. I know that sounds impossible, but bigger upsets have occurred. UF could then beat Bama in the SEC championship and be held out of the NC… (I’m pretty surprised the sportscasters are already guaranteeing that an SEC team will be in the NC)

  • Denny Burk

    John,

    This exact situation happened in 2003 when LSU played Oklahoma in the national championship. Oklahoma lost their conference championship, but still played in the title game.

    Thanks,
    Denny

  • Brian Krieger

    I thought that was a rule BCS put in place (that you had to win your conference), hence Texas couldn’t be in the NC. Or was it the other way around? Or am I just bitter that SMU’s hopes were dashed just after kickoff? 19 years ago.

  • Daniel

    The BCS championship will be Florida vs. Oklahoma.

    Tech will remember that they are Tech and Oklahoma will beat by at least ten. That’s my guess.

    Go Huskers! That ’95 team might have been the best ever.

  • Daniel

    BTW, Nebraska almost beat Tech in OT. OU blew us out of the water. They’re incredible. Texas is good too. They played four Top-10 teams in a roll and were one-play away from winning.

    But I’m extremely grateful that Iowa saved us from watching the third annual “SEC-Big-Ten” Smackdown.

  • Jared

    Two thoughts,

    1. “At least there won’t be a Pac 10 or Big 10 team in the NC… we should all be very thankful for that.”

    Amen to that.

    2. Good thing none of this matters in light of eternity…

  • John Michael LaRue

    The BCS rule is simply that you can’t lose your conference championship game and go to the national championship. They implemented this rule after Oklahoma in 2003.

    However, it does not say that only conference champions can be in the national championship.

    It is a technicality, but the current rules do not restrict a team which did not play in their conference championship game from being able to play in the national championship.

    And I, for one, would support a 1 loss Big 12 team like Texas (if Tech were to win out then lose its conference championship game) being in the national championship over a 1 loss Big 10 conference champion like Penn St

  • Bill Haynes

    Denny, I am having “flashbacks” of 1992 . . . Alabama met Florida in the SEC championship game. The overall conscience was clearly, Bama doesn’t have a chance against the Gators . . . but Bama beat them. They advanced to a game (pre-BCS) that would determine the national championship against an “unbeatable” Miami. I heard in the sports media, and was told by many, that Miami would “destroy” Alabama, Bama would be lucky to even score a field goal and would never see a TD. Most predictions were Miami by at least 30 points. Need I remind that the national champion that year was the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE???

  • Kyle Barrett

    Bill…

    As a Gator fan it was doubley sweet to see an SEC team whip scUM. THE play of the game was George Teague chasing down the Miami receiver and strip the ball just before he scored. One of the best football plays I’ve ever seen.

    kb

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