OT: Would you put TCU in the Championship?
TCU won this weekend against a pretty highly ranked Utah team. It was a 55-28 thrashing by TCU. I now think that TCU is a great football team that proved themselves a few times and I would love to see them get a shot at the National Championship. I seriously doubt they will be given that chance, though. The BCS will once again prove itsself as a failure if TCU goes undefeated and Florida and Alabama both lose a game or two. This type of season is the exact situation that needs a playoff system. Cincinnatti is also an undefeated team with a shot at the NC. They probably won't make it either. If these two teams can't get there by going undefeated, then I don't know how this system can be fair. They have taken care of business, thus far, on the field and that still isn't enough. If they can't make it to the NC, then I would love to see them matched up in a BCS game. So, if you had the option at this point, what two teams would you place in the BCS national championship game? I would probably put TCU and Alabama in it, but Cincy is close.
November 15th, 2009 at 4:49 PM ^
They could be as good as Florida, Alabama, and Texas, but their competition is not very good. They've handled 2 BCS teams (Clemson and Virginia). This would be the worst year to put them in the championship, especially up until Oregon received its 2nd loss last week against insane Stanford.
This season, however, has done the most to convince me that there needs to be a playoff. There are just too many good teams. This is either a nightmare scenario or a perfect scenario: Cincinnati wins out, Texas drops a game, Florida or Alabama win out except for the SEC championship game, the lose of which has 1 loss and the winner is perfect. So Cincinnati plays Florida in the BCS?
Let me backtrack first. I believe Cincy deserves the talk for what they've done this year. I think that part of it is that people are understandably just not used to the idea of Cincy as an elite team (and maybe Cincy isn't). I think there are two ways to go about it:
1) In CFB, you earn the chance to play for the championship by having the best record
2) However, strength of schedule is more important. Perfect Cincy getting through the Big East is nowhere near as impressive as what hypothetical 1-loss teams Alabama and Texas did. And what's up with Boise St and TCU not getting any love?
If the scenario described above happens, the SEC could be whining a lot. Plus we could sound like hypocrites for saying that Michigan should have played OSU for the BCS in 06. Regardless of your stance, I think that we can all agree that Urban Meyer is a little bitch.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:29 AM ^
"2) However, strength of schedule is more important. Perfect Cincy getting through the Big East is nowhere near as impressive as what hypothetical 1-loss teams Alabama and Texas did."
Seriously? An undefeated Cincinnati team would have beaten a far more impressive schedule than Texas. A one-loss Texas team, assuming their loss would be to Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship, would have beaten Oklahoma State and that's basically it. Cincinnati would beat Pittsburgh, who is at least as good as Oklahoma State. Cincinnati's wins over West Virginia, Oregon State, and Rutgers are better than Texas's second-best win, which is probably Oklahoma. Really, Cincinnati's resume would be far more impressive, even if Texas goes undefeated.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:50 AM ^
I don't necessarily believe what I said. I was sort of stating the general opinion that I think a lot of people are likely to (unfairly) have, if that makes any sense. I'm all for Cincy playing for it all. Admittedly, I also have a hard time accepting that Cincy could be one of the best teams in the nation.
And you're absolutely right. Texas played NOBODY out of conference, and the Big 12 has been mediocre. OU is having an unbelievable down year, Houston has beaten both Big 12 teams that it's played, and Texas never played Nebraska, who is okay. Texas has shown that it is completely dominant over its opponents, but that mostly means that Texas could be an elite team playing a weak schedule.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:35 PM ^
Urban Meyer is doing pretty good for a "little bitch."
Speaking of bitch, I've been bitching about the lack of a playoff for about twenty years now and it hasn't really done me a lot of good. My understanding is that the Rose Bowl, Big Ten, and Pac Ten sabotage any chance of a playoff behind the scenes, and the conferences stonewall any discussion of one.
Basically, the only way I see a legitimate discussion of a playoff is for both a high-profle Big Ten and a high-profile Pac Ten team to feel they got screwed in the same year.
Let's say, for example, next year two teams like TCU and Boise State ride cupcake schedules to undefeated seasons and are selected for the title game, while USC and any one of UM, OSU, and PSU play in the Rose Bowl with one loss each. That would start the ball rolling and the both conferences may suddenly decide that a playoff isn't such a bad idea.
Nothing this drastic will happen, though, and the NCAA's most popular sport will continue to be the only one that doesn't decide a true champion on the field. And they will continue to BS the public that the lack of a playoff is responsible for its popularity.
November 15th, 2009 at 10:14 PM ^
At first I was reluctant, but when you look at them, they’ve won their games impressively. In addition, their strength of schedule ranks at 25 which is better than texas (37) and slightly worst than Alabama (20). So if I had a say...I would rather see them over Texas, but I would also like to see cincy as well.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:25 AM ^
i love the way this season is setting up for the mythical national championship. realistically the title game is probably the SEC championship this year (if, as everyone seems to think, the SEC is really the best conference). the BCS championship game by comparison is really little more than a formality after that...and perfect spot for SEC winner to experience a colossally embarrassing letdown.
similar scenario to 2006 with o state and M playing for Big Ten title and then the Buckeyes getting their asses whipped in the BCS title game. personally, i would love to see the SEC winner getting spanked by TCU. and i do thing TCU is capable of such thing. they are playing good football and will certainly have the motivation.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:35 AM ^
They'd probably lose by 14+ to Texas, Bama, or Florida.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:46 AM ^
I'm fine with TCU competing for the BCS title this year. They have a top-10 offense AND a top-10 defense, and it's not like they have rolled out a perfect record against nobodies - @Clemson, @BYU, dominating wins @ SDSU and at home against Utah. They have as impressive of a resume as teams like Texas and Cincy, and probably could beat Florida or Alabama on a neutral field.
I know it will never happen, but it would be fun to see TCU get a shot against Alabama or Florida for the NC, and I don't think fans of college football would mind seeing the matchup instead of the usual SEC demolition of an overmatched Big 12 team.