It looked so simple: Finally the BCS would have a clean-cut No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.
No. 1 Oklahoma versus No. 2 Miami.
And then Virginia Tech went and screwed everything up by crushing the Hurricanes 31-7.
I couldn't be happier about the situation, because the BCS will once and for all be screwed over.
There are numerous possibilities that will result in chaos over the BCS selections. Even if things stay as they are and Oklahoma plays current No. 2 USC, there will be great debate over why a one-loss USC team is any more deserving than one-loss Miami, Virginia Tech, or LSU teams. The problem becomes amplified if Oklahoma were to somehow lose, meaning there would be no undefeated teams from the six BCS conferences. No matter what two teams would play in the championship the debate would always end with an endless amount of one-loss teams.
What about the possibility of TCU reaching a BCS game? Or even worse the chance that TCU could be the only undefeated team and not reach any BCS game? If TCU does run the table, which is still a long way from happening, there is a chance that they could finish in the top six of the BCS, guaranteeing them a berth in a BCS game. Some college football fans would be happy that a small school finally hit the big time, but many fans from schools like Georgia and Virginia Tech would probably be furious that their schools would be passed over for TCU.
What would it mean to the TV ratings to see TCU against Florida State? It could mean a playoff scenario, to avoid having TCU kill TV ratings in such a big-money TV game, when there are only four BCS games. The NCAA knows that an eight or 16 team playoff tournament would mean tons and tons of money, and could surpass the revenue generated by the 65-team NCAA basketball tournament.
Another possibility that could arise is that a two-loss team like Michigan could play for the national championship. That scenario would arise if they run the table, and USC, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and LSU all lose one of their remaining games, which isn't completely impossible considering the tough games that USC, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and LSU have left. I believe that also would lead to chaos and the obvious need for a playoff system
The bottom line remains that this season is the best opportunity ever for the BCS to be totally shredded in all directions. TCU can run the table and make the BCS or not make the BCS and cause controversy either way. With only one undefeated team from the six BCS conferences, how can the best one-loss team be decided?
It can't be, it's just not that simple.
Hanging Chads
With all the voting that goes on to determine rankings, the NCAA could have one of its conference champs determined via vote. If Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee win out then there will be a three-way tie for first place in the SEC East division. The first six tiebreakers would resolve absolutely nothing between the teams so a vote would be required by the athletic directors of the teams in the SEC not involved in the championship game.
How can the champion of a division and possibly a conference, which leads to a BCS berth, be determined by a vote? Very easily because everything else in NCAA football is determined by way of vote and not on the field so why should the SEC do anything differently?
My question is what if the seven athletic directors and the representative from the AD-less Vanderbilt tie on their vote to determine who wins the division?
The simple solution is obviously a round-robin rocks-paper-scissors tournament between Ron Zook, Mark Richt and Phillip Fulmer, best two-out-of-three series.
Upset of the Week
Tennessee looked awful against Duke before pulling it together for a 23-6 victory.
Miami looked even worse against Virginia Tech as Brock Berlin continued his awful season, getting pulled in favor of Derrick Crudup. Berlin gets the start this weekend against the Vols (12.5-point underdogs) as Miami must win to keep its national title hopes alive. Clausen gets the job done on the road as the Vols end the ÃQCanes title hopes and Berlin's career.
Last Week:
My horrible record moves to 3-6 as USC took care of business against Washington State. At least my prediction of Bob Stoops running the score up on Oklahoma State was right.
