Thank you Nevada and the Fates

[JohnStOnge]

For saving us from the possibility of utter absurdity with respect to the BCS championship game. Boise State had no business in the discussion for a berth in that game but there was a serious risk of it actually happening.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[NHwildEcat]

What about TCU...you got a problem with them too?

It would be good for one of them to be in that ****ty BCS title game...it might finally help push those idiots into a playoff system.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Neither Boise nor TCU have proven they are one of the two best teams in the country. I hate the BCS as much as anyone, but let's be realistic. When the second best MWC team gets owned by Notre Dumb, and when top WAC teams get drubbed by Colorado and lose to Ole Miss, you just can't be thinking there's anything telling you either of those teams deserve a chance. If Auburn lost to USC and Ohio State lost to Michigan and Oregon lost to Oregon State I would still leave the undefeated TCU and BSU teams out of it.

[JohnStOnge]

What about TCU...you got a problem with them too?

It would be good for one of them to be in that ****ty BCS title game...it might finally help push those idiots into a playoff system.

I'll admit that TCU getting in wouldn't bug me as much as Boise getting in would have it. Part of it is that the Mountain West is pretty close to BCS league in caliber; arguably tougher than the Big East is. But part of it is the overpowering hype over Boise State. Like last night at the beginning they had this piece with quotes on how great they are. They had Pat Hill quoted as saying how Fresno State played that USC team that lost the nail biter to Texas in the BCS title game but Boise State was the best team the Bulldogs had ever played. PLEASE. To that point they had beaten one borderline top 25 team by 3 points and hadn't played another quality opponent since. It's like you wanted to scream "GET A GRIP" at the TV when those TV guys were fawning over a team that would probably have at least 3 or 4 losses if it had played the schedule Auburn's played.

[JohnStOnge]

If Auburn lost to USC and Ohio State lost to Michigan and Oregon lost to Oregon State I would still leave the undefeated TCU and BSU teams out of it.

Me too. In fact I told somebody the other day that a one loss team from the Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10, or SEC should go in before an undefeated Boise State or TCU should and it shouldn't even be a question because of the dramatic difference in the difficulty represented by getting through a week in, week out schedule in one of those leagues vs. that of getting through the WAC or MWC with one or two non conference games against BCS league schools.

[MSUDuo]

First of all, the MWC is not better than the WAC. At least not this year. Both have 4 god awful teams and 4 teams that range from above average to great. Both are right there with the Big East which is a joke of a BCS conference.

Second, Boise has proven themselves time and time again that they can play and beat any of the bigger teams. Just because they lost on the road, to the #19 ranked team, does not take away from that. Upsets happen. And they will continue to happen in the next two weekends.

JSO, pretty sure that "borderline" top 25 team is a borderline top 10 team that has run rampant since they opened the season with two loses. Now, the ACC won't ever be confused with the SEC or Big Ten this year but it also has 4 teams that could probably play with anyone in the country.

[Big Al]

This whole argument is complete and utter bulls#!t.

The BCS system is nothing more than a glorified beauty contest that is geared to protect the Big 6 and their big-dollar bowls above all else. Teams like TCU & BSU don't belong not because they are or are not good enough but because they don't belong in the right conference. Of course, those same conferences will neither invite them to join or even play OOC games against them.

Yes, yes, the SEC is such a tough league that Auburn simply had to play such high-caliber OOC teams as Arkansas State, UL-Monroe and UT-Chattanooga to get a break from playing such awful, blood-thirsty competition as Kentucky, Ole Miss and Georgia. To be fair, that OOC game against Clemson was a real test of their BCS power.

*rolls eyes*

I will give Auburn credit for winning every game they've played. That should earn them the right to play against other undefeated and one-loss teams in a true playoff. As it is, assuming they beat South Carolina, their participation in the BCS trophy game is just as illegitimate as letting in TCU or BSU simply because they were undefeated.

[Reign of Terrier]

This whole argument is complete and utter bulls#!t.

The BCS system is nothing more than a glorified beauty contest that is geared to protect the Big 6 and their big-dollar bowls above all else. Teams like TCU & BSU don't belong not because they are or are not good enough but because they don't belong in the right conference. Of course, those same conferences will neither invite them to join or even play OOC games against them.

Yes, yes, the SEC is such a tough league that Auburn simply had to play such high-caliber OOC teams as Arkansas State, UL-Monroe and UT-Chattanooga to get a break from playing such awful, blood-thirsty competition as Kentucky, Ole Miss and Georgia. To be fair, that OOC game against Clemson was a real test of their BCS power.

*rolls eyes*

I will give Auburn credit for winning every game they've played. That should earn them the right to play against other undefeated and one-loss teams in a true playoff. As it is, assuming they beat South Carolina, their participation in the BCS trophy game is just as illegitimate as letting in TCU or BSU simply because they were undefeated.

I'm all for Boise and TCU but Auburn beat:
LSU
Alabama
Arkansas
South Carolina 2X
Mississippi State (who would have won the SEC East had they played in it)
Georgia when they were hot

Auburn has more right than Oregon. Oregon only beat like 3 teams with records above .500 (Stanford, USC, Arizona), and 2 teams at .500 (juggernauts like Tennesssee, and Washington who will probably beat Washington state)

[JohnStOnge]

Second, Boise has proven themselves time and time again that they can play and beat any of the bigger teams..

Boise State has now won it's last 4 games against BCS league teams; so the Broncos are on somewhat of a streak. But that only makes them 6-4 in their last 10. They won those last 4 games over 3 years. Winning 4 games in a row against BCS league competition doesn't prove that much. BCS league teams do that all the time.

It's hard to say that any decent team couldn't possibly beat the best BCS league teams under any circumstances. Ole Miss beat Florida in 2008 for instance. But the highest a team Boise State has beaten has ever finished ranked is 9 in the coaches' poll and 10 in the AP poll. That was a 2008 Oregon team that Boise State beat by 6 points. I don't think them beating Oregon by 6 in 2008 makes it seem likely that they would've beaten elite teams like USC and Florida.

As for Virginia Tech: You allow that the ACC won't be confused with the SEC or Big 10 but I don't know if that really captures how weak the ACC is this year. Bottom line is that Virginia Tech has zero wins over opponents that are currently ranked in any of the major top 25s I know of and they have a loss to a FCS team that finished one game over 0.500. The CAA is by far the toughest league but that's still not real impressive for a BCS league conference championship contender.

I'll go back to that Oklahoma bowl game too. That Oklahoma team was good but not great. Those who remember it will recall that it had serious quarterback problems that made it largely one dimensional on offense. It was not a top 10 caliber team. Again, it was a great accomplishment for a program like Boise State but it by no means suggested it would've been likely at all that they could've beaten the truely elite BCS league teams of that season.

Then there's the stuff one can never prove but is reasonable to believe. Boise State can't possibly be tested like someone in the SEC or Big 10 is tested. But if Boise State played 8 SEC teams this year like SEC teams have to the Broncos would've been outmanned in terms of overall team athleticism in most if not all of those games. I just do not believe they could end up anywhere close to undefeated playing 8 games like that over 9 or 10 weeks. Same kind of thing with the Big 10 or the PAC 10. Beating one or two teams that have better athletes than you have over the course of a season is a lot different than beating 6 or 8 of them over 9 or 10 weeks; especially when in the first scenario you've had all off season to prepare for a game that you know you have to win to keep your hype going.

[Big Al]

Then there's the stuff one can never prove but is reasonable to believe. Boise State can't possibly be tested like someone in the SEC or Big 10 is tested. But if Boise State played 8 SEC teams this year like SEC teams have to the Broncos would've been outmanned in terms of overall team athleticism in most if not all of those games. I just do not believe they could end up anywhere close to undefeated playing 8 games like that over 9 or 10 weeks. Same kind of thing with the Big 10 or the PAC 10. Beating one or two teams that have better athletes than you have over the course of a season is a lot different than beating 6 or 8 of them over 9 or 10 weeks; especially when in the first scenario you've had all off season to prepare for a game that you know you have to win to keep your hype going.

If Boise State were in the SEC or Big-10 it would be recruiting a different type of player and playing a different type of game because it would be located in the Southeast or midwest. It is who it is -- that's all.

The fact of the matter is, given time in a playoff format, teams from the larger, more prestigious conferences would likely win more championships than not. I don't think anyone is arguing that the WAC is equal to the SEC nor should they.

However.

The fact that the system is rigged to even keep the question from being answered is the real, actual HUGE problem with the BCS. If the Boise States and the TCUs of the world really aren't up to snuff then what's the harm in letting them onto the field to see where they land?

[1andDone]

That is like saying you don't want Jacksonville in the FCS playoffs. If they lose, they don't belong. If they win, great!

[JohnStOnge]

That is like saying you don't want Jacksonville in the FCS playoffs. If they lose, they don't belong. If they win, great!-A)

I would have no problem with a FBS (I-A) playoff system such that every winner of every FBS conference got an automatic bid. That way each team that's in a conference controls its own destiny regardless of opinions but at the same time they'd have to go through at least 3, 4 or even 5 games depending on format against top notch competition to win the title. When you've only got 2 teams selected for a championship game with no playoff to get there I don't see how one can justify letting a team in that goes undefeated against Boise State's schedule when there are teams that are having to play conference schedules such as what goes on in the SEC. I mean, what would Arkansas do against Boise State's schedule? South Carolina? Alabama? Ohio State? Wisconsin? Basically once they get by Virginia Tech....and all of those teams would be favored to beat Virginia Tech...you're probably going to sail through the rest of the way. If they're only going to let 2 teams in they should have some kind of minimum schedule strength requirement. Going through the Pac10, Big 12, SEC, or Big 10 with 2 losses is more of an accomplishment than going undefeated against Boise State's schedule is.

[OhioHen]

-A)

I would have no problem with a FBS (I-A) playoff system such that every winner of every FBS conference got an automatic bid. That way each team that's in a conference controls its own destiny regardless of opinions but at the same time they'd have to go through at least 3, 4 or even 5 games depending on format against top notch competition to win the title. When you've only got 2 teams selected for a championship game with no playoff to get there I don't see how one can justify letting a team in that goes undefeated against Boise State's schedule when there are teams that are having to play conference schedules such as what goes on in the SEC. I mean, what would Arkansas do against Boise State's schedule? South Carolina? Alabama? Ohio State? Wisconsin? Basically once they get by Virginia Tech....and all of those teams would be favored to beat Virginia Tech...you're probably going to sail through the rest of the way. If they're only going to let 2 teams in they should have some kind of minimum schedule strength requirement. Going through the Pac10, Big 12, SEC, or Big 10 with 2 losses is more of an accomplishment than going undefeated against Boise State's schedule is.

Until those BC$ AQ teams are willing to play AT Boise State, your argument about schedule strength requirements is just p!ss!ng in the wind. Boise State opens next season against Georgia (SEC) in the Georgia Dome - OFFICIALLY a neutral field, but... When will one of your "big boys" risk the trip to Idaho? Never - because WHEN they lose that game it destroys any chance they have to "win" the "championship" AND harms the "strength of schedule" argument.

[Big Al]

Until those BC$ AQ teams are willing to play AT Boise State, your argument about schedule strength requirements is just p!ss!ng in the wind. Boise State opens next season against Georgia (SEC) in the Georgia Dome - OFFICIALLY a neutral field, but... When will one of your "big boys" risk the trip to Idaho? Never - because WHEN they lose that game it destroys any chance they have to "win" the "championship" AND harms the "strength of schedule" argument.

Big ups, OhioHen!

[techstate]

However.

The fact that the system is rigged to even keep the question from being answered is the real, actual HUGE problem with the BCS. If the Boise States and the TCUs of the world really aren't up to snuff then what's the harm in letting them onto the field to see where they land?


Until those BC$ AQ teams are willing to play AT Boise State, your argument about schedule strength requirements is just p!ss!ng in the wind. Boise State opens next season against Georgia (SEC) in the Georgia Dome - OFFICIALLY a neutral field, but... When will one of your "big boys" risk the trip to Idaho? Never - because WHEN they lose that game it destroys any chance they have to "win" the "championship" AND harms the "strength of schedule" argument.

I think the BCS has come along way in the last couple of years. Just years ago we were arguing that a undeafeated boise state, tcu, or utah shouldn't go to a BCS bowl. Now were talking about giving them a chance at a national title?

However, I thought a 13-0 boise was a better choice for the national title over tcu because they went to a BCS bowl game last year won, only lost a couple players this year and would they have gone undefeated they should have gotten the nod; if the rest of the field is lacking. However, they would never get the chance over an undefeated team or even a one loss sec team (due to east coast bias).

I really don't think any non A-Q deserves a chance at it because strength of schedule does play a factor in deciding who goes to the N.C. Its not hard on your team and doesn't show your teams strength or depth playing phoenix online every week with one or two respectable teams on your schedule. If one were to go I think they should be undefeated for a couple seasons and have at least a season closing top 10 team on their schedule.

As far as teams not wanting to play the non A-Qs how could you blame them. Its a lose lose situation playing boise as it is and playing them at their home is reckless. I'll admit that Boise is really good at playing one to two games a year. When the spotlight is on them they seem to perform. Last week was just not their night.

Finally I think the best situation would be a and one scenario where each major conference has a BSC bowl tie in and two alternate teams would go to a 4th bowl game. Then of those 4 bowls, two winners are chosen to play for a title game.