Sunday, December 07, 2008

BCS Title Game Is Set: Florida vs. Oklahoma

Watch how quickly the "debate" dissipates and everyone embraces Florida vs. Oklahoma. Sort of like: "Well, you know, as far as match-ups of 1-loss teams go, this is a pretty good one."

Did the BCS system get it right? Well, I'd argue the BCS system failure was last week, when Texas was nudged aside by Oklahoma. The system failure wasn't this week: Oklahoma earned its spot.

Now, if Oklahoma wins the title game, its selection is justified. But if OU gets its doors blown off -- and if you look at their last 3 BCS bowl games, including in 2005 when they played USC for the national title, that's the Sooners' history -- Texas fans will have a gripe.

In fact, all fans will have a gripe, because it's not like you wouldn't have seen Oklahoma's BCS bowl failures coming. In that case, wouldn't you have rather seen what Texas could have done?

Anyway, I can now breathe easy -- and book my flight to Miami for Jan. 8. Now, about those game tickets....

-- D.S.

2 comments:

The Fist said...

DS, I've been following your reasoning on college football rankings all year (minus the extreme UF homerism, that is). But with the BCS games out, doesn't your own reasoning present TWO ways for Florida to miss out on a national title? One is for Stoops' team to shake the chokes, as you've noted. But aren't you missing the other?

You've argued all year that rankings are record first, then some odd mix of "body of work" and "best right now." And today you gave us a preliminary blog poll with Florida 1 and 'Bama 2.

By your season-long reasoning, then, doesn't Utah automatically deserve to finish the season number 1 if they put 'Bama down in their bowl game?

I realize it's something of an academic argument, as it would be a huge upset if it happened. But check my reasoning here ...

Presumably, everyone (including you) has Utah at 7 because they've run the table on a weak schedule (ignoring that TCU, BYU, and Oregon State are all at least as good as, say, Ole Miss). But doesn't their "body of work" gain automatic respectability if they put down the team you think is the second best in the land?

So, by your season-long reasoning, if the Utes end undefeated, with victories over 4 ranked teams, including the second-best in the land, doesn't that trump Florida's impressive 1-loss run -- even if Florida DOES put OU in a hurt locker?

(and no, I am NOT a fan of ANY of the teams in the top 10!)

Ben Bromley said...

Interestingly enough, this week the BCS computers decided that Texas was number 2 and OU was number 3...