November 24, 2010
Whether or not a football program like Boise State or TCU should be considered for playing in college football's national championship game is a big debate, but some people need to get over it and realize that 2010 is a unique season. Rather than doing that, they still want to bash two very good football programs and belittle their accomplishments, most notably Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee with his comments today.
Ohio State sits at No. 8 in the BCS Standings with a 10-1 record and is a long-shot to play for the national championship. College football's current system, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), pits the No. 1 vs. the No. 2 in the national championship game, without a playoff.
Boise State president Bob Kustra calls Ohio State's president's comments "ridiculous"
Many times there is a debate as to who really is No. 1 or No. 2. In 2009, the college football season ended with five undefeated teams (Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, TCU and Boise State). All were national championship contenders with the exception of Cincinnati who was overrated and played through a weak Big East schedule.
But that is exactly President Gee's argument--the weak schedule that Boise State and TCU play by not being in a power conference. Should he not have said the same thing about Cincinnati last year? Or what if there was an undefeated team in the Big East this year? One can only speculate what Boise State and TCU would do if they were in the Big East, considered a power conference.
"I do know, having been both a Southeastern Conference president and a Big Ten president, that it's like murderer's row every week for these schools. We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor. We play very fine schools on any given day," Gee said.
"Little Sisters of the Poor" may be a bit excessive.
TCU plays in the Mountain West Conference and played as tough a non-conference schedule that Gee's Ohio State did. In fact, a much better non-conference schedule. Ohio State played Marshall, Miami, Ohio, and Eastern Michigan in non-conference games. TCU beat Oregon State, Baylor and SMU. Not to mention that the Mountain West is a tough conference and TCU continues to dominate it every year. Air Force, BYU (although a bit down this year) and Utah are consistently good football teams and Wyoming and San Diego State are on the rise.
For Boise State, they beat Virginia Tech who is undefeated in the ACC, and Oregon State. Boise State plays opponents in the WAC like Fresno State and Nevada. In fact, Fresno State scored 38 on an SEC team and beat Cincinnati and was shut out 51-0 by Boise State.
The teams that TCU play aren't exactly the "little sisters of the poor" nor are the Fresno State's and Nevada's that Boise goes against. Nevada is 10-1 and No. 19 in the BCS Standings. Virginia Tech is No. 16 in the BCS Standings. Nevada went and destroyed a California team from the Pac-10 that almost, and in fact should have, beaten No. 1 Oregon. Ohio State has played two teams ranked in the Top 25: edged No. 24 Iowa and was controlled by Wisconsin.
With the current BCS system in place and the current situation, an undefeated Boise State or TCU will surely play in the national championship game before President Gee's one-loss Ohio State. In fact, Gee brought up 2007 when Ohio State was selected to play in the national championship game after being No. 8 in the BCS Standings and rising all the way to No. 1. Unfortunately, that can't happen this year because Boise State and TCU stand in the way sitting at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, and neither are in position to lose a game.
Gee's argument that a one-loss team from a power conference deserves to play for the national championship while an undefeated team from a non-power conference does not is respectful. In some years that may be the case, but this is a unique season. What one-loss team deserves to play in the national championship game this year? Name one.
"The BCS exists to protect those in power. And now that their power is being threatened, they're resorting to making it personal, because the place they should settle the debate -- on the field -- is incompatible with their entire M.O." -Death to the BCS
I watch all of these teams play, I rank them with what I see on the field, and I have Boise State as my No. 1 team. In other years I would have never thought of putting Boise State No. 1. This year, I just don't see a one-loss team that is better than an undefeated Boise State or TCU.
LSU is the highest ranked one-loss team in the BCS and looking back at its season, there are three games that it should have lost. LSU's only loss is to No. 2 Auburn while it should have lost Oct. 2 vs. Tennessee if not for that lucky debacle and free play and again the Tigers should have lost Oct. 9 in Florida if not for a fortunate bounce on a fake field goal attempt (although I am glad that happened since I picked LSU for the upset in that game). You can even go back to opening night on Sept. 4 in LSU's 30-24 win against North Carolina. I had North Carolina winning that game if half of its team would not have been suspended for violations of NCAA rules. LSU is not worthy of a national championship opportunity in 2010.
Then there is Wisconsin, Stanford and Ohio State who have valid arguments but don't meet my qualifications in the Eye Test. I am certain that Boise State and TCU would beat all three of those teams head-to-head.
President E. Gordon Gee's comments
President Gee also had this to say: "So I think until a university runs through that gantlet that there's some reason to believe that they not be the best teams to [be] in the big ballgame."
Running through a gauntlett is not a guarantee of a berth in the national championship game. Look at 2008, when the University of Texas sat as the No. 1 team in the BCS and had to go through its gauntlett. Texas had to play then-No. 1 Oklahoma, then-No. 11 Missouri, then-No. 7 Oklahoma State and then-No. 6 Texas Tech all in consecutive weeks and almost made it through before losing to Texas Tech with one second left on the clock. Texas was one second away from surviving that gauntlett, but they lost one game. Gee's argument is that that one loss should not hurt a team from a power conference. That one loss left Texas out of the national championship game in 2008. The one loss Ohio State suffered this year will keep them out of the national championship game. The difference, Ohio State was dominated in its loss.
At the end of the day, Boise State will have beaten two Top 25 teams, three in the Top 30. Ohio State will have beaten one.
This truly is a unique season, we will never see anything like this again. For just one year, let us throw all of the differences aside and believe that a system can be fair to all schools of all sizes of all backgrounds.
Let us believe in the BCS. Should No. 1 Oregon or No. 2 Auburn lose, Boise State or TCU is the rightful team to step up into the top two.
Boise State or TCU versus the field in the national championship game. Who ya got? I'll take the the Broncos or the Frogs.
Whether or not a football program like Boise State or TCU should be considered for playing in college football's national championship game is a big debate, but some people need to get over it and realize that 2010 is a unique season. Rather than doing that, they still want to bash two very good football programs and belittle their accomplishments, most notably Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee with his comments today.
Ohio State sits at No. 8 in the BCS Standings with a 10-1 record and is a long-shot to play for the national championship. College football's current system, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), pits the No. 1 vs. the No. 2 in the national championship game, without a playoff.
Boise State president Bob Kustra calls Ohio State's president's comments "ridiculous"
Many times there is a debate as to who really is No. 1 or No. 2. In 2009, the college football season ended with five undefeated teams (Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, TCU and Boise State). All were national championship contenders with the exception of Cincinnati who was overrated and played through a weak Big East schedule.
But that is exactly President Gee's argument--the weak schedule that Boise State and TCU play by not being in a power conference. Should he not have said the same thing about Cincinnati last year? Or what if there was an undefeated team in the Big East this year? One can only speculate what Boise State and TCU would do if they were in the Big East, considered a power conference.
"I do know, having been both a Southeastern Conference president and a Big Ten president, that it's like murderer's row every week for these schools. We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor. We play very fine schools on any given day," Gee said.
"Little Sisters of the Poor" may be a bit excessive.
TCU plays in the Mountain West Conference and played as tough a non-conference schedule that Gee's Ohio State did. In fact, a much better non-conference schedule. Ohio State played Marshall, Miami, Ohio, and Eastern Michigan in non-conference games. TCU beat Oregon State, Baylor and SMU. Not to mention that the Mountain West is a tough conference and TCU continues to dominate it every year. Air Force, BYU (although a bit down this year) and Utah are consistently good football teams and Wyoming and San Diego State are on the rise.
For Boise State, they beat Virginia Tech who is undefeated in the ACC, and Oregon State. Boise State plays opponents in the WAC like Fresno State and Nevada. In fact, Fresno State scored 38 on an SEC team and beat Cincinnati and was shut out 51-0 by Boise State.
The teams that TCU play aren't exactly the "little sisters of the poor" nor are the Fresno State's and Nevada's that Boise goes against. Nevada is 10-1 and No. 19 in the BCS Standings. Virginia Tech is No. 16 in the BCS Standings. Nevada went and destroyed a California team from the Pac-10 that almost, and in fact should have, beaten No. 1 Oregon. Ohio State has played two teams ranked in the Top 25: edged No. 24 Iowa and was controlled by Wisconsin.
With the current BCS system in place and the current situation, an undefeated Boise State or TCU will surely play in the national championship game before President Gee's one-loss Ohio State. In fact, Gee brought up 2007 when Ohio State was selected to play in the national championship game after being No. 8 in the BCS Standings and rising all the way to No. 1. Unfortunately, that can't happen this year because Boise State and TCU stand in the way sitting at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, and neither are in position to lose a game.
Gee's argument that a one-loss team from a power conference deserves to play for the national championship while an undefeated team from a non-power conference does not is respectful. In some years that may be the case, but this is a unique season. What one-loss team deserves to play in the national championship game this year? Name one.
"The BCS exists to protect those in power. And now that their power is being threatened, they're resorting to making it personal, because the place they should settle the debate -- on the field -- is incompatible with their entire M.O." -Death to the BCS
I watch all of these teams play, I rank them with what I see on the field, and I have Boise State as my No. 1 team. In other years I would have never thought of putting Boise State No. 1. This year, I just don't see a one-loss team that is better than an undefeated Boise State or TCU.
LSU is the highest ranked one-loss team in the BCS and looking back at its season, there are three games that it should have lost. LSU's only loss is to No. 2 Auburn while it should have lost Oct. 2 vs. Tennessee if not for that lucky debacle and free play and again the Tigers should have lost Oct. 9 in Florida if not for a fortunate bounce on a fake field goal attempt (although I am glad that happened since I picked LSU for the upset in that game). You can even go back to opening night on Sept. 4 in LSU's 30-24 win against North Carolina. I had North Carolina winning that game if half of its team would not have been suspended for violations of NCAA rules. LSU is not worthy of a national championship opportunity in 2010.
Then there is Wisconsin, Stanford and Ohio State who have valid arguments but don't meet my qualifications in the Eye Test. I am certain that Boise State and TCU would beat all three of those teams head-to-head.
President E. Gordon Gee's comments
President Gee also had this to say: "So I think until a university runs through that gantlet that there's some reason to believe that they not be the best teams to [be] in the big ballgame."
Running through a gauntlett is not a guarantee of a berth in the national championship game. Look at 2008, when the University of Texas sat as the No. 1 team in the BCS and had to go through its gauntlett. Texas had to play then-No. 1 Oklahoma, then-No. 11 Missouri, then-No. 7 Oklahoma State and then-No. 6 Texas Tech all in consecutive weeks and almost made it through before losing to Texas Tech with one second left on the clock. Texas was one second away from surviving that gauntlett, but they lost one game. Gee's argument is that that one loss should not hurt a team from a power conference. That one loss left Texas out of the national championship game in 2008. The one loss Ohio State suffered this year will keep them out of the national championship game. The difference, Ohio State was dominated in its loss.
At the end of the day, Boise State will have beaten two Top 25 teams, three in the Top 30. Ohio State will have beaten one.
This truly is a unique season, we will never see anything like this again. For just one year, let us throw all of the differences aside and believe that a system can be fair to all schools of all sizes of all backgrounds.
Let us believe in the BCS. Should No. 1 Oregon or No. 2 Auburn lose, Boise State or TCU is the rightful team to step up into the top two.
Boise State or TCU versus the field in the national championship game. Who ya got? I'll take the the Broncos or the Frogs.
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