BCS good for something: Argument
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by Suckatsports
The BCS may not be very good at picking out the best two teams in the nation, according to everyone south of the Mason-Dixon line, but it is great for creating argument. Whether it's an ESPN pundit, a blogger, or someone's mother, everyone seems to have an opinion on Ohio State defaulting to the #1 spot in the BCS this week.
Why is there such angst? I'm sure much if it is due to the "undeserving" nature in which Ohio State made it to the championship game last year, only to be beat senseless by Florida. Or is it the 0-8 SEC record as far as anyone can remember. Because both of these facts clearly have everything to do with this year's team. Could it have to do with the Big 10 mediocrity, only to be helped along by the epic loss at Michigan to start the year? Or maybe the SEC's perceived dominance over everything that is college football. It's everything, it's the first, the last, and middle, combined with the passion of college football.
But why hate Ohio State? And why even care! It's the first week of the BCS standings, and while statistics bear out the fact that teams end up making it to the national championship game, this year is not one for statistics to behold. If everyone believes that Ohio State is indeed not as good as the #1 rating it received, then there's no doubt they'll show it in the five games remaining. Or even the next one, because they're destined to. It's not as if there's no games remaining, or even one - there's a handful. Beyond that, knowing what's happened in college football this year, it's almost a certainty that a top 10 team will lose every single week. Isn't it a little early to call everything fraudulent?
The loudest voices of displeasure come from the SEC, where their recent conference depth has diluted them into believing this is true every year. It's as if when conference play starts and teams beat up on each other, it shows how weak every other conference is, but in the SEC, it shows how many great teams it has. Yeah, they're good, but the LSU game showed that LSU is not unbeatable, and two previous games for Florida showed the same thing. USC showed they aren't unbeatable by losing to a 40 point underdog at home. It's pretty easy to get into the championship game - win all your contests. And if you don't win them don't blame someone else for their easy schedule or what have you, blame Les Miles.
A quick note on the SEC. Make no mistake, they have some pretty good teams this year, but this isn't last year, when half their conference, it seemed like, was a contender. The truth is, everyone can beat everyone else in that conference, and it's not a testament to their depth, it's a bottom line on mediocrity. Kentucky played without their starting tailback - and beat the unanimous best team in the country. Auburn lost to [[Mississippi State University|Mississippi State| and went out to beat Florida at home. South Carolina got beat by LSU, and then went on to beat the crap out of Kentucky itself. So, by that circular logic why isn't South Carolina the best team in the SEC? In addition, it's not as if they go out and schedule tough out of conference games - Mr. Gator played Western Kentucky and Troy.
Is it OSU's fault that the schedule they created five years ago turned out to be a stinker? Or the fact that the Big 10, thought to be much improved this year with the likes of Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin flopped? I think not. The out of conference cupcakes are there every year, but it is OSU that has already played Texas, and has USC, Oklahoma, and Miami on their schedule in the upcoming years. Bottom line is, OSU's schedule is soft, and they haven't played a team that could challenge them, but in theory it's coming. What's also true, is that with the way this season is going we don't know if OSU is going to end up 12-0, 7-5 or anywhere in between from here on out.
Full disclosure: I am an OSU fan, and believe that while OSU has done something only a handful of D-1A teams have done - stayed undefeated - they probably don't deserve the #1 rating on accomplishment alone. The rating was handed by default when everyone in front of them lost to inferior teams and their starting position in the pre-season polls. And I'd have no problem with USF being first. You know why? Because there's still almost half a season to go. With that said, who cares about this week, when the big games are yet to be played.
SEC fans pissed at OSU cakewalk to championship game [Fanhouse]
It's going to be 1998 all over again in Columbus [Ghosts of Wayne Fontes]
Please explain the logic to me [Men of the Scarlet and Gray]
This post is cross-published from We Suck at Sports.
This is the first time LSU has played real teams in the non-conference for some time now. Look at who everyone else plays on average. They are the quality of an Akron and Kent State, this isn't out of the ordinary. You're not going to see elite non conference matchups. It looked like Cal-TN was going to be one, but TN is garbage.
The fact is, it's the conference games that make up the meat of your schedule, and those are rotated on a yearly basis, and not actually "made". And having a shitty Big 10, is certainly not OSU's fault. That's what I was referring to. Plus, Washington is historically a pretty good program - that was schedule many a year ago.