BCS fails again: What about USC, Utah and Texas?

When Florida plays Oklahoma in the BCS national championship game Monday, it should be entertaining.

But it's not a legitimate national championship.

No matter what happens in Miami, there will be three -- maybe four -- teams that finish the season with a defensible claim to being the best in America. Making matters worse, the bowl games played in the last 24 hours undermined the main reasons that Florida and Oklahoma made it to the title bout in the first place.

Oklahoma was already a questionable choice for the championship game, having lost to Texas on a neutral field. The Sooners vaulted to the top of the national dialogue because of their smack-down of Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were just exposed, again, by a Mississippi team that walked into that matchup with an 8-4 record.

The same Mississippi team beat Florida, which launched itself into the title game by beating Alabama. The Tide was just thumped by Utah, which finishes the season 13-0.

What about USC? The Trojans finished with one loss, same as the eventual BCS champion. Their conference, the Pac-10, just went 5-0 in bowl season. One of their nonconference opponents, Notre Dame, won its bowl, as well. Another, Ohio State, is about to play in a BCS bowl.

What about Utah? The Utes were perfect, finishing with a win over the team considered No. 1 in America for the final five weeks of the regular season. Their victory over Alabama was by a larger margin than Florida's.

What about Texas? We'll see what the Longhorns do against Ohio State, but nobody will be surprised when they rip the Buckeyes apart and finish with one loss and a lot of BCS bitterness.

What about the winner of the BCS championship game? This isn't fair for Florida or Oklahoma, either. Though it's unlikely that pollsters will make them share the title, as sometimes happened in the pre-BCS era, this will be probably be the most dubious claim since BYU was crowned No. 1 in 1984.

Simply put, the BCS has failed everybody. Its only job -- its only reason for being -- is to pit the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in America. It's impossible to do that with one game. The only reason the BCS survives this annual humiliation is that it creates an annual payday for an elite few, who are robbing the players and fans of a true champion. 

Back when BYU won, lots of people were calling for a playoff. They're still right.

-- Adam Rose

Top photo: Utah fans celebrate a perfect season. Credit: Crystal LoGiudice/US Presswire

Middle photo: Mark Sanchez and the USC Trojans could be the real No. 1. Credit: Harry How/Getty Images

Bottom photo: So could Colt McCoy and the Texas Longhorns. Credit: Erich Schlegel/Associated Press.

Comments

[gerrrg]

If the BCS fails, it's because the media fails. The media continued to talk up the SEC and the Big-12, while talking down the Pac-10, as if it was an off year.

The only things off about the Pac-10 was that ASU had a really stinking season, and that most everyone thought that Oregon State was mediocre (when in fact they were pretty good, but had a bad day at PSU). Yes, Arizona really did have a good team.

The media's failure to critique the scheduling of Oklahoma's Chattanooga, Alabama's Western Kentucky, Texas' Florida Atlantic, Penn State's Coastal Carolina, Texas Tech's Eastern Washington, Georgia's Georgia Southern and Western Michigan, LSU's Troy, and Florida's Citadel means that these teams get punchy stats, less jeopardy, better records, and are thought to be equal peers to USC's season.

Those pre-season polls (by the media and the coaches) help establish a weighted bias against teams like USC and the Pac-10, so long as the Pac-10 and USC are thought to play in a lesser conference. That is why the BCS continues to fail. Come next year, USC will again be voted #1 in the Pac-10, and Oregon, Cal and Arizona State will be listed just below, and everyone will be talking about how great the SEC and Big-12 are. And again the pre-season weighted bias is established.

Watch.

[Glitz]

All I need to say to this is. Amen.

[Dave Gallinger]

The BCS has indeed failed again. However, no matter what the result of the Oklahoma - Florida "BCS Championship Game" is, there is only one team with a LEGITIMATE claim to the national championship-- 13-0 Utah. Hopefully the AP will give them their deserved share of the title. They did not win with trickeration or lucky breaks. They dominated Alabama. Add to that the longest Bowl winning streak in the nation. Tack on quality wins over Oregon State, TCU and BYU. Also look at the willingness to open on the road against Michigan and compare that to Oklahoma taking on Chattanooga, Florida at home playing Hawaii, and Texas at home against Florida Atlantic. They looked up the toughest competition they could, they thrashed an Alabama team that held the #1 ranking for the last five weeks of the regular season and they finished undefeated. If an undefeated Utah gets National Championship honors, maybe the BCS big boys will think about supporting a playoff system, instead on relying on a system that awards rankings and championship game seedings on hype rather than performance.

[OJ'sprisonhusband]

Your Trojans lost to OSU. Get over it.

[GeneE]

And Texas lost to Texas Tech, Oklahoma lost to Texas, and Florida lost to Mississippi, which was Adam's point. Your point again? Oh wait, you don't have one. Buh-bye.

Congrats to Utah on a great season. Isn't funny how quiet the SEC homers are suddenly? Where is all that blather about the mighty SEC and the sucky Mountain West now?! In the words of Nelson Muntz: HA HA. That was the sweetest Sugar Bowl ever,

[Gordon Hodge]

It's one thing for USC to beat a mediocre Big 10 team at USCs de facto home field. It's quite another to do what Utah did and dominate Alabama in the deep south at the Sugar Bowl. Uah also has the longest active winning streak in major college football at 14 games.

College football should crown it's champion based on merit. Utah had a better record against a stronger schedule than USC. No question about it. Utah is number 1.

[pk-in-the-mesa]

GH and the rest of you ruin fans.
Utah should be #1 because they are 13-0 OK.
But USC would have given Utah a new prepective on what football is all about.

[Peter Simones]

RIght on, Adam. I've read many journalists' attempts to put this argument into a 5,000-word epic. You bluntly laid out the primary pain points in succinct fashion.

Who has the biggest gripe? I think it's hard not to say Utah at this point.

[P.S. Proud]

While USC may be one of the top teams in the country this year one thing they lack is class!!! Totally classless.

The po-go-ing and swaying on the sidelines was nothing short of ghetto trash antics. For their coaches to allow such a display explains a lot as well.

Taylor Mays should have been ejected for the vicious helmet to helmet contact. That wasn't incidental contact but blatant intentional unsportsmanlike conduct. Classless.

No this isn't sour grapes by any means. P.S. lost the game in the second quarter, so be it. But as one of our fans, who was in attendance, quoted in my local paper, "There was a certain arrogance of the USC fans".

Nope, no sour grapes, it is what it is. Unfortunately a classless opponent was part of it.

[Robert Laughing]

Okies will choke, of course, as they have so often; makes one think about the FBI investigating BCS for RICO, no? Interesting the the alleged SEC NEVER invites USC to play one of their 'hot teams' early in the season....Heaven knows they would never send FL et al to the Coliseum at the start of a season - humiliation so soon would upset their pipe dreams.

[Jake F]

Quote by pk-in-the-mesa: "Utah should be #1 because they are 13-0 OK. But USC would have given Utah a new prepective on what football is all about."

What!? How do you figure? Utah beat OSU. OSU beat USC. Since Utah didn't play USC, this is the next best indicator and certainly why Utah deserves a #1 moreso than USC. End of story...

[Arietta Sollini]

Its unfortunate that there are teams left with arguable claims to being the best. The entire college playoff method model needs to change so that a playoff series, based on games won and lost, can decide who the national champion is, without a whining chorus of doubters, including the fans, err, I mean, quarterbacks on the couch.

[florida_n8tive]

USC fans have no one but themselves to blame. I'm sure the BCS also failed back when USC won its two "National Championships" (in quotes as they like to write it this year). SC played only 3 ranked opponents the entire season, and only a single Top 10 opponent. Florida played 5 ranked, three of which were Top 10, including #1. Oklahoma played six ranked, and two Top 10 teams. Plus both OK and FLA played 13 games; is there even a Pac-10 championship game? Such a thing would definitely have to be in "quotes"! Florida's loss to Miss makes more sense when you see Ole Miss finished the season ranked #20 (USC's nemesis Oregon State also ended ranked, at #24).

Utah's season is definitely impressive, but does nothing to absolve the Pac-10 and Big 10 from being the cupcake conferences of college football. Ohio State lost any claim to greatness with back-to-back blow-outs against SEC opponents in the last two "Championship" games.

Personally, I'd like to see USC play an SEC team. The South knows how to play defense -- unlike Stanford, UCLA, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, need I go on...

;)

[Existenz]

An 8-team playoff, with a maximum of two teams from any one conference, is the only real solution.

This year the 8 teams would be (based on AP poll):

Oklahoma
Florida
Texas
Alabama
USC
Utah
Penn State
Boise State

Match them up in the four traditional bowls, play the winners on Jan. 8th, and have a TRUE national championship game on Jan. 15th.

I know Pres. Elect Obama is in favor of an 8-team playoff. Sadly the President is the only person powerful enough to make this happen, but it's a must.

[Bill]

As a Florida alum, I can tell you that the vast majority of Florida fans agree with you. So do the university's president and head coach.
The Utahs, TCUs and Boise States of this world have no chance to play for a national championship because of a set of rules to which they were never a party.
Because of scholarship limitations, it is just about impossible to go undefeated in a season of major college football. Just ask Alabama ... on any given day.
Yes, Florida has benefited of late but the BCS system is corrupt. It's just a matter of time until the screw turns our way.
This needs to be settled on the field, not by some irrational and subjective formula. Instead of arguing about whose conference is tougher, let's tee it up and see what happens.
USC, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Utah and probably a few more ought to settle this on the field.
Instead of crummy games like the last three Rose Bowls and the Orange Bowl, these would be games of interest even to fans of teams not in the tournament.
Equity for players. Fairness for fans. What novel ideas.

[LPB]

Of course the BCS is "broken". It didn't proclaim USC the Champion, right?

Yeah, right.

[Tim]

P.S. Proud is right. USC acted very immaturely. They should have gotten a penalty after every TD for excessive celebration, especially when they threw the football to their coach.

The ABC announcers were also disgustingly biased for USC, harping about how USC held 8 opponents scoreless in the 2nd half, yet gave Penn State no credit when they scored 17 in the 2nd half.

If not for Penn State injuries, especially their top running back, the game would have been closer.

[pk-in-the-mesa]

Jake
As I said Utah being 13-0 should be voted #1 and the problem with national championships is that they are voted on.

I’m an USC fan and I feel we had a great team, I don’t need a national champ to be happy. Quality football and the best record in the past 7rs is what i’m about, national championships are basically voted for not proven in college football. This way overall records and the amount of players moving on to NFL matter more.

And when I say utah and usc game it would be great, cause we owe you one.

[geogprof]

All these issues come up because college sports have been systematically made into some kind of minor league enterprises for the NFL and the NBA. There is no place for such money and importance in the first place. As a legitimate economic activity, sports ought to be conducted by organizations outside of the university environment. I am all in support of a system where qualified athletes display their talents and earn money--but, not under the pretext of "college sports". A playoff system, or any alternative to decide the national champion, is, therefore, a ridiculous discussion that follows the flawed decision to make college sports such a big time business.

[George Edmonston]

I guarantee you that if USC were in the championship game, the BCS would be, to this newspaper, the greatest thing since sliced bread. The only time the BCS national football championship is "legitimate" is when its won by USC.

USC played a home game (Rose Bowl) and beat a Big Ten team. No shock waves here, mostly a collective yawn. For this, USC earns a Rose Bowl trophy, to add to the other four million Rose Bowl trophies it already has, and nothing more is deserved.

[gerrrg]

@Tim,
Don't come at us with excuses about why PSU lost; USC played without two starters, lost their hot commodity McKnight to injury, and a host of other players were lost throughout the season. PSU got beat soundly; just read every single account of the game from ESPN, CBS Sportsline, USA Today, NYT, Wash Post...whatever outlet suits your fancy.

@PS Proud,
Just because your team lost doesn't mean you have to get all racist on us, calling the dancing "ghetto".

[colin]

but the BCS must go.
go to www.BSFlag.com/BCS and send the BCS chimps an email with the BS Flag in it!

[amoja]

You can name USC opponents all day, but the fact is, going into the bowls, there were only five other teams in the top 25 that had lower strengths of schedule than USC, with its 67 (courtesy of CBSSports.com). Florida, OU and Texas were 3, 1 and 4 respectively.

Utah was rated at 57, but they also went undefeated, which is much mightier than the Trojans. I'll listen to their complaints all day.

[Deanna]

Hey Jake F, if you knew anything about football, you'd know you can't apply the transitive property in this case. Penn State beat Oregon State 45-14 and Oregon State beat USC, so that means Penn State is way better than USC, right? Right? Look at the Big 12. Oklahoma beat Texas Tech, which beat Texas, so Oklahoma's better than Texas, right? Unfortunately for your theory, Oklahoma lost to Texas.

In short, there are way more factors to consider than who lost to whom when deciding which is the better team. Utah beat Oregon State in Salt Lake City, while USC played the Beavers in Oregon, which is notoriously difficult. I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm just saying your logic is flawed because you're not considering all of the factors involved.

[mingofila]

olympic figure skating,gymnasticts,syncronized swimming and college football in my opinion are equally corrupt and illegitimate. The subjective nature of which athletes are judged and in most cases unfairly left out of any opportunity to prove themselves is a crime. This is football! not a cheesy olympic sport where judges decide who has the right to compete to be crowned champion . if the nfl operated under this system,the new york giants would never have had an oppotunity to win let alone play for the title ,same as any past underdogs, patriots first title & steelers 2006.This thursday the gators & the sooners will will be the final two casuallties of this flawed system, playing for a hollow national title and being robbed of any true glory knowing that so many don't think this game prove a thing.