BG College Football Pick Em

[Azkarin]

I just hate this time of year because of the so flawed BCS system. It happens nearly every year but nothing ever changes besides saying "We are going to tweak the calculations a bit. It should work fine next year". To me two things need to change.

1) Ever major conference needs a championship game. Its an awesome game for the fans of the conference (and for those outside) and it evens up the playing field at the end of the season. Ohio State doesn't play one so they don't risk there position at the end of the year while LSU, West Virginia, and others do.

2) Institute the +1 system. Play the game a week or two after the conference championship games then wait another 2 weeks to play the national championship and the runner up BCS game. This year, many teams playing in BCS bowls won't play for the next 5 weeks which is nuts. Blah blah blah "its been a long season, they need the break". I don't buy it. You can play one more game in between now and January. Nearly every year there are 3, maybe 4, teams that can legitimately say they belong in the national championship. IMO, you can usually see tiers in the ability of teams within the top 25 and the top tier is usually the top 2-4 teams. Playing this +1 will help solve who deserves to go where. It gives all legitimate teams a chance (#5-8 teams shouldn't get the chance to get lucky for a few games at the end of the year and win it). The only reason I've ever heard against this is that the BCS bowls wouldn't make as much money. God damnit, give the people what they want and stop sucking every dime out of college football.

***Side note: I'm so sick of the advertisements. I enjoyed when it was the Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl. Now its the lame Nokia Sugar Bowl, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, and FedEx Orange Bowl. Yesterday I saw on the ticker on ESPN that Southern Miss. accepted a bid to the "Papajohns.com Bowl". What the fuck. At some point it just gets to be too much. /rant off

[octopus]

1) Ever major conference needs a championship game. Its an awesome game for the fans of the conference (and for those outside) and it evens up the playing field at the end of the season. Ohio State doesn't play one so they don't risk there position at the end of the year while LSU, West Virginia, and others do.

Except that West Virginia doesn't, either. (The Big East doesn't have a championship game). I just wonder if the Big Ten schedule ends so early to take advantage of this "loophole"...

What I'd prefer is go back to the traditional bowls, and then do a 4 team playoff based on the bowl game results.

[Byrd]

But I'd rather win the SEC championship (or even have the chance) than win a BCS bowl that isn't the national championship.

That's a valid point, and I can accept that. I even think the way Georgia is playing right now vs. LSU, the Bulldogs would probably win. LSU has not impressed me as much this year as in past years.

As far as I'm concerned, the winner of the SEC championship should always get an automatic bid to the national title game and the other slot should go to the next best team.

I think most reasonable people will acknowledge the SEC is a deeper conference over the last 5-10 years than most of the others, but they're not leaps and bounds above the others. The SEC's reward for being so deep is generally having the highest ranked team per loss (2-loss Georgia is the highest ranked 2-loss team; 3-loss Florida is the highest ranked 3-loss team; Auburn (or Tenn, if they lose) is the highest 4-loss team; 1-loss Florida last year, etc.) Giving them an automatic bid based on their conference's presumed strength is, to put it politely, a extremely homeristic observation. USC's been the best team overall for the course of the last five years; should we put them in the title game every year as well? USC vs. SEC champ?

All that being said, I fully believe that Auburn got jobbed in 2004; an undefeated SEC team should always get in the championship game, barring extreme circumstances. The only reason they didn't in 2004 was because they started the season unranked, whereas the top two teams (USC & Oklahoma) were in the top handful pre-season.

Don't worry, the only team ranked #7 or higher in the BCS that gets fucked out of a game is the '06 Wisconsin team.

If Oklahoma wins next week, either Kansas or Missouri will miss the BCS this year with a Top 6 ranking. Cal missed the BCS in 2004 with a #4 ranking. Kansas State missed the BCS in 1998-ish with a #3 ranking. I'm sure there are more that I can't think of off the top of my head. Neither Cal nor Kansas State missed the BCS due to the "Two Teams per Conference" rule, but due to financial and regional reasons. Please don't play the "we're the only ones who got screwed" card, when it's clear you're not. And I don't think anyone really has sympathy that a third place team from their conference didn't go to a BCS game.

Ever major conference needs a championship game.Its an awesome game for the fans of the conference (and for those outside) and it evens up the playing field at the end of the season. Ohio State doesn't play one so they don't risk there position at the end of the year while LSU, West Virginia, and others do.

Contrarians would argue that Ohio State also doesn't get the advantage of having that extra marquis win at the end of the season that helps other schools, but having the last two weeks off is often very advantageous (like this year). I do agree with you that the Big 10 needs a championship game of some sort, however. There is a very real chance that at some point, two Big 10 teams will finish with undefeated records and play in the national title game. In 2002, Iowa and Ohio State finished Big 10 play 8-0; Iowa lost a non-conference game to Iowa State. In 2006, Wisconsin and Ohio State never played; had Wisconsin beaten Michigan, they would both have finished 8-0 and in the national title game. I think a key reason the Big 10 hasn't expanded to 12 yet is they are hoping Notre Dame finally joins, which may happen very soon due to the Irish' current troubles. Either that or they see the advantage in allowing the above scenario to happen.

I don't think either the Big East or the Pac-10 need a championship game with their current roster. Both of those conferences have a full round robin slate, eliminating the need for a championship game.

[Venture]

A undefeated SEC team should just be crowned National Champion, and the season ends without a bowl. You go undefeated in the SEC; now that's a feat.

[Akiyama]

Notre Dame should clearly play in the Pac-10. I don't care where they are compared to the rest of the schools, they were 2-1 against the Pac-10!


Okay, all kidding aside, I too am wondering when they'll finally cave in on this Independent bullshit and join a real conferance.

[Byrd]

Okay, all kidding aside, I too am wondering when they'll finally cave in on this Independent bullshit and join a real conferance.

When they become bad enough that the amount of money NBC offers them for a television contract becomes less than the amount they can make by joining a conference. They "take pride" in their independence, but it's really dollars that talk. And when they do join a conference, it will be the Big 10. They're in the Big East for all other sports because the Big East lets them; the Big East won't bring in the money from football that the Big 10 does.

Random trivia question:

This team leads the nation in run defense, ranks #3 nationally in sacks, #8 nationally in tackles for loss, and #13 in total defense. They lead their conference in interceptions and turnovers forced, and have outscored their opponents 113-9 in the first quarter this year. Who are they?

7-4 unranked Oregon State. And yet they're 5 point underdogs to the Dennis Dixon-less Oregon Ducks who scored zero points on UCLA last weekend. There's your betting tip for the week, folks.

[Azkarin]

My prior statement about the SEC champ getting an automatic bid to the national championship game was slightly exaggerated and full of SEC bias.

It is sad how all the problems/issues with college football/BCS rankings all revolves around money. While college football is amazing and completely takes over mine and many others fall seasons, it a shame to see it all thrown away in the last month/weeks because its more profitable for one school/company/bowl to stick to its odd/wrong ways. I do think that with so many issues over the last 10 years it will change but unfortunately not soon enough. It sucks seeing a team or two each year get snubbed after working so hard for 14 weeks.

[Serif]

Fuck yeah going to the SEC Championship!

[octopus]

Can #1 and #2 lose on the same night? Wow!

Oklahoma winning was at least not too surprising but Pitt is taking it to West Virginia...

[Stolin]

The ranking system is worthless.

edit:Helluva last couple plays by mizzou

[Tyche]

Cheers to 2 great games. I kinda figured the pitt/wvu game would be close than advertised. Dave wanstedt is a pretty damn good ball coach. Kinda figured Oklahoma would light up mizzou though. Just please, please, please don't allow ohio state in the title game. PLEASE! I hope GA jumps them if either 1 or 2 loses.

[Rigor]

I am going to add to the sentiment that there should be playoffs to decide who goes the the National CHamp game. I'd say make the BCS bowl games the playoffs. Still get the money and get a chance to show their stuff on the national stage. I would say the top 4 bowl games become the playoffs. If this has been said before I don't care cause Im not reading 25 pages, lazy and such.

[Ryany]

..total bullshit call on the holding that took away a Pitt TD. If you go by those standards, every play should be holding.

Even if West Virginia comes back and wins, they should drop to 3. QB injured or not, all the other teams would be beating Pitt by 25 at this point in the game.

[Rigor]

Cheers to 2 great games. I kinda figured the pitt/wvu game would be close than advertised. Dave wanstedt is a pretty damn good ball coach. Kinda figured Oklahoma would light up mizzou though. Just please, please, please don't allow ohio state in the title game. PLEASE! I hope GA jumps them if either 1 or 2 loses.

Those are fightin' words!

http://www.cockytalk.com/PhotoPost/d...9/osuvsum.jpeg

[Akiyama]

What I'm laughing at tonight is Kirk/Lee Corso's comments this morning about WV winning by 5 touchdowns or more. Hell, Kirk said they could name their own score. Shows just why I hate him so much. I'm gonna lol if Pitt beats WV, OK beats Mizz, and the BCS gets fucked over. Ohio State v. Georgia in the National Title game, wut?

[Ryany]

Robbery!!

[Byrd]

I thought Pac-10 refs were bad, but the refs in this WVU-Pitt game are atrocious. Two phantom holding calls on huge plays.

[Akiyama]

I thought Pac-10 refs were bad, but the refs in this WVU-Pitt game are atrocious. Two phantom holding calls on huge plays.

No fucking kidding. The Refs are just out to fuck someone over now.

Edit: Looks like #1 and #2 are gonna go down. THis is so fucking awesome.

[Byrd]

In the last nine games involving a team ranked #2 in the nation, the #2 ranked team is 2-7. That's amazing.

[Vixy]

Ohio to the championship, hell yeah!