Tuesday Question[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=+1]
The two at large BCS teams deserve to be ...[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
Pete Fiutak
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be …
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
A: Penn State is already in. Assume USC and Texas are in, even with a loss. Assume LSU, Virginia Tech and West Virginia/South Florida winner is in. I'll make this really simple: As of November 22nd, Ohio State and Oregon should be in, period, end of story, let's go take a steam.
Despite all the bitching and moaning, the BCS is actually a great system to compare and contrast teams based on the regular season. Why can't you just take the top eight teams and put them in? Since the Big East is a part of this thing taking up space in one automatic spot, the top two teams according to the current rankings are Ohio State and Oregon, and they should be in. However, Notre Dame will get an automatic spot based on its peach of a deal with the BCS, so the one spot has to go to Ohio State, for being the highest ranked non-automatic team left.
What if USC, Texas, Virginia Tech, and/or LSU lose their final game? Once again, the highest ranked non-automatic qualifying teams according to the final BCS rankings deserve the nod.[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] <TABLE id=table2 cellSpacing=7 width=305 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%">Have a TQ? E-mail us with your ideas.
2005 Questions
[/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=-2]- [/SIZE][SIZE=-2]Rivalries: best, overrated, underrated, favorite[/SIZE][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[SIZE=-2]- Give one potential big upset[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]- Should Fisher DeBerry be fired?[/SIZE][SIZE=-2]
- Rank the BCS conferences
- Midseason Awards [/SIZE]
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]- [/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=-2]Midseason report part one ... how will the BCS end up?
[/SIZE]- [SIZE=-2]What are the coolest traditions?
[/SIZE]- [SIZE=-2]Who is this year's "Purdue"?[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=-2]Give player, coach and team that are the real deal[/SIZE][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE]-Biggest early surprises[SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE]- How good is Notre Dame? How bad is OU?
- The conference winners will be ...[SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE]- The preseason top 10 is ...
- Predict who the top award winners will be
- The three biggest surprises will be ...
- [SIZE=-2]I[/SIZE]f you could be the coach anywhere, where would it be?[SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE]- A Heisman candidate who wasn't a finalist last year
- Dream backfield going into the season
- How will the first year go for the new coaches - Part 2?
- How will the first year go for the new coaches?
- Which team is flying under the preseason radar?
- If USC doesn't go to the Rose Bowl, who will?
- The BCS matchups will be ...
- The most overrated team will be ...
- Good and bad about Coaches Poll going public
- Way too early picks for 3 big games ... part 2
- Way too early picks for 3 big games ... part 1
- What on-field rule would you like to see changed?
- Early sleeper for 2005
- Most important spring battles
- Who should be the No. 1 draft pick and top sleeper?
- What's your favorite college football ending?
- What should the BCS formula be changed to?
[SIZE=-2]- Predicting the NCAA Tournament and Final 4
- USC vs. Auburn ... what would've happened?
- [/SIZE][SIZE=-2]What will happen in the Orange Bowl? [/SIZE]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]2004 Questions
- Tuesday Questions of 2004
- Tuesday Questions of 2003
- Tuesday Questions of 2002
- Tuesday Questions of 2001[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Richard Cirminiello[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be ….
A: Auburn and Ohio State with Notre Dame making the Gator Bowl committee very, very happy. No disrespect to the Irish, who’ll surely capture one of the two bids with a win at Stanford Saturday, but am I the only person who believes Notre Dame is getting way too much credit as the highest ranked two-loss team? The computers get dogged in many BCS discussions, but remain a vital component in the equation because they see what voters often fail to recognize. For instance, that the Notre Dame schedule is way softer than most anyone realizes. It’s not their fault, but it needs to be mentioned and processed that Pittsburgh, Michigan, Purdue, Tennessee and Syracuse have all missed their preseason expectations by a few fathoms. And that loss to Michigan State, which got uglier with each passing weekend, is the most egregious of any school still in the at-large hunt. Notre Dame is a very good football team, but there are more deserving options.
At worst, Auburn is the second best team in the SEC. They’ve gelled since losing the opener to Georgia Tech, and Saturday’s win over Alabama was the definition of domination from a team that’s a couple of errant field goals in Baton Rouge from riding a 10-game winning streak into the postseason. If a playoff existed, the Tigers are the kind of team that’s cresting at the ideal time and that could make a surprising run to the title game. Ohio State has won six straight to earn a share of the Big Ten title, and its two losses were against No. 2 Texas and No. 4 Penn State by a total of 10 points. Now that the offense is clicking, the Buckeyes are clearly one of the seven or eight best teams in the nation and just a shade more complete than Notre Dame, something they might very well get a chance to prove in Tempe on Jan. 2.
John Harris[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be ...
I made the comment last year that if you’re going to have the BCS, then use the BCS. The point is that the two highest ranked teams in the BCS should ultimately be the two that go – Ohio State and Oregon.
If the entire body of work of one’s season is going to mean anything at all, then I think you should use the final rankings of the BCS, which would imply that these are the two for the taking. But, the problem ends up being that Notre Dame is going to beat Stanford and take one of those BCS spots, which in and of itself is absolute robbery. Think about it, all they have to do is get nine wins and a BCS berth falls in its lap? Now, is a Notre Dame-Penn State Fiesta Bowl a wonderful matchup with a plethora of subplots? Sure, but that’s not the point. The Notre Dame argument is going to fall on deaf ears, so let’s move on.
Auburn and Miami have two losses, both lost to Georgia Tech at home, but have tremendous victories under their belt. Auburn may have the stronger argument and quite frankly, they’re the one team I wouldn’t want to play right now. But, as the season closes, more than likely they’ll finish behind Miami, Oregon, Ohio State and Notre Dame, so it’s hard to make a strong enough case to push them past all of those teams. Miami? Well, what’s the adage you can’t lose late and win? What, is this 1996? No, it’s certainly not, so Miami’s out.
So, Oregon or Ohio State? Ohio State beat Michigan on the road. Oregon beat Fresno State at home. That’s a push, if you consider how good Fresno State actually is. Ohio State lost to Texas at home. Oregon lost to USC at home. Push, although Ohio State didn’t get rolled like Oregon, so perhaps advantage Buckeyes. Ohio State lost two, Oregon lost one. Advantage Ducks. So, by that equation, Oregon should head to a BCS bowl, if only by a hair. But, Ohio State will, and I won’t have a significant problem with that because the Buckeyes will finish higher in the BCS – remember use the formula you have.
Now, the assumption is that UCLA won’t upset USC, as if the Trojans get sidetracked, then USC will be the other at-large. Who won’t want Bush, Leinart and Pete Carroll in the Orange, Fiesta or Sugar. A win by UCLA will throw the entire BCS into bedlam, which might be exactly what some of you want. But, for now, Ohio State will go, Oregon should probably go, while Notre Dame has to go.
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Mark Risley[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be …
A: This question is a bit difficult to answer with a handful of key games remaining. So, a few assumptions need to be made in order to provide an answer two weeks before the pairings are announced. If any single one of these assumptions is proven false, then the answer becomes entirely different…
Assumption #1 – VA Tech beats North Carolina & wins the ACC championship game
Assumption #2 – Texas wins the Big XII championship game
Assumption #3 – Southern California beats UCLA on Dec. 3
Assumption #4 – LSU beats Arkansas on Friday
The one assumption not worth making at this point is deciding which team will prevail in the SEC championship game. Seems like most of the country may have forgotten about the talent on this year’s Georgia squad, and with a healthy D.J. Shockley, the Bulldogs appear very evenly matched against LSU in the Georgia Dome. That being said…
The first at-large berth should go to Ohio State. At the moment, there may not be a team that is playing better. The headlines this past weekend talked about the fourth-quarter comeback over Michigan, but what’s forgotten is that despite two key turnovers, the Buckeyes outplayed the Wolverines for the better part of the first three quarters. Sure, the Buckeyes have two losses, but when one is to the BCS No. 2 and the other is to the BCS No. 3, it isn’t difficult to justify an at-large bid when comparing against some of the one-loss teams. In addition, the Big Ten will send six other teams to bowls, and Ohio State trashed three of those squads. Had the Bucks’ QB situation not been so unsettled at the time of the UT game, who knows what we’d be talking about right now.
If LSU beats Georgia, the second at-large berth should go to Auburn, and if Georgia beats LSU, the second at-large berth should go to LSU. … Notre Dame has looked great for most of the season, but regardless of its effort against USC, its only true quality win was against Michigan. … Oregon has only the one loss (which happens to be against the BCS No. 1 team), but lackluster second half performances and narrow wins against two of the bottom three teams in its conference raise a red flag. I’m sure the Pac-10 folks are sick and tired of being compared to the ACC/SEC, but both Auburn and LSU are more balanced than Oregon. The only way to find out for sure is a head-to-head match-up, but, subjectively, AU/LSU’s defense appears more impressive than Oregon’s offense. … When comparing Auburn to Miami (assuming Miami beats Virginia this weekend), it’s like splitting hairs. Both lost by three points on the road to a quality conference foe, and both lost at home to GA Tech. After seeing each team play several times this season, you can conclude that both of the defenses are outstanding, but Auburn appears to have a decisive edge on offense – especially in the running game. LSU obviously holds the head-to-head vs. Auburn, so if Georgia wins the SEC, LSU gets the nod over Auburn, Miami, and Oregon. After all, it would seem silly to penalize LSU for losing an extra game that Miami/Oregon didn’t have to play.
All the ramblings and disclaimers in the previous paragraph are just a waste of time, though. We’re all very aware that TV dollars & ticket revenue drive the BCS bus, which is exactly why Notre Dame will garner one of the two BCS at-large bids. Assuming, of course, that the Irish offense is clicking this Saturday in Palo Alto.
[FONT=verdana, arial,
sans serif][SIZE=-1]Matthew Zemek [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be …[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]A: Ohio State and Auburn.
With the Buckeyes, it's a matter of whether or not Troy Smith and the rest of the team can make more big plays than mistakes. When crunch time arrived in the Big House, Smith made big plays. So while Ohio State is still inconsistent, I ultimately have to view them as a playmaking team, not a wavering team, and a playmaking Buckeye team has more juice than any other at-large BCS candidate out there. The Miami loss paved the way for OSU to be first in the at-large pecking order--not in the politics of the BCS, mind you, but in the meritocracy of the BCS.
The second slot should go to Auburn. This team is breathing fire right now, and it's hard to imagine even No. 3 LSU--the deserving SEC West Champion (forget about technicalities; if Arkansas beats LSU, then Pope Benedict will immediately convert to Islam)--beating Auburn on a neutral field right now. Beating Georgia and Alabama back to back is a formidable accomplishment for a team that has a lot more substance to its schedule than a certain team in South Bend, who--let's face it--lives off its reputation in ways that other teams, like Fresno State or Oregon, don't.
The two at large BCS teams deserve to be ...[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
Pete Fiutak
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be …
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
A: Penn State is already in. Assume USC and Texas are in, even with a loss. Assume LSU, Virginia Tech and West Virginia/South Florida winner is in. I'll make this really simple: As of November 22nd, Ohio State and Oregon should be in, period, end of story, let's go take a steam.
Despite all the bitching and moaning, the BCS is actually a great system to compare and contrast teams based on the regular season. Why can't you just take the top eight teams and put them in? Since the Big East is a part of this thing taking up space in one automatic spot, the top two teams according to the current rankings are Ohio State and Oregon, and they should be in. However, Notre Dame will get an automatic spot based on its peach of a deal with the BCS, so the one spot has to go to Ohio State, for being the highest ranked non-automatic team left.
What if USC, Texas, Virginia Tech, and/or LSU lose their final game? Once again, the highest ranked non-automatic qualifying teams according to the final BCS rankings deserve the nod.[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] <TABLE id=table2 cellSpacing=7 width=305 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%">Have a TQ? E-mail us with your ideas.
2005 Questions
[/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=-2]- [/SIZE][SIZE=-2]Rivalries: best, overrated, underrated, favorite[/SIZE][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[SIZE=-2]- Give one potential big upset[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]- Should Fisher DeBerry be fired?[/SIZE][SIZE=-2]
- Rank the BCS conferences
- Midseason Awards [/SIZE]
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]- [/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=-2]Midseason report part one ... how will the BCS end up?
[/SIZE]- [SIZE=-2]What are the coolest traditions?
[/SIZE]- [SIZE=-2]Who is this year's "Purdue"?[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=-2]Give player, coach and team that are the real deal[/SIZE][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE]-Biggest early surprises[SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE]- How good is Notre Dame? How bad is OU?
- The conference winners will be ...[SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE]- The preseason top 10 is ...
- Predict who the top award winners will be
- The three biggest surprises will be ...
- [SIZE=-2]I[/SIZE]f you could be the coach anywhere, where would it be?[SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE]- A Heisman candidate who wasn't a finalist last year
- Dream backfield going into the season
- How will the first year go for the new coaches - Part 2?
- How will the first year go for the new coaches?
- Which team is flying under the preseason radar?
- If USC doesn't go to the Rose Bowl, who will?
- The BCS matchups will be ...
- The most overrated team will be ...
- Good and bad about Coaches Poll going public
- Way too early picks for 3 big games ... part 2
- Way too early picks for 3 big games ... part 1
- What on-field rule would you like to see changed?
- Early sleeper for 2005
- Most important spring battles
- Who should be the No. 1 draft pick and top sleeper?
- What's your favorite college football ending?
- What should the BCS formula be changed to?
[SIZE=-2]- Predicting the NCAA Tournament and Final 4
- USC vs. Auburn ... what would've happened?
- [/SIZE][SIZE=-2]What will happen in the Orange Bowl? [/SIZE]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]2004 Questions
- Tuesday Questions of 2004
- Tuesday Questions of 2003
- Tuesday Questions of 2002
- Tuesday Questions of 2001[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
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</NOEMBED><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!-- END:AdSolution-Tag 4.3 --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Richard Cirminiello[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be ….
A: Auburn and Ohio State with Notre Dame making the Gator Bowl committee very, very happy. No disrespect to the Irish, who’ll surely capture one of the two bids with a win at Stanford Saturday, but am I the only person who believes Notre Dame is getting way too much credit as the highest ranked two-loss team? The computers get dogged in many BCS discussions, but remain a vital component in the equation because they see what voters often fail to recognize. For instance, that the Notre Dame schedule is way softer than most anyone realizes. It’s not their fault, but it needs to be mentioned and processed that Pittsburgh, Michigan, Purdue, Tennessee and Syracuse have all missed their preseason expectations by a few fathoms. And that loss to Michigan State, which got uglier with each passing weekend, is the most egregious of any school still in the at-large hunt. Notre Dame is a very good football team, but there are more deserving options.
At worst, Auburn is the second best team in the SEC. They’ve gelled since losing the opener to Georgia Tech, and Saturday’s win over Alabama was the definition of domination from a team that’s a couple of errant field goals in Baton Rouge from riding a 10-game winning streak into the postseason. If a playoff existed, the Tigers are the kind of team that’s cresting at the ideal time and that could make a surprising run to the title game. Ohio State has won six straight to earn a share of the Big Ten title, and its two losses were against No. 2 Texas and No. 4 Penn State by a total of 10 points. Now that the offense is clicking, the Buckeyes are clearly one of the seven or eight best teams in the nation and just a shade more complete than Notre Dame, something they might very well get a chance to prove in Tempe on Jan. 2.
John Harris[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be ...
I made the comment last year that if you’re going to have the BCS, then use the BCS. The point is that the two highest ranked teams in the BCS should ultimately be the two that go – Ohio State and Oregon.
If the entire body of work of one’s season is going to mean anything at all, then I think you should use the final rankings of the BCS, which would imply that these are the two for the taking. But, the problem ends up being that Notre Dame is going to beat Stanford and take one of those BCS spots, which in and of itself is absolute robbery. Think about it, all they have to do is get nine wins and a BCS berth falls in its lap? Now, is a Notre Dame-Penn State Fiesta Bowl a wonderful matchup with a plethora of subplots? Sure, but that’s not the point. The Notre Dame argument is going to fall on deaf ears, so let’s move on.
Auburn and Miami have two losses, both lost to Georgia Tech at home, but have tremendous victories under their belt. Auburn may have the stronger argument and quite frankly, they’re the one team I wouldn’t want to play right now. But, as the season closes, more than likely they’ll finish behind Miami, Oregon, Ohio State and Notre Dame, so it’s hard to make a strong enough case to push them past all of those teams. Miami? Well, what’s the adage you can’t lose late and win? What, is this 1996? No, it’s certainly not, so Miami’s out.
So, Oregon or Ohio State? Ohio State beat Michigan on the road. Oregon beat Fresno State at home. That’s a push, if you consider how good Fresno State actually is. Ohio State lost to Texas at home. Oregon lost to USC at home. Push, although Ohio State didn’t get rolled like Oregon, so perhaps advantage Buckeyes. Ohio State lost two, Oregon lost one. Advantage Ducks. So, by that equation, Oregon should head to a BCS bowl, if only by a hair. But, Ohio State will, and I won’t have a significant problem with that because the Buckeyes will finish higher in the BCS – remember use the formula you have.
Now, the assumption is that UCLA won’t upset USC, as if the Trojans get sidetracked, then USC will be the other at-large. Who won’t want Bush, Leinart and Pete Carroll in the Orange, Fiesta or Sugar. A win by UCLA will throw the entire BCS into bedlam, which might be exactly what some of you want. But, for now, Ohio State will go, Oregon should probably go, while Notre Dame has to go.
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Mark Risley[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be …
A: This question is a bit difficult to answer with a handful of key games remaining. So, a few assumptions need to be made in order to provide an answer two weeks before the pairings are announced. If any single one of these assumptions is proven false, then the answer becomes entirely different…
Assumption #1 – VA Tech beats North Carolina & wins the ACC championship game
Assumption #2 – Texas wins the Big XII championship game
Assumption #3 – Southern California beats UCLA on Dec. 3
Assumption #4 – LSU beats Arkansas on Friday
The one assumption not worth making at this point is deciding which team will prevail in the SEC championship game. Seems like most of the country may have forgotten about the talent on this year’s Georgia squad, and with a healthy D.J. Shockley, the Bulldogs appear very evenly matched against LSU in the Georgia Dome. That being said…
The first at-large berth should go to Ohio State. At the moment, there may not be a team that is playing better. The headlines this past weekend talked about the fourth-quarter comeback over Michigan, but what’s forgotten is that despite two key turnovers, the Buckeyes outplayed the Wolverines for the better part of the first three quarters. Sure, the Buckeyes have two losses, but when one is to the BCS No. 2 and the other is to the BCS No. 3, it isn’t difficult to justify an at-large bid when comparing against some of the one-loss teams. In addition, the Big Ten will send six other teams to bowls, and Ohio State trashed three of those squads. Had the Bucks’ QB situation not been so unsettled at the time of the UT game, who knows what we’d be talking about right now.
If LSU beats Georgia, the second at-large berth should go to Auburn, and if Georgia beats LSU, the second at-large berth should go to LSU. … Notre Dame has looked great for most of the season, but regardless of its effort against USC, its only true quality win was against Michigan. … Oregon has only the one loss (which happens to be against the BCS No. 1 team), but lackluster second half performances and narrow wins against two of the bottom three teams in its conference raise a red flag. I’m sure the Pac-10 folks are sick and tired of being compared to the ACC/SEC, but both Auburn and LSU are more balanced than Oregon. The only way to find out for sure is a head-to-head match-up, but, subjectively, AU/LSU’s defense appears more impressive than Oregon’s offense. … When comparing Auburn to Miami (assuming Miami beats Virginia this weekend), it’s like splitting hairs. Both lost by three points on the road to a quality conference foe, and both lost at home to GA Tech. After seeing each team play several times this season, you can conclude that both of the defenses are outstanding, but Auburn appears to have a decisive edge on offense – especially in the running game. LSU obviously holds the head-to-head vs. Auburn, so if Georgia wins the SEC, LSU gets the nod over Auburn, Miami, and Oregon. After all, it would seem silly to penalize LSU for losing an extra game that Miami/Oregon didn’t have to play.
All the ramblings and disclaimers in the previous paragraph are just a waste of time, though. We’re all very aware that TV dollars & ticket revenue drive the BCS bus, which is exactly why Notre Dame will garner one of the two BCS at-large bids. Assuming, of course, that the Irish offense is clicking this Saturday in Palo Alto.
[FONT=verdana, arial,
sans serif][SIZE=-1]Matthew Zemek [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]Q: And the two at-large BCS teams deserve to be …[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]A: Ohio State and Auburn.
With the Buckeyes, it's a matter of whether or not Troy Smith and the rest of the team can make more big plays than mistakes. When crunch time arrived in the Big House, Smith made big plays. So while Ohio State is still inconsistent, I ultimately have to view them as a playmaking team, not a wavering team, and a playmaking Buckeye team has more juice than any other at-large BCS candidate out there. The Miami loss paved the way for OSU to be first in the at-large pecking order--not in the politics of the BCS, mind you, but in the meritocracy of the BCS.
The second slot should go to Auburn. This team is breathing fire right now, and it's hard to imagine even No. 3 LSU--the deserving SEC West Champion (forget about technicalities; if Arkansas beats LSU, then Pope Benedict will immediately convert to Islam)--beating Auburn on a neutral field right now. Beating Georgia and Alabama back to back is a formidable accomplishment for a team that has a lot more substance to its schedule than a certain team in South Bend, who--let's face it--lives off its reputation in ways that other teams, like Fresno State or Oregon, don't.
