Several teams have the potential to finish with one defeat and a claim for a national title bid.
For those who enjoy BCS chaos, the fun starts now.
Southern California’s loss to Oregon State was the first and most significant step toward giving the Bowl Championship Series an impossible task of putting together a title game that will satisfy everybody.
The Beavers’ 33-31 upset Saturday had fans of highly ranked one-loss teams rejoicing from Gainesville, Fla., to Berkeley, Calif.
Don’t get too down, Trojans. While you gave up control of your destiny in the championship race, you’re not out of it either.
When the BCS standings came out Sunday, Ohio State and Michigan were still on top. It hardly mattered that West Virginia was slightly ahead of Florida for third place, with Louisville and Auburn also close behind. The issue is a long way from being settled. In fact, it probably won’t ever get settled.
After Saturday, there were six unbeaten teams in Division I-A. Only three of those teams can end the regular season undefeated: The Ohio State-Michigan winner; one of three Big East teams and Boise State if the Broncos can run the Western Athletic Conference.
There’s no question about whether an unbeaten Ohio State or Michigan deserves a spot in the title game on Jan. 8. The one that wins out is going to Glendale, Ariz.
That second spot is going to be up for much debate, and there will be more than one right answer.
The best-case scenario for the BCS now, if you want to call it that, is for West Virginia, or Louisville to remain perfect and lay claim to the second spot in the title game. But that’s not going to go over well with those who don’t think much of the Big East.
The Big East is no longer the Big Least. It’s better at the top than the Atlantic Coast Conference. But check out Florida’s schedule and try making a case that if the Gators finish 12-1 and are champions of the toughest conference in the nation, they don’t deserve to play for the national title, even ahead of an unbeaten Big East winner.
OK, so let’s put the Gators in there against Ohio State or Michigan, and then go tell West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez or Louisville’s Bobby Petrino, “Sorry, your perfect record isn’t perfect enough.”
If that’s the best scenario, what’s worse?
How about no undefeated Big East teams?
West Virginia and Louisville square off Thursday night. The winner should get a huge boost in the polls and computer ratings that make up the BCS standings. Coming into the season, it seemed inevitable that the winner of that game would take the Big East.
Not anymore. It’s very realistic that neither West Virginia nor Louisville, nor Rutgers (stop laughing, the Scarlet Knights are good) goes undefeated.
At that point all the one-loss teams get to step up and say, “Hey, what about us.”
Texas, California, Notre Dame, Auburn and Tennessee are all still in the mix. USC is damaged but not done. Not with Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame still left on the schedule.
The Ohio State-Michigan loser is still in play.
Yes, great fun indeed. Unless you’re BCS coordinator and Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive, who will have to answer all those unanswerable questions.
TAKING THE O FROM OWLS: This is why Temple was so excited about moving into the Mid-American Conference.
The Owls (1-8) snapped their 20-game losing streak on Saturday with a 28-14 victory over rebuilding Bowling Green (4-5). Temple had been outscored 351-71 in their first eight games and allowed 60 points three times.
“Our players were jumping up and down and were so excited. We’ve worked so hard for so long, and it was worth all the hard work,” said Travis Shelton, who scored two touchdowns, including a 96-yard kickoff return.
The Owls become a full-time member of the MAC next season and while they are a long way from contending in that conference, they’ll at least have a shot at winning a few games. That was no longer the case in the Big East, and Temple clearly couldn’t survive as an independent.
Having eight MAC games and four nonconference games gives first-year coach Al Golden a chance to limit the humiliating blowouts, win three games and have something positive to build on.
IRISH ROSE: In 1925, Notre Dame beat Stanford 27-10 in the Rose Bowl. The Fighting Irish haven’t played in the Grandaddy of Them All since.
The time could be right for Notre Dame to return to Pasadena, Calif.
The Rose Bowl is guaranteed a Big Ten champ-Pac-10 champ matchup unless one of those teams plays for the national title game. Looks like Ohio State or Michigan will make that happen.
That would give the Rose Bowl the first selection of BCS eligible teams to replace the Big Ten champion. If it comes down to Big Ten runner-up Michigan, which has played in two of the past three Rose Bowls, or Notre Dame, the allure of the Irish might be too strong for the Rose Bowl to overlook.