20-win Cougars flying under the radar

Name one player who plays for the BYU Cougars men’s basketball team.  Do it.  Got nothing?  It’s okay, you’re just like everybody else.

You may not know anything about the underrated, overachieving, religious junkies from north central Utah.  Neither does anyone else.  But know this.  The Cougars are ranked #14 in the AP Poll and are creeping up on the nation.  ESPN ignores them.  You won’t find them on TV.  But while Tennessee was busy getting smoked at Georgia yesterday (Bulldogs ranked #73 in RPI), the Cougars were grinding out a tough win at San Diego State (Aztecs ranked #41 in RPI).  That win pushed BYU to 20-1 on the season.  They’re the first team in the country to achieve the 20-win milestone, and it’s still January.

The Cougars are outscoring opponents 83-62 on average and are shooting more than 50 percent for the season, including 42 percent from three-point range.

They have only three seniors on the team, none of whom are in the top three in scoring.  They are led by Jimmer Fredette, a junior averaging 20 points per game.  After that comes junior Jackson Emery and freshman Tyler Haws, each averaging 12.  In fact, 11 of the 13 players have played in at least 19 games.

Sure, the Cougars haven’t had much in terms of a schedule, but they did beat Arizona and Arizona State out of conference, both of whom are tied for second place in the Pac 10.  The one loss, at Utah State, is a loss to hide from, though the Aggies (15-6) do have a better RPI than Florida, Minnesota and Seton Hall.

The Mountain West has some tough teams (UNLV and New Mexico were ranked earlier this year, while Utah and San Diego State are also tournament bubble teams), but it’s not insane to think BYU could pull a Memphis and run the table.  If so, head coach Dave Rose may, dare I say it, have his team as high as a #1 seed come March.

Forever young

Guest columnist Brendan Wilson

Is there any question to who the best team in college basketball is right now? Following a 64-61 win over #12 Connecticut, Kentucky is now 9-0 and look better than they have in years. Did I mention this win came five days after they downed #11 North Carolina? Maybe we should rewind a few weeks. Kentucky beat Miami-Ohio by two, Sam Houston State by 10, and Stanford by eight in overtime. Having second thoughts? Don’t. This team is for real. Freshman John Wall dropped 25 on UConn last night, and seems to be getting better by the game. Freshman DeMarcus Cousins is a phenom as well averaging almost 15 per game. What about freshman Patrick Patterson, who is averaging over 16 per game. Yes, their three best players are three freshmen who do not shadow away in the spotlight.

John Calipari has this team running on all cylinders. No, they have not faced big size down low like Kansas or as an athletic of a team as Texas, but these past two wins have shown a lot in the character of this team. This is a team who is going to win the SEC easily. Florida and Mississippi are off to good starts but one can only ask how long it will last. Tennessee seems to figure as the Wildcats biggest task within conference play. Next up is a young Indiana team who is playing with a lot of heart, but simply will not contend with this team. After that, Kentucky does not leave their home floor for 30 days. Jan. 2 figures as their next challenge against Louisville. Inexperience seems to be the one question about this team, and I don’t see it being an issue. Kentucky may have finally found its way with one of the best recruiting classes of all time, and in sequence, could be heading to their first final four since 1998. Until then, there is a lot of basketball to be played!

Dear BCS – your system is just fine

Guest columnist Kyle Goeke

Non BCS conferences are here to stay.  Over the past five years, it has become apparent that these conferences want two things: to be recognized with the big boys and (more importantly) to be paid like the big boys.  A berth in a BCS bowl game is worth $18 million to each conference that gets a bid (which gets split evenly to the schools).  That’s right…in 2007, the terrible 1-11 Idaho Vandals received about $2 million because their conference brethren Hawaii got a BCS bid.  So no wonder these non-BCS conferences want their piece of the pie.

Every decision these commissioners and college presidents make is about money.  Why do you think college football hasn’t switched to a playoff format?  Because they’ll make more money pushing a “win or go home” regular season.  Think about it: a 32 team playoff would include Temple, a 16 team playoff would have three-loss Virginia Tech, and an eight team playoff has two loss LSU.  Some people out there even want a four team (Plus One) playoff.  A four team playoff makes sense…only, who are you going to leave out?  Boise State? Cincinnati?  TCU?  Those three teams can all make the case for the fourth spot.  A four team playoff would create just as much chaos as the system that’s in place now.

Anyways…I hate to ramble.  I’m new to this blog thing.  Here is my suggestion: keep the system the way it is.  It has worked thus far (with the exception of the 2004 Auburn Tigers).  Also, these non BCS schools keep complaining that their team is the best, and yet they can’t play for a title.  I asked Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel about this dilemma a few weeks ago at Tiger Talk (Buffalo Wild Wings 40 cent boneless Monday’s!!!).  He has actually experienced this situation from both perspectives.  He was the head coach at Toledo in 2000 when they failed to make a bowl appearance after a 10-1 regular season (Chester Taylor destroyed the MAC that year).  Pinkel believes that it takes a lot of emotion and preparation to beat a top ranked conference foe.  It takes even more to beat that top ranked team and then come out the next week ready for the next tough team.  Could Boise St. beat Florida?  I think so.  Could Boise St. beat Florida and then come out the next week ready to take on Alabama?  No way.  Kentucky had a two game stretch like that earlier in the season.  Boise St. beat Oregon at home in the first game of the season.  That is literally all they have to show for this season (other than nail biters with Tulsa and Louisiana Tech).  TCU has had a tougher schedule.  It’s not their fault that Clemson lost to Maryland or that Virginia is god-awful.  But Texas State?  Get that game off your schedule if you want to be taken seriously.  They have beaten BYU and Utah badly…but they have not had a two game stretch of good teams yet.

To my suggestion: the winner of the WAC and the MWC should meet during Championship weekend.  The winner of this game should get an automatic bid to a BCS bowl so they can get in on the $$$ action.  Enough of Boise St./Hawaii fans and TCU/Utah fans angry that their team doesn’t get a chance.  Let the winner of that game have a chance at the BCS title game…if they are in the top two of course.  This way they can make the claim that they’ve actually played someone.  I’m sure I went way too long with this blog.  Thanks for reading.

UConn, Duke set for showdown

Want some excitement in college basketball this week?

Too bad.

Only one non-tournament game features ranked teams, and it’s Minnesota  Butler.  Yuck.

Duke is on a path to play UConn for the NIT Tip Off title in the Garden Friday night.  Two days before that, Arizona State and LSU will put up respective tests before falling in the semis.

None of e games were on the staff’s schedule, because we didn’t know what the results would be.

USC loss creates chaos for BCS

When the smoke had cleared in the Coliseum Saturday, all that remained was the remnants of a 55-21 thrashing USC took at the hands of upstart Stanford.  Two years ago, Stanford pulled off one of the biggest upsets of all time with a 24-23 win that spoiled USC’s national title hopes.  This time, Stanford’s win spoiled the Trojans’BCS hopes.

And who gains as a result of USC’s loss?  That would be the Big East.  More importantly the loser of the Dec. 5 showdown between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.  Now that USC has lost again, the loser of that game could still make it to a BCS bowl, especially if that loser is the Bearcats.

Cincinnati is in a position where even a loss to Pitt won’t mean exclusion from the BCS.  They would still be 11-1 and likely in the top 10 in the BCS rankings.  As we learned in 2007, the BCS bowl committee favors one loss teams over strength of schedule, so Penn State and Iowa won’t have much of an argument even if both schools finish 10-2.

If the Panthers lose to the Bearcats, things really get interesting.  The Panthers, as well as a trio of Big Ten non-conference champions (Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin) and Oklahoma State would all be 10-2.  That’s five teams fighting for one spot.

- First, the committee should determine the best of the Big Ten schools.  Iowa should get the nod because they beat both Penn State and Wisconsin, and took Ohio State to overtime in the Shoe without their starting quarterback.  That leaves Iowa, Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh.

- From here, strength of schedule plays a role, but the committee will also look at which teams’fans travel the best and which are most marketable.  Iowa probably has the advantage in terms of being marketable and traveling well, followed by Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh.  However, Pittsburgh would likely end up playing the most difficult schedule by season’s end.  Their schedule is ranked 57 by the computers right now, but will go up after games against West Virginia and Cincinnati to close the year.  Oklahoma State has the weakest SOS at 60.  Iowa is 33, but with a game against Minnesota remaining, which will deflate the ranking

It will be tough for the committee to call this one.  I can see them taking Iowa because they have been historically kind to the Big Ten.  Iowa has been arguably the surprise team of the year, and they do have quality wins over Penn State, Wisconsin and Arizona.  However, Pittsburgh, again, will probably have the toughest strength of schedule, and more than half of their conference contains teams with three or fewer losses.  That’s quite an argument as well.  Here’s how I see it playing out:

Sugar Bowl:  Alabama vs Cincinnati – The SEC runner-up playing the Big East runner-up.  Both teams will be in the top 10 despite losing their respective final games.

Orange Bowl:  Georgia Tech vs Pittsburgh - The ACC champion against the Big East champion.

Fiesta Bowl:  TCU vs Boise State – Both teams will be automatic qualifiers because they will be in the top eight.  The BCS…and the nation…wants to see this game.

Rose Bowl:  Oregon vs Ohio State – The traditional Big Ten champion against Pac 10 champion game.

BCS National Championship:  Florida vs Texas – The BCS #1 against the BCS #2.

College football picks – No BCS for USC

When the Ducks beat the Trojans on Saturday night, it will end USC’s hopes of winning the Pac 10 championship and returning to the Rose Bowl.  Their BCS streak will be over, and it will be somewhat funny seeing them in the Holiday Bowl before New Year’s.  How gross would it be to see an Oregon/Iowa Rose Bowl?  Well get ready nation, it just might happen.

(24) Mississippi 30, Auburn 24

(1) Florida 34, Georgia 20

(18) Miami 31, Wake Forest 7

(3) Texas 35, Oklahoma State 26

(10) Oregon 28, (4) USC 24

UPSET SPECIAL:  Southern Mississippi 35, (15) Houston 31

Last Week:  4-2
Overall:  30-18
Upsets:  5-3

10 college football games I’d love to see

The nonconference season is over except for a few games sprinkled in here and there.  Here are 10 games I would have loved to have seen in 2009 but didn’t.

10 - Iowa State vs Auburn because if Gene Chizik loses to his former team, Auburn will fire him, then interview Tony Dungy, Barack Obama and Albert Pujols before eventually hiring Rush Limbaugh.

9 – Washington State vs Colorado because I want to know who is the worst team among the BCS conference teams.  Too bad they both have a win already.

8 – Duke vs Idaho because both teams have better records than Florida State, Colorado, Louisville and Illinois.  Which game would draw a bigger crowd – this game at Idaho’s Kibbie Dome or a Duke basketball game at Cameron Indoor?

7 - Texas vs Mississippi because Jevan Snead could finally show Texas that they made a mistake by not playing him.  Just like he showed South Carolina.  And Alabama.  Now Texas is stuck with this McCoy guy, who by the end of the year will have more FBS wins than anyone.

6 - Florida vs St. Louis Rams because everyone knows it would be funny seeing Florida win.  It’s fair to put the Rams in this category right?  They certainly aren’t “pros.”

5 - Alabama vs Houston because no one will care that Alabama wins by 50.  Case Keenum vs the #1 defense in the nation is all that matters here.  Of course, he could throw for almost 600 yards and five touchdowns, and still lose the game (see UTEP).

4 - Nebraska vs LSU because the defenses may outscore the offenses.  And because Bo Pelini would probably get a warm welcome in his return to Death Valley, right?  All kidding aside, this would actually be a very good game.

3 – Texas vs Penn State because neither team plays anyone better than my middle school team out of conference.  And because it would be a joy watching these two coaches go easy on each other.  Neither knows how the BCS system works – a.k.a neither coach knows how to run up the score.

2 – TCU vs anyone in the top 25 because three point wins over dismal ACC schools won’t help your BCS cause.  Neither will three point wins over Mountain West schools, although that conference may carry more merit than the ACC.

1 – Boise State vs anyone in the top 10 because after the Broncos flee flicker four times, do football’s hidden ball trick and not have any players get punched after the game, the nation will know that this team deserves its title shot.

Only Texas can save Big 12

The conference that was supposed to rival the SEC for nation’s best has taken a bigger dive than   after an all too disappointing nonconference season.  Only three teams made it through undefeated, and the conference came up on the wrong end of just about every big game it played in.

There’s no more fitting place to start than in Norman.  The Sooners are 2-2 after going 12-1 and playing for a national championship.  Both losses came by one point on national television.  One against a Mountain West school (BYU) and the other against an ACC school (Miami).  Granted they were ranked, away from Norman and without the Heisman winner.  Still, two big games, and two losses for the Big 12.

Nebraska had Virginia Tech on the ropes in Blacksburg before the blown coverage of the century bailed the Hokies out.  Texas Tech and Oklahoma State both lost to a Conference USA school (Houston), who just gave up 58 in a loss to UTEP.  Texas A&M got steamrolled by Arkansas, Colorado lost to West Virginia…and Toledo…and Colorado State.  Iowa State got trucked by in-state rival Iowa.  Kansas State lost to UCLA.  Baylor lost to UConn. Texas didn’t even schedule a game against a BCS opponent.

In fact, the conference as a whole is just 4-6 against nonconference BCS opponents this season.  No one outside of the Longhorns have a prayer of making the national championship game, and recruits can’t be excited by these games.

Meanwhile, the Big Ten has two undefeated teams, and neither are from Happy Valley or Columbus.  The ACC has two top 11 teams, and neither is Florida State.  The Big East has a 5-0 team in South Florida.  And the SEC has three of the top four teams in the polls.

Other conferences are thriving at the expense of the Big 12.  A conference with such high expectations has failed to live up to them.  Conference play kicks in full swing next week, and only Texas can save this conference now.  Winning out gives them a shot at Florida, and a shot to give this conference some respectability.

SEC/Big 12 football challenge

My friend Kyle came up with what I think is a genius idea, though I’m sure it’s been talked about before.  College basketball has the ACC/Big 10 challenge and the Big 12/Pac 10 hardwood series.  Why can’t college football do that?  Kyle wants it to happen, and came up with a way that in can happen – all in one Saturday.  The SEC would play the Big 12, the Big 10 takes on the Pac 10, the Big East tangles with the ACC, and even the smaller conferences get in on the action.  Check out what he says…

I wanted to find out how conferences in major college football matched up with one another.  Big 12 vs. SEC, Big Ten vs. Pac 10, ACC vs. Big East, C-USA vs. MAC, MWC vs. WAC, Sun Belt vs. everyone else…top to bottom.  Basically, the best team from one conference plays the best team from another conference all the way to the worst playing the worst to see which conference gains bragging rights.  I alternated East vs. West, North vs. South and Coastal vs. Atlantic where needed so it wasn’t unfair to one particular division.

This project was much harder than I originally anticipated.  I think I worked on it for three hours, but it was very fun.  It would appear that all of the conference match ups were fair as, according to my predictions, no conference beat another conference by more than two games.  I need more of the season to occur to make some of these calls.  Some of these teams are undefeated with two FCS opponents while some of them are 0-2 against Division 1 Powers.  I randomized which teams got home games and which teams got road games.  Then I realized it wouldn’t be fair (you probably won’t play the same team next year so you may have two or three straight years with this day as a road game).  Some of these games were ridiculously close to call.  Penn St. over USC was tough because Penn St. has played no one, and you know Pete Carroll would have the Trojans ready at Penn St. Ohio St. going across the country to Oregon was tough too because both teams are worse than originally anticipated (I know OSU played well against USC, but a four point home win against Navy?)  In some of those games, I went with the home team by default.  If you have problems with any of my picks, I have reasoning behind all of them and I’d love to hear your opinion.  This format did produce some very intriguing games.

The teams without an opponent will inevitably play each other.  This gave me the perfect opportunity to set up the annual event of Navy losing to Notre Dame (except for 2007).  Everyone else gets a Sun Belt team.  Fun Stuff.

Both Kyle and I made our picks for every game, and we listed them below.  Here are a few points to remember:

- There is no room for subjectivity here.  All of these games are determined strictly by 2008 season results using the formula 1v1, 2v2, ect., and our picks are based on the 2009 season’s teams.

- You will notice that, for example, in the SEC/Big 12 series, the #1 Big 12 South team played the #1 SEC East team.  That means the #2 Big 12 South team plays the #2 SEC West team.  This way it’s not just divisions playing divisions.  That means next year the #1 Big 12 South team plays the #1 SEC West team and alternates from there.

- Home field is determined randomly, then alternates after that.  For example, in the SEC/Big 12 series, the SEC East #1 team (Florida) got the home draw, meaning the SEC East teams #3 and #5 also get home, while #2, #4 and #6 are away.  In the West, #2, #4 and #6 are home.

- This whole weekend would have to take place sometime in September as to not interrupt the conference season.

And now on to the games and picks!

SEC vs Big 12

Oklahoma at Florida
Kyle:  Florida
Jaryd:  Florida

Alabama at Missouri
Kyle:  Alabama
Jaryd:  Alabama

Texas at Mississippi
Kyle:  Texas
Jaryd:  Texas

Georgia at Nebraska
Kyle:  Nebraska
Jaryd:  Nebraska

Texas Tech at South Carolina
Kyle:  Texas Tech
Jaryd:  South Carolina

LSU at Kansas
Kyle:  LSU
Jaryd:  Kansas

Oklahoma State at Arkansas
Kyle:  Oklahoma State
Jaryd:  Oklahoma State

Vanderbilt at Colorado
Kyle:  Vanderbilt
Jaryd:  Vanderbilt

Baylor at Tennessee
Kyle:  Tennessee
Jaryd:  Tennessee

Auburn at Kansas State
Kyle:  Auburn
Jaryd:  Auburn

Texas A&M at Mississippi State
Kyle:  Texas A&M
Jaryd:  Texas A&M

Kentucky at Iowa State
Kyle:  Kentucky
Jaryd:  Kentucky

Results…
Kyle:  SEC wins 7-5
Jaryd:  SEC wins 7-5

Big Ten vs Pac 10

USC at Penn State
Kyle:  Penn State
Jaryd  Penn State

Ohio State at Oregon
Kyle:  Ohio State
Jaryd:  Ohio State

Oregon State at Michigan State
Kyle:  Oregon State
Jaryd:  Michigan State

Iowa at California
Kyle:  California
Jaryd:  California

Arizona at Northwestern
Kyle:  Arizona
Jaryd:  Arizona

Minnesota at Arizona State
Kyle:  Arizona State
Jaryd:  Minnesota

Stanford at Wisconsin
Kyle:  Wisconsin
Jaryd:  Wisconsin

Illinois at UCLA
Kyle:  UCLA
Jaryd:  UCLA

Washington State at Purdue
Kyle:  Purdue
Jaryd:  Purdue

Michigan at Washington
Kyle:  Washington
Jaryd:  Michigan

Results…
Kyle:  Pac 10 wins 6-4
Jaryd:  Big Ten wins 7-3

Big East vs ACC

Cincinnati at Virginia Tech
Kyle:  Virginia Tech
Jaryd:  Cincinnati

Florida State at Pittsburgh
Kyle:  Florida State
Jaryd:  Pittsburgh

West Virginia at Georgia Tech
Kyle:  West Virginia
Jaryd:  Georgia Tech

Boston College at Rutgers
Kyle:  Rutgers
Jaryd:  Rutgers

Connecticut at North Carolina
Kyle:  North Carolina
Jaryd:  North Carolina

Maryland at South Florida
Kyle:  South Florida
Jaryd:  South Florida

Louisville at Miami
Kyle:  Miami
Jaryd:  Miami

Wake Forest at Syracuse
Kyle:  Wake Forest
Jaryd:  Wake Forest

Results…
Kyle:  ACC wins 5-3
Jaryd:  Tied 4-4

Conference USA vs MAC

Ball State at Tulsa
Kyle:  Tulsa
Jaryd:  Tulsa

East Carolina at Buffalo
Kyle:  East Carolina
Jaryd:  East Carolina

Bowling Green at Rice
Kyle:  Bowling Green
Jaryd:  Rice

Southern Mississippi at Western Michigan
Kyle:  Western Michigan
Jaryd:  Western Michigan

Central Michigan at Houston
Kyle:  Houston
Jaryd:  Houston

Memphis at Temple
Kyle:  Memphis
Jaryd:  Memphis

Akron at UT-El Paso
Kyle:  UT-El Paso
Jaryd:  UT-El Paso

Marshall at Northern Illinois
Kyle:  Northern Illinois
Jaryd:  Northern Illinois

Eastern Michigan at Tulane
Kyle:  Tulane
Jaryd:  Tulane

UAB at Kent State
Kyle:  UAB
Jaryd:  UAB

Southern Methodist at Ohio
Kyle:  Ohio
Jaryd:  Ohio

Central Florida at Toledo
Kyle:  Toledo
Jaryd:  Toledo

Results…
Kyle:  Conference USA wins 7-5
Jaryd:  Conference USA wins 8-4

Mountain West vs WAC

Utah at Boise State
Kyle:  Boise State
Jaryd:  Boise State

Louisiana Tech at TCU
Kyle:  TCU
Jaryd:  TCU

BYU at Nevada
Kyle:  BYU
Jaryd:  BYU

Hawaii at Air Force
Kyle:  Air Force
Jaryd:  Air Force

Colorado State at Fresno State
Kyle:  Fresno State
Jaryd:  Fresno State

San Jose State at UNLV
Kyle:  UNLV
Jaryd:  UNLV

New Mexico at Utah State
Kyle:  Utah State
Jaryd:  Utah State

New Mexico State at Wyoming
Kyle:  Wyoming
Jaryd:  Wyoming

San Diego State at Idaho
Kyle:  Idaho
Jaryd:  Idaho

Results…
Kyle:  Mountain West wins 5-4
Jaryd:  Mountain West wins 5-4

Sun Belt, Independence and Leftovers

Navy at Notre Dame
Kyle:  Notre Dame
Jaryd:  Notre Dame

Troy at Indiana
Kyle:  Indiana
Jaryd:  Troy

Louisiana-Lafayette at Clemson
Kyle:  Clemson
Jaryd:  Clemson

Florida Atlantic at N.C. State
Kyle:  N.C. State
Jaryd:  N.C. State

Arkansas State at Virginia
Kyle:  Arkansas State
Jaryd:  Arkansas State

Florida International at Duke
Kyle:  Florida International
Jaryd:  Duke

Middle Tennessee State at Miami-Ohio
Kyle:  Middle Tennessee State
Jaryd:  Miami-Ohio

Louisiana-Monroe at Army
Kyle:  Army
Jaryd:  Army

Western Kentucky at North Texas
Kyle:  North Texas
Jaryd:  North Texas

Now what a weekend that would be!

Dear Pete Carroll, stay quiet in January

Dear Pete Carroll,

When does this stop becoming shocking and start becoming comical?  No, I’m not talking about Brett Favre unretiring or another celebrity dying.  I’m talking about your team’s early season success (or lack thereof) against Pac 10 opponents.

Your all-mighty Trojans bit the dust before the month of November for the fourth straight season, this time losing 16-13 at Washington, a team that won exactly zero games last season.  Last year your meltdown came in Corvallis against Oregon State.  Two years ago Stanford won when they were 40 point underdogs.  And three years ago your inexcusable loss again came in Corvallis.  To make matters worse that year, your team still had an inside track to the national championship but dropped the final game of the season to inferior rival UCLA at the Rose Bowl.

In each of these seasons, it seems that people have forgotten about these letdowns by January and are set to rank you number one or two in the post-championship poll.  Meanwhile, you always seem to be complaining about why they have to be left out and get the Rose Bowl instead.

But please Pete, don’t complain this year.  Yes, you’ll probably win the rest of your games and go 11-1 again.  By I must say that any other one-loss team out there deserves to play in the national championship game more than you.  After all, you just got beat by Washington.

And before you write back to say that Aaron Corp was filling in for Matt Barkley, let me remind you that your “stout, NFL-style” defense let Washington pass all over you on that final drive.  They could have scored a touchdown if they wanted to, but a win is a win.  And for you, a loss is a loss.  And because you’ve choked again, you will not get a chance to play for a national championship.

Penn State loves you.  Texas loves you.  One of them will now get their shot at Florida when it should have been you.  I can already see you complaining about an unfair BCS system come January, when your one loss team is playing in the Rose Bowl while another one loss team is playing Florida.  Just remember this game before you do any griping.  Remember that your defense allowed 237 passing yards.  Remember that they allowed Washington to hold the ball for the final 3:58, yielding 63 yards in 10 plays.  Remember that you scored your only touchdown fewer than three minutes into the game, then never saw the endzone again.

And Pete, if you don’t want another reason to be peeved, you better root for Penn State not to make it to the title game.  Because with the new rules, if a Big 10 or Pac 10 team goes to the national championship game, the Rose Bowl is obligated to replace them with a non-BCS school if it qualifies.  So your high-profile team could end up facing those feisty Broncos from Boise.  And you don’t want that.  Not because you won’t win.  You’ll win.  But because playing a school like that does nothing for your recruiting, nothing for viewership and nothing for revenue.

Just look at it this way – it can’t get any worse.  If you lose to Washington State next weekend, at least you can say you lost to a team that went 1-11 last year.