Who's really #1?

[gopsdragon]

Supposedly the BCS was supposed to settle this question, but there is one problem with the BCS: the rankings still start with the east coast bias of east coast sports writers.

Miami started number one and, because they haven't lost, continues to be number one. The BCS is formula not truth. The truth is Miami has not the best team in the country, nor have they been all year long.

Here is my case as to why Miami is not number one even if they get lucky and put together one good game against Ohio State tonight.

Miami has a soft schedule. Unlike Ohio State and Iowa who play Big 10 schools and USC which plays PAC-10 schools, Miami plays Rutgers, Temple, etc. Ohio State will be the first top 10 team Miami plays this year.

But wait, you say. Miami beat Florida State when FSU was top ten. Yeah, but Florida State was in the top ten this year because of the same east coast sport's writers bias that put Miami #1. Truth is Florida State was not a top ten team this year and the only reason they didn't beat Miami is because FSU missed the game winning field goal.

Ohio State has gone undeafeated while beating quality teams like Washington State (#7), Penn State (#10), and Michigan(#11). The highest ranked team Miami has played is #13 West Virginia.

USC played the toughest schedule in the country only losing to Kansas State #6 and Washington State#7. USC only lost to Washington State based on a missed extra point in regulation and a missed field goal in overtime. Aside from that they have pummeled #3 Iowa, knocked #12 Notre Dame out of the top ten with 44-13 shellacking, and pasted #14 Colorado 40-3.

Iowa also played more top ten teams that Miami even scheduled #5 USC and #10 Penn State. They beat two teams ranked higher than Miami's toughest opponent (#13 West Virginia) #10 Penn State and #11 Michigan.

The fact is that the Orange Bowl should have featured a #3 Iowa versus a #4 Miami and tonight's Fiesta bowl should have featured #1 Ohio State versus #2 USC.

Until the number of sports writers are balanced out, true football fans will continue to be denied the best games on occasions like these because of cake-walking teams like the Miami Hurricanes.

Some may say Miami doesn't know who will be ranked what year to year to know toughness of schedule, but that doesn't matter. Rankings are to determine who is the best, and while Miami might be a good team, they are not the best team and the rankings should reflect that.

Hopefully tonight Ohio State will beat Miami and put this issue to rest.

[JBMoney]

I'm with you on the Florida bias, but I think you're just a miffed USC fan. Clearly the two undefeated teams should play. Putting a two time loser in there would be wrong regardless.

What time is the game and where are you watching it?

[Laurie]

Ohio has to win. Miami clinched it last year. Am I correct on this? Or did I dream this?

[gopsdragon]

Game is 8 eastern and right now I'm planning on watching it at home. Why you want to go watch it somewhere?

[Laurie]

Originally posted by JBMoney
I'm with you on the Florida bias, but I think you're just a miffed USC fan. Clearly the two undefeated teams should play. Putting a two time loser in there would be wrong regardless.

What time is the game and where are you watching it?


Game is 8pm tonight. I'm guessing that's EST.

[gopsdragon]

P.S.-I'm more of a miffed football fan than anything else.

When the Washington Huskies had great teams Florida State got all the coverage. Nobody can make the claim the the Big East is bigger or better conference than the Big-10 or the Pac-10. Regardless of records the old Rose Bowl always pitted two quality teams against each other because the champions of what is always two of the three roughest divisions in the country played each other.

It was a great beginning to the year and we should go back to it, since these guys are serious about really determining who is number one.

[gopsdragon]

Originally posted by Laurie
Ohio has to win. Miami clinched it last year. Am I correct on this? Or did I dream this?

Yes, Miami won it last year. That's why there is all this hype; they've won 27 games in a row.

That is also why people like me won't be believers even if they do when tonight. They schedule teams like Florida A&M to give themselves weeks off and then their division schedule involves teams like Temple and Rutgers.

[Rguess21]

Pay no attention to the Phoenix dateline, :rolleyes: but check this story out Gops.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/bowls02/s/fiesta_bcstalks.html

Report due in 2005.

[JBMoney]

http://espn.go.com/ncf/bowls02/s/fiesta_bcstalks.html

Friday, January 3
BCS committee to address playoff option
Associated Press

PHOENIX -- The Bowl Championship Series will form a committee to discuss changes that eventually could lead to a college football playoff.

One president from each of six conferences -- the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and Southeastern -- will be picked for the committee this month. They are expected to make a recommendation in 2005.

"There are four options. We can go back to the old system, we can stay where we are, we can tweak it, or we can go to a playoff,'' BCS coordinator Mike Tranghese said Friday. "We're going to spend some time and talk about all of them.''

The BCS is committed to a second rotation of the championship bowls, which began Friday night with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl between No. 1 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State.

The next three title games will be in the Sugar, Orange and Rose bowls before the contract runs out after the 2005 season.

ABC, which has a $525 million, seven-year contract to televise the BCS games, has an exclusive negotiating period in the second half of 2005 to keep the games on the network.

The BCS was formed in 1998 in an effort to match the top two teams in a national title game. The system is not problem-proof and some people would prefer a playoff system.

"My presidents don't want to play football in December during exams and they don't want to play in the second semester,'' said Tranghese, the Big East commissioner. "They ask if the regular season is healthy and the answer is a resounding 'Yes.' They ask if a playoff would affect that and the answer is 'Yes.' Just look at basketball.''

A more likely solution would be to add one game after the existing bowls to determine the national champion.

"It's not a home run like everyone thinks. A lot of issues have to be resolved,'' Tranghese said.

In three of the first five years, the BCS system worked smoothly, with a consensus over the top two teams.

But in 2000 and 2001, there were disputes over who should play in the title game, and this year the Rose Bowl was upset about not having its traditional matchup between the Big Ten and Pac-10.

In 2000, Miami believed it should have played Oklahoma for the title instead of Florida State. The Hurricanes beat the Seminoles in the regular season.

Last season, Nebraska played Miami for the title even though the Cornhuskers didn't win their conference.

This year, Ohio State went to the Fiesta Bowl, and the Orange Bowl picked Iowa with the first at-large selection, leaving the Rose Bowl with Big 12 champion Oklahoma against Pac-10 champ Washington State.

The Orange Bowl was dubbed "Rose Bowl East'' for its matchup between Iowa and Southern California.

The Rose Bowl attendance of 86,848 was the lowest since 1944 in the 91,000-seat stadium. Tranghese said changes for the Rose Bowl will be discussed, but only if they don't hurt the other three BCS games.

"I think what transpired this year blind-sided them,'' he said. "They didn't expect it. It will take some time for them to adjust.''

Tranghese doesn't see any sentiment for returning to the old system that had conference champions locked into bowls and led to three split championships in eight years.

"I think we had a system 10 years ago that was awful,'' Tranghese said. "Ten years ago, Ohio State wouldn't be playing Miami. The BCS solved that.''

[JBMoney]

It's just a game.

[Rguess21]

Not the middle weekend of the Texas State Fair nor Thanksgiving weekend.

Hook'Em & :thumbsup:

[gopsdragon]

Originally posted by JBMoney
It's just a game.

You lose! Have a good day sir!

Football's not simply a game and I saw a travesty that I didn't believe possible on Friday night. The NCAA championship was reduced to the equivalent of soccer penalty kicks. What in the hell is the idea of starting on the OPPONENTS 25 yard line?

I can see no sudden death, but starting at the opponents 25? Despicable. Maybe next year the Birmingham Buckeyes and the Honduran Hurricanes can use penalty kicks to settle the tie leap-frog competition.