With the Bruins taking on the No. 1 (or No. 2) team in the nation this week, the Oregon Ducks, it’s an appropriate time to revisit the hot topic that is the Bowl Championship Series. The first BCS rankings were released Sunday, not surprisingly, with some controversy. Assistant sports editors Ryan Menezes and Vidur Malik go at it.
Oregon is ranked No. 1 in the coaches and AP polls, but No. 2 in the preliminary BCS standings. Fair or unfair?
Ryan Menezes: Completely fair. I can’t describe in words how much I hate the BCS (side note: “Death to the BCS” does that well, hat tip to Gotham for the advance copy), but I don’t mind the computers. They reward Oklahoma for its strong non-conference schedule. Oregon beat up on Portland State, a Division I-AA team. Weak.
Vidur Malik: Unfair. Other than its 52-0 win over Iowa State, Oklahoma hasn’t won by a very wide margin. The BCS likes style points, so Oregon, which is first in the nation in points per game with 54.3, should be rewarded. Also, Oklahoma’s only impressive victory is over then-No. 17 Florida State, while Oregon’s signature win was over then-No. 9 Stanford.
Boise State was No. 2 but was passed by the Ducks despite a 6-0 record. Will the Broncos go undefeated, and will they move into the top two and get a shot at the national title?
Menezes: Boise State should be no lower than No. 2 right now. That’s where they started, and both the teams in front of them lost, but now they’re at No. 3. Does that make any sense? It doesn’t matter that they play in the WAC, they will win out and should play for the national title. I’m on the Bronco bandwagon.
Malik: The BCS might be Boise State-haters, but the Broncos need some recognition. They will remain undefeated, but they need either Oklahoma or Oregon to lose in order to take one of the top two spots. I think they should already be at No. 2, but that’s just the way it goes.
Will the Pac-10 get a team into the title game this year? They currently have three teams in the BCS top-25.
Menezes: If the Oregon Ducks go undefeated, they should play for the national championship. They’ve already beaten Stanford, and would have to get by some more dangerous opponents, like Arizona, Oregon State and UCLA (just kidding on that last one). That won’t be an easy task, but the Pac-10 is strong and that works in Oregon’s favor.
Malik: There’s a chance that even if Oregon wins out, they still won’t represent the Pac-10 in the title game. The Ducks could find themselves on the outside looking in if another highly ranked team passes them. A team from the SEC, like Auburn or LSU, has a chance to play in their conference’s championship game and impress the computers, or whoever it is that makes up those BCS rankings.
Which conference has the best competition this year?
Menezes: The SEC ““ more specifically, the SEC West. Auburn has been a well-oiled machine so far, and as unbelievable as it sounds, LSU is undefeated too (Les Miles should get an ESPY for “Best Performance while Drunk” for leading LSU to that win over Tennessee). And don’t forget defending national champion Alabama, always a dangerous team.
Malik: It’s about time the Pac-10 gets this honor. Though there are Pac-10 teams who aren’t contenders, the conference has been well represented nationally, and has hung in there with the nation’s top teams. You don’t have to look any further than UCLA’s dismantling of traditional Big 12 powerhouse Texas. Down with the West Coast bias!
If we’re in agreement that the BCS system is messed up, what’s your alternative solution?
Menezes: Since it’s obvious the BCS has a stranglehold preventing the formation of a playoff, it has to be the plus-one system. Take the two best teams after all the current BCS games are played. It’s only one game, and it would be infinitely more fair. It would also give a chance for the little guys like Boise State and TCU to prove themselves late in the year.
Malik: The best way to solve this is to combine the BCS with a playoff of the top-10 teams in the season’s final BCS rankings. That way, the BCS can have its say in picking the top 10, and then those teams can decide the national champion the old-fashioned way: on the field. This would eliminate BCS bowls, but the postseason matchups would have a lot more at stake.