Inappropriate Gloating And The BCS Mess » Brats & Beer

November 12, 2006
posted under: Big 12 football

(Warning: The following contains mean-spirited and inappropriate remarks from a fan of a suck-ass football team who has no business trying to take the piss out of much better teams. Reader discretion is advised.)

My Cyclones may have suffered yet another disastrous, disappointing, and embarassing loss yesterday at the hands of Colorado, but at least now we can say Iowa State and Texas have something in common: They have both lost to Kansas State. Sweet!

Yes, I realize that I have no leg to stand on talking trash about the defending national champions when my alma mater has failed to win a single conference game, and yes I know it displays poor sportsmanship to revel in another’s loss, but I’m going to do it anyway. When you root for team that is looking up at nearly every other Division I-A program in the country except maybe for Florida International and Temple, you have to find something to cheer for.

You do have to give the Wildcats and their coach Ron Prince some props. Even though the Longhorns were without their starting quarterback Colt McCoy, K-State put on one heck of clinic on how to win with an undermanned team by playing balls-out, sandlot football. KSU’s game plan was just heaving the ball down the field, finding receivers in space and letting them pick up yards after the catch, and a good dose of trickeration. Well played, Mr. Prince.

But now that we’ve all had our fun, where does that leave the BCS computer robot machine? Top 10 contenders Louisville, Texas, Auburn, and Cal all lost yesterday, meaning Florida probably moves into the catbird seat with USC, Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Arkansas all moving up. What about Rutgers? What about Boise State?

Most importantly, where does all this leave the Badgers of Wisconsin? With their win over the darlings from Iowa, I would think Bucky could move up at least a couple spots, maybe even reaching No. 12 in the BCS. When all is said and done, assuming they take care of business next week against the Buffalo All-Girls Finishing Academy, the Badgers have a chance to crack the Top 10, although recent history suggests that will be unlikely given the voters’ contempt for Wisconsin.

As for Ohio State and Michigan, I have been amused by the pontification on ESPN and elsewhere about the possibility of an all-Big 10 national championship game. I seriously doubt the BCS voters and the computer robots would allow such a thing, but if the Wolverines manage to win on the road next week it could come to pass. (And oh what wrath such a thing would wrought. It warms my cockles just thinking about the possibility.)

Unfortunately, though, even if the unthinkable were to happen, the Badgers would still be left out of the Rose Bowl — no matter how much sense it would make — because of the arcane and convoluted process of bowl selection under the BCS system. I swear, the Catholic Church has a more streamlined approach to choosing the Pope than the college bowl machine has of determining who plays where. Still, a Top 10 finish and a Capitol One Bowl appearance would be nothing to sneeze at, especially for a team under a first-year head coach.