Going into this weekend, the dream scenario for Dawgs fans and nightmare scenario for BCS officials would be for number 1 Mizzou to lose to Oklahoma (not unthinkable) and for Pitt to beat number 2 West Virginia in the "Backyard Brawl" (almost unthinkable). When Saturday's carnage was complete, the Sooner D had stuffed Chase Daniel and the Tigers, and Pat White's thumb injury derailed the high octane Mountaineer O.
Holy Shit.
If this was any other weekend of voting, the logic would be quite simple. Ohio State, ranked 3 and idle, would move up to number 1. UGA, ranked number 4 and idle, would move up to number 2. If you argue with this logic, you, sir, are a moron.
However, this is NOT "any other weekend of voting." This is the last weekend of the season, after conference championships, and the final poll of the season determines what teams play for the BCS title.
As a Dawgs alum and fan, I gave myself about 30 seconds of envisioning Knowhon Moreno* and Thomas Brown running wild through the OSU defense, and Mirror Universe Coach Mark Richt having 4 weeks to come up with another zany motivational ploy (perhaps burning a Woody Hayes figure in effigy at midfield? Scheduling a Herschel Walker / Archie Griffin mixed martial arts fight in the octagon in the French Quarter the night before the game?).
Once those 30 seconds were up, however, I realized that UGA is going to get fucked quicker than a Columbus, Georgia stripper looking for rent money on a Wednesday night.
It's a given that OSU is going to "back in" to the championship game. They are idle, their conference doesn't play a title game and they were ranked 3rd. Given the logic above, you could also argue that UGA would "back in" to the game, by virtue of being idle also. Would "the powers that be" allow BOTH title contenders to "back in," or will they try to elevate at least one conference title game winner into the BSC championship?
As I said above, from a pure ranking standpoint, and if you follow the ranking logic that holds true just about every single week of the season, the title game should be Buckeyes vs. Dawgs.
If you want the two subjective "best" teams at this stage of the season, you would want UGA vs. USC.
If you want to the two highest ranked (going to the polls going into the weekend) conference champs, it would be OSU vs. Virginia Tech.
If you want to the two highest ranked (going to the polls going into the weekend) conference champs that played (and won) a conference championship game, it would be Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma.
If you want the highest ranked team vs. the only undefeated team, it would be OSU vs. Hawaii.
If you want to match OSU vs. a conference champ with the "best" losses, it would be LSU (only two losses, both in the world's best conference, and both in triple overtime).
As you can see, another word for "BCS" is "Clusterfuck."
With my heart and diploma, I want my alma mater to have a shot at the big prize. And I can construct a house of cards (using reasonable facts) that gets them there. And I have no doubt that UGA would whip OSU and lay claim to the national championship. (See SEC speed vs. Big Ten -- last year's BCS game for the most visible reference point -- when the Buckeyes were even loaded with NFL talent and a Heisman winner).
However, it's difficult to reconcile the fact that UGA didn't win the SEC. Current poll standings not factored in, LSU certainly has a fantastic claim for taking care of business in the world's best conference. And while there is no explanation for the complete egg UGA laid on the banks of the Tennessee River, it does make you deeply lament the inexplicable loss to the Poultry that would have made this whole debate moot.
If you accept the fact that OSU is in, every other potential contender has deep flaws:
- UGA: Lost to UT badly. Only tied for the Eastern division. Didn't play for the conference title.
- Kansas: Cream puff schedule. Didn't play for conference title. Lost late to Mizzou.
- Virginia Tech: Demolished by LSU by 41 points. Lost in October to BC. Pussy conference.
- LSU: 2 conference losses, one just last week. Ranked 7th heading into weekend. Even though the losses were close ones, so were many of the wins.
- USC: 2 losses, one late in October to Oregon and one the worst upset in recent college football history (to 40+ point underdog Standford. You lost to a tree!)
- Oklahoma: ranked 9 coming into the weekend. Lost to Colorado (playing without Kordell Stewart), and Texas Tech in November.
Blergh.
If by some miracle, UGA does make their way to the title game, it won't be unprecedented. Both Nebraska and Oklahoma played for the national title without winning their conferences (of course, they both suffered late season losses, and we won't hang our hats on the performance of those two teams in the championship game, either). The BCS gurus had a chance to pass a rule about "winning your conference" eligibility and didn't. The system is the system, flawed as it may be, so Dawgs fans shouldn't apologize for getting a shot. Perhaps be a bit humble about it, and recognize it as the product of an imperfect construct.
However, that won't happen. Personally, I think the pollsters will elevate LSU, even after a lackluster win over the Vols, and match them up against OSU for the championship. UGA could head west and play USC in the Rose Bowl in the game everyone wants to see, and that matches the two hottest and arguably "best" teams in the country. And if either the Trojans or Dawgs puts up an impressive victory there, there could be an outside chance at a tainted "AP" or non-BCS national title. However, making this matchup happen will take some serious machinations, as the Sugar Bowl, after losing LSU to the BCS game (albeit in the same stadium, same city, just a week later) would certainly want the Dawgs in the Sugar, probably against Hawaii.
No matter how this winds up, December should provide plenty of fodder for debate.
*I met a co-worker's boyfriend Friday night, who happened to be from New Jersey. When the conversation inevitably turned to college football, and he knew that I was a Dawgs fan, he immediately brought up the pride of some exit, Knowshon Moreno. We both agreed on the young man's talent, and I told him about my efforts to start the "Bada Bing!" chant Being from Jersey, he got the reference immediately and thought it was quite clever. Either that, or he had also been liberally partaking from the butterscotch shots floating around.
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