BCS Busters Saturday Report: The Plot Thickens!

Kansas 76 vs. Nebraska 39 Kansas looks to be the real deal! It's too bad we have a system in place that places so much emphasis on the pre-season polls, and it's too bad we have a system in place that places so much importance on a teams history and tradition in the game in determining the pre-season polls. Kansas will likely go undefeated, at least until the Big-12 Conference championship game in December, yet will not be able to catch Ohio State unless the Buckeyes lose. Given the fact that the Big-12 Conference has three teams ranked in the Top-9 alone of the BCS standings (UPDATE: Three teams now ranked in the Top-6), while the Big-10 can barely field three teams in the Top-25 (UPDATE: Three teams ranked in the Top-23), it wreaks of bias and a unionized alliance in the Coaches and Harris Polls when Kansas will actually play the tougher schedule and isn't given equal marquee status as compared to the Buckeyes. The real difference between the two schools is that Kansas was not a part of the elite membership that supported Chuck Neinas and the CFA twenty-five years ago. This bogus system needs to go! Ohio State 38 vs. Wisconsin 17 The Ohio State Buckeys are certainly a traditional power. This game was tied at 17 well into the third quarter, while Kansas was completely dominating a reeling Nebraska program that is obviously throwing in the towel and not playing for coach Callahan. He should do the honorable thing and resign, before he is lynched, mobbed or tared-and-feathered before being forced out in Lincoln. On ESPN Game Day today (airing from my hometown of Eugene), OSU Alum Kirk Herbstreit talked in great detail about the need to not just win in the final month of November, but win with style (i.e. - run up the score) to gain BCS bonus points. If this is the case, and there is certainly credence to Herbies comments, how can you rank Ohio State ahead of Kansas? At the present time of this writing, Kansas is absolutely man-handling a once proud Nebraska program 69 to 31, and given the fact that Nebraska has put a similar whippin on many opponents through out the years, I don't feel a damn bit sorry for the Huskers. This is what you get for firing a coach who had the best winning percentage in not only school history, but Frank Solich had the highest winning percentage among his peers while at Nebraska. The guy finished 9-3 in the year he was fired, and was two years removed from competing, although grossly undeserving, in the national championship game. And Harvey Perlman thinks the BCS is the greatest system on the planet. Gross incompetence is how I would describe Perlman, for he is a guy who couldn't see parity coming four years ago with all the BCS Buster programs on the rise. Restore the Order? With Nebraska, Notre Dame, Florida State and Miami struggling, there is a new sheriff in town and it is time to move forward and enter the 85 scholarship paradigm in college football instead of relying on oligarchic mindsets trying to uphold the elite traditions of the College Football Association, which has now evolved into the BCS. The Ohio State - Kansas comparison, along with the West Virginia / Oregon - LSU comparison is proof in the pudding. By the way, at present, Oklahoma State is leading Texas (another CFA school who is over-ranked in the polls due to the Coaches and Harris Polls - two thirds of the BCS equation remember) 14-0! Oklahoma State 35 vs. Texas 38 This same Texas team, who is currently ranked 15th in the BCS Poll, trailed the same Nebraska team that is getting pounded by Kansas exactly one week ago. Kansas just scored again to make it 76-31, the most points scored against the lowly Corn Huskers in their entire history! Yet, the Longhorns trailed Nebraska last week 17-9 entering the fourth quarter! As a matter of fact, if Jamaal Charles hadn't scampered for 216 of his 291 yards in the final quarter alone, Texas would have likely fallen. Texas also trailed TCU 10-0 at half-time and barely beat a Central Florida team 35-32 on the road - a team that South Florida blew out 64-12 two weeks later - but you can't compare scores can you, unless comparison scores by connecting the dots favors the oligarchic elite. Just exactly how do we determine the polls if we can't compare the scores? For the Grey-matter challenged let me draw you a little map. Notre Dame, the entire SEC Conference, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, USC, UCLA, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Florida State and Miami were the key players involved in the College Football Association Movement. Go check out the history of their rankings, especially in the seasons occurring since the year 2000! And the BCS gets it right don't they...every game is just so meaningful...When will the fans strike back? Update: Texas, for the second week in a row, actually came back to beat Oklahoma State 38-35. I'd say Texas deserves to be ranked with Hawaii, who shouldn't crack the Top-25 until they prove they can actually beat Boise State and Fresno State, the only two legitimate teams from the WAC this year. Speaking of the SEC.... Georgia 44 vs. Troy 34 Have you ever heard the expression that the SEC is the Best? Consider that today, among all the hype extending from Saban Bowl I, that Georgia barely beat Troy (44-34), and Ol' Miss barely beat Northwestern St (38-31), and the same Alabama team that couldn't handle a Florida State team who is 20-16 in the last four years was one bone head play away from beating SEC flagship LSU 41-34. And by the way, the 30-5 record the SEC has against all other non-conference teams is tempered by the fact that the all-mighty SEC is 5-5 against the non-conference foes that really matter, and given the fact that the SEC has 11 teams that are bowl eligible? Consider the following! Mississippi has beaten the following: Memphis (23-21) and Louisiana Tech (24-0). The same Memphis team that has been beaten by C. Florida (56-20), Arkansas St (35-31), and Middle Tennessee St (21-7). Memphis has managed to beat Rice (38-35), Tulane (28-27) and Marshall (24-21), three teams who have a combined record of 5-21, and considering that Mississippi beat Memphis by about the same margin that Memphis beat Rice, Tulane and Marshall, I'd say that with some luck, the Rebels might finish fourth in C-USA. Vanderbilt has beaten Division I-AA Richmond (41-17), E. Michigan (30-7), S. Carolina (17-6) and Miami (OH) (24-23). Considering that Vanderbilt has beaten South Carolina and Miami-OH by the same margin, and the fact that Vandy has beaten Mississippi by 14, I'd say that both Vandy and Mississippi might be able to finish 3rd in the MAC...if they can get the turnover margin to weigh in their favor. Arkansas has beaten Troy (46-26), North Texas (66-7), Tennessee Chattanooga (34-15), Mississippi (44-8), Florida International (58-10) and South Carolina (48-36). They have not beaten a legit team on the schedule all year long, unless you consider South Carolina (6-4) a legit team, which is the best team on their schedule they have beaten. With games remaining at Florida and Clemson, South Carolina will likely finish 6-6 on the season. Mississippi State has beaten Tulane (38-17), Auburn (19-14), Gardner-Webb (31-15), UAB (30-13) and Kentucky (31-14). They were blown out by West Virginia (38-13), LSU in the first game of the season (45-0) and South Carolina (38-21). Kentucky has beaten E. Kentucky (50-10), Kent State (56-20), Louisville (40-34), Arkansas (42-29), Florida Atlantic (45-17), and LSU (45-37). They have beaten one legit team on their schedule all season, and exactly how does that make LSU look so good? The Wildcats, who can't even match Oregon State's bowl record in the last decade has been beaten by South Carolina (38-23), Florida (45-37) and Mississippi State (31-14). Tennessee has beaten S. Miss (39-19), Arkansas State (48-27), Georgia (35-14), Mississippi State (33-21) and South Carolina (27-24). They have lost to California (45-31, the fourth place team in the PAC-10), Florida (59-20) and Alabama (41-31). Alabama has beaten (W. Carolina 52-6), Vandy (24-10), Arkansas (41-38), Houston (30-24), Mississippi (27-24) and Tennessee (41-17). They have lost to Georgia (26-23), Florida State (21-14) and LSU (41-34). There has been two legit teams on their schedule and they are 3 points away from being o-3! Auburn has beaten Kansas State (23-13), New Mexico State (55-20), Florida (20-17), Vandy (35-7), Arkansas (9-7) and Mississippi (17-3). They have been beaten by LSU (30-24), Mississippi State (19-14) and South Florida (23-13). If you take the weaker teams out of that schedule, they are 3-3. Georgia has beaten Oklahoma State (35-14), W. Carolina (45-16), Alabama (26-23), Mississippi (45-17), Vanderbilt (20-17) and Florida (42-30) and Troy (44-34). They have been beaten by South Carolina (16-12) and Tennessee (35-14). If you take the weaker teams out of the schedule, they are 3-2. Earth shattering isn't it! Florida has beaten W. Kentucky (49-3), Troy (59-31), Tennessee (59-20), Mississippi (30-24), Kentucky (45-37) and Vandy (49-22). They have lost to Auburn (20-17), LSU (28-24) and Georgia (42-30). If you take the weaker sisters out of the schedule, they are 2-3! LSU is the only legit team in this conference and they have been beaten by Kentucky, who will likely finish (8-5 or 7-6 this season). They have almost lost to Florida, Auburn and Alabama, three teams who are a combined 4-8 against the legit teams on their schedule. This conference is over-rated! The Troy Factor: Several years ago, Troy shocked an emerging Missouri program at home (24-14). The next season, Missouri returned the favor, winning (52-21) yet lost to New Mexico (45-35). At the same time, several ACC schools were losing to similar programs: E. Carolina over Virginia (31-21), W. Michigan over Virginia (17-10) and even this year when Wyoming beat Virginia (23-3) on opening weekend. The SEC lauded the two conferences (Big-12 and ACC) as over-rated, selling the hyped significance that the SEC is the greatest conference in the history of the world, even going back to the days of the dinosaurs. They forgot to mention this same Wyoming team is 2-1 against the conference in the last 4 seasons alone and that Missouri beat another conference foe in each of the last two seasons. What we do hear on the air, specifically this weekend is that Troy, suddenly in the eyes of the SEC, is a major power, after beating Oklahoma State and scoring an average of 30 points on Florida, Georgia and Tennessee this season. Do you see the hypocrisy here? As if this isn't enough in itself, consider that among the five BCS teams that the SEC actually managed to beat in their annual non-conference games, Virginia Tech is the highest ranked team at #11 and I think that is actually a very generous ranking since the Hokies haven't beaten a legit team on their schedule: The Hokies have beaten E. Carolina (17-7), Ohio (28-7), William & Mary (44-3), N. Carolina (17-10), Clemson (41-23) and Duke (43-14). The two legit teams on Virginia Tech's schedule are LSU and Boston College and they have lost to the two by a combined score of 63-17! Finally, as if you need more...but I'll make you SEC lovers feel really stupid if you'd like: The Five BCS Conference victories by the SEC include: #11 Virginia Tech, #38 Oklahoma State, #33 Kansas State, unranked Louisville and unranked North Carolina. Of their losses to the BCS foes? #7 West Virginia, #9 Missouri, #20 S. Florida, #27 California and unranked Florida State. Who's kidding who - the best conference in the country? P - L - E - A - S - E!