God bless the BCS voters

[silvercamaro]

In the poll that served as the fifth tie-breaker for the three-way tie for the Big XII South title -- and with prospective significance as the path to play for the national championship -- OU came out on top, at #2 in today's BSC rankings behind Alabama.

Whew. That was a convoluted sentence.

[Beebs52]

Whoo Frickin' Hooo!!!

We had a contingent here last night til the very end and earlier today Jeff was watching Stoop's conference on the innernets.

Boo. Hoo. Bevo. Especially after that oh-so entrancing flyover repeating the OU/Texas score. That was classy.

[silvercamaro]

Especially after that oh-so entrancing flyover repeating the OU/Texas score. That was classy.

I can't blame them for trying. What I don't buy is calling the Cotton Bowl, which is located in TEXAS, "a neutral field." While the atmosphere may be less oppressive than the stadium in Austin, there's nothing neutral about it.

I'll call it a neutral field when both teams flly to Fargo for the OU-Texas game.

[kayrharris]

I figured that would happen. I gotta tell you, though, I'm a a bit worried about their
defense. Sure OU scored 61 points, but the other team scored 41!!! I think that could be a problem
come a big game like a NC game.

Otherwise, I am pulling for them to win it all. [/color]

[Beebs52]

Especially after that oh-so entrancing flyover repeating the OU/Texas score. That was classy.

I can't blame them for trying. What I don't buy is calling the Cotton Bowl, which is located in TEXAS, "a neutral field." While the atmosphere may be less oppressive than the stadium in Austin, there's nothing neutral about it.

I'll call it a neutral field when both teams flly to Fargo for the OU-Texas game.

Too true. Neutral, my ass.

[Beebs52]

I figured that would happen. I gotta tell you, though, I'm a a bit worried about their
defense. Sure OU scored 61 points, but the other team scored 41!!! I think that could be a problem
come a big game like a NC game.

Otherwise, I am pulling for them to win it all. [/color]

Gotta agree that defense was, well, interesting. The whole start of the game was ridiculous. Plus, there were some interesting refs throughout, as usual.

Also, I wish Auburn had had more fun...sorry.

[silvercamaro]

I figured that would happen. I gotta tell you, though, I'm a a bit worried about their
defense. Sure OU scored 61 points, but the other team scored 41!!! I think that could be a problem
come a big game like a NC game.

I understand what you're saying, but OSU has the best team (IMO) in their school's history, and they remain the top-ranked team with a 3-loss record. They lost to OU, Texas, and Texas Tech. It's usually a tough conference, but especially so this year.

[TheConfessor]

It will be interesting to see what happens if Alabama and/or Oklahoma lose next weekend. Or if the Sooners just barely edge Missouri.

[Beebs52]

It will be interesting to see what happens if Alabama and/or Oklahoma lose next weekend. Or if the Sooners just barely edge Missouri.

Gahhh! Well, if Alabama were to lose, it would make it interesting. One (OU) should only have to worry about "style" points now. I mean. Yeah. That's it.

[Weyoun]

I figured that would happen. I gotta tell you, though, I'm a a bit worried about their
defense. Sure OU scored 61 points, but the other team scored 41!!! I think that could be a problem
come a big game like a NC game.

I understand what you're saying, but OSU has the best team (IMO) in their school's history, and they remain the top-ranked team with a 3-loss record. They lost to OU, Texas, and Texas Tech. It's usually a tough conference, but especially so this year.

??? Don't buy that. The teams OSU bought in the late 80's were better, if only because they played a semblance of defense. And it didn't hurt that two of the NFL's all time leading rushers were in the backfield at one time.

The whole system's a shame. This would be a great year for a playoff, but...

[ulysses5019]

It will be interesting to see what happens if Alabama and/or Oklahoma lose next weekend. Or if the Sooners just barely edge Missouri.

Do you mean USC gets into the NC game? Just kidding. Just look for me at the Rose Bowl on January 1st. But I'd rather be at the Fiesta or Sugar Bowl.

[silvercamaro]

It will be interesting to see what happens if Alabama and/or Oklahoma lose next weekend. Or if the Sooners just barely edge Missouri.

Certainly, anything can happen on any given day, as all Big XII fans know from this and previous seasons. That's why I cautiously called the BCS poll "a path" to the national championship game. I didn't say we were there yet.

[Weyoun]

The Bama/UF winner is in the title guarantee. That's the closest thing to a guarantee in this process.

[TheCalvinator24]

If Florida wins, they will pick up enough votes in the human poll to hop UT.

If OU wins, I doubt seriously that they will drop below UT.

Stranger things have happened in the history of humankind, but I have very little doubt that OU will handle Missouri with ease.

OU/Florida should be a good game.

There's no way to know for sure, but IMO the folks around the country who have denigrated the defenses of the Big XII teams really have no idea just how good these offenses are.

I'm not saying they will, but OU can score 60 on anybody. Anybody.

[TheConfessor]

It's all Baylor's fault. If Calvinator's Bears had hung on in the fourth quarter against the Red Raiders, there would be nothing to discuss.

[ulysses5019]

If Florida wins, they will pick up enough votes in the human poll to hop UT.

If OU wins, I doubt seriously that they will drop below UT.

Stranger things have happened in the history of humankind, but I have very little doubt that OU will handle Missouri with ease.

OU/Florida should be a good game.

There's no way to know for sure, but IMO the folks around the country who have denigrated the defenses of the Big XII teams really have no idea just how good these offenses are.

I'm not saying they will, but OU can score 60 on anybody. Anybody.

I just wish we had a chance to test that offense.

[TheCalvinator24]

It's all Baylor's fault. If Calvinator's Bears had hung on in the fourth quarter against the Red Raiders, there would be nothing to discuss.

What I found interesting is that even though I grew up an OU fan (whole family was born in Oklahoma), I still wanted Baylor to win despite the fact that it would have hampered OU's chance at the NC game.

It would have been interesting. OU would still have hopped UT in the BCS standings, but a UT win over Missouri might have been enough to have them leapfrog OU (and probably would because the voters would not want OU to back into the NC game again).

[Ritterskoop]

Texas beat Oklahoma this season, n'est ce pas? Yet Texas is lower? Head-to-head doesn't count?

[TheConfessor]

Texas beat Oklahoma this season, n'est ce pas? Yet Texas is lower? Head-to-head doesn't count?

It would if those were the only two teams involved, but it's a three way tie for first.

[silvercamaro]

Texas beat Oklahoma this season, n'est ce pas? Yet Texas is lower? Head-to-head doesn't count?

Texas beat Oklahoma, but Texas Tech beat Texas, and Oklahoma beat Texas Tech. All three teams were otherwise unbeaten, which left them in a three-way tie within the conference. For better or worse, the Big XII has a written tie-breaking procedure, which had to reach down to the fifth level for this year's unusual situation. By that procedure, OU came out ahead, but fans of both Texas and Texas Tech understandably are miffed. OU fans would have been equally irate if the outcome had gone another way.

No doubt, proposals to change the tie-breakers will be forthcoming for future seasons, but any instituted changes may well result in additional unforeseen complications down the line unless or until a play-off system is created. At that point, fans will argue about how teams are selected for the play-offs.

[Ritterskoop]

I guess I meant in the BCS standings Texas is lower.

I understand about the three-way tie for the league. We have 8-or 9-levels deep on tie-breaking in the NFL, also, which is why sometimes you run up the score on a division opponent even if it is not classy.

It just seems like we could take those top eight college teams and have them play each other (yes, they would still bitch about the seeds, and whoever is No. 9 would pout), and then it would matter more how they played against each other.

I have heard the arguments that such a system would water down the regular season but I don't understand them. You'd still have to have 0 losses or 1 loss to reach this playoff bracket (maybe an occasional 2-loss team but they'd be good, like a conference champ that had to get through a title game). The big four bowls would become the big seven (4 quarters, 2 semis and a final).

There would be MORE money (if that's the argument that holds this up, and we all know it is).

Put Condi Rice in charge of a playoff system. She will fix it.

If she won't do it, put me in charge. But don't blame me if the Humanitarian Bowl hosts a semifinal, because you had your chance to put Condi in charge.

[Buffacuse]

Actually, the voters went with Texas...it was the six BCS COMPUTERS that went with the Sooners.

FWIW...I think the computers are right here.

[earendel]

I figured that would happen. I gotta tell you, though, I'm a a bit worried about their
defense. Sure OU scored 61 points, but the other team scored 41!!! I think that could be a problem
come a big game like a NC game.

Otherwise, I am pulling for them to win it all. [/color]

Gotta agree that defense was, well, interesting. The whole start of the game was ridiculous. Plus, there were some interesting refs throughout, as usual.

Also, I wish Auburn had had more fun...sorry.

I Didn't see the game but heard the final score and was concerned that the fact that OSU hung 41 on the Sooners might look bad in the eyes of the BCS voters. It also makes me wonder about their chances in a championship game - their bowl record over the past few years hasn't exactly been stellar, particularly with respect to the title game.