If it can't be us, and that is looking extremely remote at this point, I would like that to happen as well......although I'm not sure that would help change this sorely misguided system that places such a premium on events that transpired in times past.....classic example is the computer ranking systems.....I don't want to keep harping on Bama and risk offending our Bama friends but as they are last years national champion, they most clearly illustrate the point. There are 6 computer systems they use in the BCS rankings. Some of those use pre-season polls and last years final rankings to establish a seeding system - a practice labeled "pre-judging". Others do not. Those that utilize "pre-judging" have Bama ranked an average of 4.5 with a high of 3, low of 6. Those systems that do not "pre-judge" ranked Bama an average of 12 with a high of 8 and low of 17. So think about that for a second.....because Bama won last years national championship, they get the benefit of several rankings above and beyond what their efforts this year have earned them and clearly impacts how we choose a champion this year.....that is one f%$ked up system. So, if Boise were to win, it might even lead people to suggest, "Look, the system works!" :shock:
.....not at all. You completely underestimate the impact of Bama losing in a game where winning is the object.....
When was the last time a conference champion of a major conference was, at the end of the season, ranked lower than a once-beaten champion of a different, major conference? I cannot recall that happening.
I can't remember it ever happening either. For the most part these things have sorted themselves out, exception being 2005 when Unbeaten USC and Texas played for the NC while Unbeaten Auburn was left out.
I don't ever remember it happening either...the 2005 situation was all between and amongst unbeatens. Interesting piece of trivia....if it has ever happened?
If Bama finishes strong over it's level of competition while MSU has average to close wins over it's competition I can see only the Big 10 bloc of voters keeping MSU ahead of Bama. The voters in the know will absolutely consider the circumstances of Bama's loss and ask themselves if MSU could have survived that same gauntlet.
Whoa, there, big fella. You need to peek outside your SEC window and see what's going on in the college football world. This year's SEC is not remotely close to a "gauntlet." There are a couple of outstanding teams and a bunch of OK teams. Period. This is not the SEC of past years. The Big Ten is up this year. I'm not qualified to say where it stands vis-a-vis the SEC, but it is no worse than on an even level. You can argue against that assertion all you want, but you cannot disprove it at this point in the season. There comes a time when in-season SOS rankings have a tendency to annoint schedule difficulties based on past years, before the season has played out. Let's let a few more games take place before we assume that the SEC schedule is a "gauntlet", and the Big10, or even Pac10 for that matter, is not.
There is not a chance in hell that the coaches would vote a one loss Bama over an undefeated champion of a major conference.....'as has been suggested, don't think it ever has happened and in light of the SEC weaknesses this year, certainly not this year. The voters in the know will give Sparty credit for running the table in their own gauntlet....it's no secret that the SEC is down this year and the "gauntlet" that awaits Bama is not one that Sparty would fear and the notion that Bama/Auburn/LSU, etc would have gone through Sparty's gauntlet unscathed is also uncertain at best. No further evidence is required than looking at the computer rankings and even in spite of the pre-judging bias, their are several one loss teams ahead of Bama, including 2 from the Big 10. You're in your own little world here.....
You do realize that even before both teams finish out their disparate schedules that Bama is #6 in BOTH POLLS.....one behind #5 Michigan State. Who is MSU going to beat that will top beating LSU and especially Auburn.....not to mention the SECCG. Additionally......and here is the real kicker......MSU is idle on the day Bama would play in the SECCG. Also.....Bama will either have a chance to avenge it's only defeat that day while MSU watches or the Tide possibly has a chance to beat up Urban Meyer yet another prime time. :cry:
You are completely missing the point.....at issue is that they not LOSE and blemish their record as Bama has already done. If they lose, Bama will certainly leap over them, it they don't, it's a no brainer. I suppose if anybody would have such an argument, weak tho it may be, it would be from a Big 12 rep given the strength of their conference this year. It just doesn't fly from an SEC rep. Again the question for you is this, when was the last time an undefeated champion of a major conference was held out of a championship game in favor of a team with a loss? You tell us you have been watching these BCS things for a long time....when was the last time that happened?
So the defending champion from the conference that has won the last 4 BCS Championships beats the current BCS#1 and cannot pass a team one poll spot in front of it that is beating essentially no one ranked in the BCS? I'm tellin ya.....some voters will be old school as you say about the loss but many will weigh all of the data at hand. But I doubt Sparty won't choke it up anyway and Bama is no shoo in either to win the rest. After all.......they can't play Florida every week.....
Hey Alabama has a bye week. One Saturday that I don't cuss out the TV at least a dozen times. From an Alabama fan, all we can do is hope we win the rest of them and hope for the best. 8)
I hear you kp...it's also a bye week for my nerves! Sometimes it's nice to relax and watch some games when you don't have a dog in the fight... RTR
I understand completely what you guys are saying because of last season in which UF was the defending champ although UF won all 12 games before Bama took em out in Atlanta. It was probably one of the least satisfying 12-0 seasons a fan base ever had and I think this year Gator fans are coming to understand just why that was the case. Something was amiss last season is spite of all the talent on hand.
Did a little research and it looks like in 1957, in the UPI coaches poll, Ohio State, which had one loss, was ranked higher than unbeaten Auburn although one factor for that might be because Auburn was on probation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_college_football_season IMHO, if MSU runs the table, they will be ranked in the non computer polls ahead of Alabama regardless whether they win their remaining games handily or not. I think people start emphasizing strength of schedules, confernece strength, etc when teams have identical records. But, if one teams runs the table and the other does not, the fact that the one loss team beat a team coached by the legendary Les Miles probably will not carry the day.
If Auburn keeps winning though and remains BCS #1 that is some powerful stuff for BCS computer rankings if Bama beats them.
If Oregon and/or MSU and/or Mizzou finishes undefeated, they will be rooting hard for Bama to beat Auburn. If that happens, the major conference undefeateds will move up. Bama will move up also but not past any remaining major conference undefeateds. You can take that to the bank.