Yes, it is possible that at the end of the season in the national championship game it could be two non-AQ schools duking it out – Boise State and TCU. As much of a travesty as it would be for traditionalists like myself, it could definitely happen. All it takes is 1 bad game for the teams ahead of them in the BCS rankings and there you go, two teams who have played in reality 1 ranked team and 11 cupcakes fighting it out to see who’s the best unqualified team to win it all. It’s a blue nightmare.
Auburn has to play Alabama and Oregon has to play Arizona. Each of these games are definitely in the “could be a loss” category. Auburn will have to play flawless football to beat Alabama and Oregon will be fighting hard to win over Arizona. A loss in these games would almost certainly put Boise and TCU as 1 and 2 in the BCS rankings. Boise State has tough matchups with Hawaii and #24 Nevada. TCU has #8 Utah and Air Force. It is conceivable that Boise could lose to both Hawaii and Nevada and that TCU could drop games to Utah and Air Force. That would of course eliminate them completely from any national title talk. But it is more likely that they win at least 1 of those games each and if Auburn and Oregon lose 1 game each – things could get very, very dicey.
As more and more people who run the BCS want to eliminate strength of schedule as a determining factor – 1 loss wouldn’t preclude teams from being considered for national title bowls. And as more and more people who run the BCS want non-AQ schools to get into the title game in order to eliminate strength of schedule entirely – a 1 loss non -AQ school in a national title game is not something that won’t happen. If everything works out the way these people want, it will be TCU and Boise State and strength of schedule will never matter again and so every school should change their schedules to reflect only 1 real contest per year and the rest fluff.
There will be calls for a playoff system, but that will NEVER happen. There is too much money involved in the current system and with super conferences right around the corner – the BCS folks want everything to stay just as they are making it. Boise and TCU, and schools like them, will be swallowed into the super conferences thereby making them “legitimate” contenders and we will see more and more national title games with teams like these, while those who play much tougher schedules will be relegated to the lower bowls. Just as in almost everything else anymore, it’s how it makes people “feel” instead of what’s right. People “feel” good about two supposedly “disadvantaged” schools overcoming the big, bad major conference schools like Alabama and Ohio State. The fact that they don’t belong in the top 15 in the polls to begin with is irrelevant.
So get ready people – you’re blue nightmare may be just around the corner.
© photo by BergT
