TCU Embarrasses BCS By Winning Rose Bowl

Texas Christian University is undoubtably one of the best college football teams in the nation.   They finished the regular season undefeated (12-0), but were denied the chance to play for a national championship.   The football pundits said they didn't play a strong enough schedule and weren't in a BCS-automatic eligibility conference, so they couldn't be considered for a national championship game (and there's nothing they could do about it since college football doesn't have a play-off system).

The football "powers-that-be" put TCU in the Rose Bowl instead, figuring they would lose to a very powerful Wisconsin Badger team and that would end any thoughts TCU fans had of a national championship.   But TCU messed that plan up on January 1st by beating Big 10 champion Wisconsin 21-19.   They now have a 13-0 record and have proven they can beat teams with "tougher" schedules.

But they still don't get the respect and consideration they deserve.   In a few days Oregon will play Auburn, and the winner of that game will be crowned the national champion -- even though their record will be no better than that of TCU (undefeated).   Who's to say that TCU couldn't win a head-to-head play-off match-up?   In a fairer world they would be given the opportunity to try.

This is not the first time a deserving team has been denied the opportunity for a shot at the national championship by the faulty BCS system, and it won't be the last.   It's time to stop this farce and scrap the BCS system.   It's time to institute a play-off system for NCAA Division I football.   Division II has a play-off system that results in a national championship that's won on the playing field, and there's no reason that Division I can't do the same.

There are those who say that there's too much money in the current BCS Bowl system, and that's why a play-off system can't be done.   That's a load of crap!   There would be just as much money to be had in a series of play-off games, and the current bowls could be a part of that play-off system.  

It's time that teams like TCU got their fair shot at the national championship, and that can only be done with a play-off system.  

TCU Finishes Season Undefeated

TCU has done it! After dismantling the University of New Mexico by a 51-10 score, they have finished the season with a 12-0 record. It is the first time they've gone undefeated in 71 years -- since 1938, when TCU won a national championship led by Heisman Trophy quarterback Davey O'Brien.

TCU is currently ranked #4 in the BCS standing, and could possibly move up to #3 after the Florida-Alabama game. The only way they could possibly have a shot at the national championship at this point, would be if Texas loses to Nebraska in the Big-12 championship (and that is extremely unlikely).

I think TCU has left little doubt that they are one of the best college football teams in the country. They beat Virginia and Clemson on the road (and Clemson is in the ACC championship game). They also demolished both BYU and Utah while both those teams were ranked in the top twenty in the nation.

If there is any justice in the world, TCU should get a top BCS bowl game (and representatives from the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls were at yesterday's game). If I was the team picked to play TCU in the upcoming bowl game, I would be very afraid. This team still has a point to make, and they seem very capable of doing it.

I congratulate TCU on a great season, and I look forward to the bowl game where they'll get their 13th win.

NOTE -- The picture above shows Coach Patterson holding up the Mountain West trophy after their win against New Mexico yesterday.

TCU Rises To #4 In BCS Standings

The TCU football team has now accomplished something that no other team not in a BCS conference has ever done. They have risen to the #4 ranking in the BCS standings. Until now, the best ranking for a non-BCS conference school was #6. The TCU Horned Frogs are also rated #4 by the Coaches poll and the Harris poll.

TCU has accomplished this by winning their recent games by huge margins and remaining undefeated. They have won their last four games by an average score of 44-8. Meanwhile, the #5 and #6 teams are also from non-BCS conferences -- Cincinnati and Boise State.

This is where the BCS gets unfair. No matter how good these teams do as they finish the rest of the season, the BCS is only required to include one of them in a BCS bowl game. Also, there is no way any of the three has a chance to play for the national championship, even though they have proven they can play with ranked teams.

It is time for major colleges to go to a playoff system for at least the top 16 teams. I realize TCU and the teams ranked below them might be considered "cinderella" teams with only an outside chance of winning, but who can say they couldn't do it? It reminds me of the excellent Utah team from last year that wasn't given a chance to prove themselves.

By the way, TCU's next game is against that Utah team. If TCU can convincingly beat them, can anyone really claim they wouldn't have a good chance to beat Florida, Texas or Alabama? Here are the top ten teams and their BCS ratings:

1. Florida----------.9842

2. Alabama----------.9516

3. Texas----------.9234

4. TCU----------.8620

5. Cincinnati----------.8580

6. Boise State----------.8126

7. Georgia Tech----------.7552

8. LSU----------.6138

9. USC----------.5922

10. Iowa----------.5745

Utah Screws The BCS - Big Time !

The college Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is not having a good season. It is supposed to use several polls and computer statistics to pick the best two college teams in the nation, and pit them against each other to get a national champion. In most years, it works fairly well. But this year has been a disaster for the system.

The system has been tweaked several times to insure a better result, but this season has made the BCS into little more than a joke. The BCS picked Florida and Oklahoma as the top two teams amid a lot of disagreement. Many people thought Texas should be ranked ahead of Oklahoma, since they had the same record and Texas beat them handily during the regular season.

Others thought Southern California should be considered since it had the same record, especially after they took powerful Penn State apart in the Rose Bowl. But it is Utah that is making the whole system look like little more than a bad joke.

You see, the BCS never really considered Utah to be a contender, even though they finished the season at 12-0. The BCS ranked five teams higher than Utah -- and all of them had lost a game. Even though Utah was undefeated, it was not considered powerful enough by the BCS to play for the mythical national championship.

So they threw Utah a bone, and let them play Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Everyone expected Alabama to roll over Utah and embarrass them. But that didn't happen. Utah easily beat Alabama (who was ranked #1 by the BCS for five weeks this year until they were defeated by Florida in the SEC championship). In fact, Utah defeated Alabama by a bigger margin that #1 ranked Florida did.

Now we are left with a big mess. It doesn't matter whether Florida or Oklahoma wins the championship, that championship will be tainted. How can an undefeated team (Utah) who has shown they can play with the best teams, not be given a shot at the championship? How can Texas (who beat Oklahoma) not be given a shot at the championship? How about So-Cal?

The large-college presidents have a lot of pitiful excuses why they can't have a play-off system and determine a real champion on the field, but it is all bullshit! All of the smaller college divisions have a play-off system, and if they can do it, so can the bigger colleges. It all boils down to money. The current bowl system has been very lucrative -- even for a lot of schools with mediocre teams.

Frankly, I don't even care whether Florida or Oklahoma wins their scheduled game. I would not consider either one to be a national champion, and I believe there are a ton of people who agree with me. The only way I would believe either team is better than Utah or Texas, is if they beat them fairly in a real game.

Thank you, Utah! You have shown us once and for all that NCAA Division I Football needs a play-off system. A real play-off system -- not a one or two game mythical joke.