Big 12 BCS Barn Burner

Gosh, I love alliteration.

With the final weeks of college football upon us, excessive dissection and misguided predictions have troubled many fans. I blame it on the pick ‘em. I’m running through my picks last night with one of my friends. Since I’ve racked up a 65%+ success rate the last 5 or 6 weeks against the spread, all of a sudden I’m the guru. (Excuse me a sec…I’m gonna finish eating my piece of humble pie).

As I explained each of my picks for this weekend (where in the hell did Georgia Tech come from, BTW), the gerbils in my head started running at alarming speeds.

Could there be an all-Big 12 BCS Championship Game?

Yeah. I was sure of it. Let’s assume OU ruins Texas Tech’s spotless season…or they don’t…whatever. If the Big 12 Champion is OU, Texas, or Tech with a 12-1 record (OU still has to play Oklahoma State) and Florida loses to FSU but beats Alabama, the National Championship game could be all Big 12, right? Lest we forget LSU made it in last year with 2 losses. So, who’s to say the computers won’t like Florida enough to leapfrog one of these Big 12 teams for a shot at the title?

I’ve been arguing with my friends about the possibility of an all-Big 12 BCS Championship game. Forget it’s improbability. I’m just asking “is it possible”. Sure. But the explanation above wasn’t good enough for them especially with the two-loss Florida caveat. So this guru decided to consult the real BCS guru: Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times.

I won’t take the time to qualify the guy. I mean [1] he writes for the L.A. Times, [2] trust me, or [3] read this BCS article. I shot Chris a quick email to get his take. His scenario is this:

A three-way tie at 11-1 in the Big 12 South — which means OU beating Texas Tech and then all three teams winning their last games — could do it. Let’s say OU goes to the Big 12 title game versus Mizzou based on highest BCS ranking. Now you have Texas and Texas Tech each at 11-1 waiting in the wings. Missouri with two losses beats Oklahoma in Big 12 game.

Meanwhile in the SEC, Florida loses to FSU next week but beats Alabama in SEC title game. Now, the likely title game is Texas vs. Texas Tech…second and third in Big 12 South.

Chris also added that “the big thing is that since the BCS just altered its own rule that prohibits three teams from one conference playing in the BCS, in my scenario Missouri, Texas, and Texas Tech can all be in BCS games. Mizzou would go to the Fiesta Bowl as auto qualifier.”

Wow. I think my gerbils are dead…resting maybe. Seriously, though…that is a much better explanation. We’ll find out if any of this analysis is worth anything starting tomorrow. Parity is a bitch.

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