Final AP Poll Leaves Utah Hangin’

While it appeared that Utah was the compassion play for the AP poll going into last night’s BCS National Championship game, they will have to settle for #2.

After a rather sloppy title game, I was even more convinced that an undefeated Utah would receive more momentum to climb to #1 in the AP poll. I should have known better… Utah was precluded from any chance in hell of being crowned the champion since the beginning — thanks, Bowls Contrived in September.

Some sports writers agree with me.

James Lang/US Presswire—-

USC ruined its chances early by losing to Oregon State as did Texas by losing in the final seconds to Texas Tech. Too many ‘what ifs’ and question marks. Each of the top 4 AP poll teams — Florida, Utah, USC and Texas — has an argument for the #1 spot. But how can you deny an undefeated Utah that beat top tier teams the top?

Florida, of course, finished #1 in the AP poll after edging out the Sooners last night. But the contest was tied early in the 4th quarter, 14-14. Florida bounced back late in Tim Tebow fashion (with help from Percy Harvin, of course). He turned a prosaic contest into a poetic display…putting his team and the crowd on his back and wielded it like a true Heisman-deserving college football player would. He took the ball under his wing a couple of times and he didn’t hesitate to lay the hammer down on Sooner defenders. Regardless, the game as a whole was blah. Can you settle for a champion that resulted from such an odd contest of two ‘powerhouses’?

I guess we’ll have to.

BCS National Championship Game in 3D
It appears that some viewers have already posted their thoughts of the game on AVS Forum. Despite some minor technical difficulties, there was a resounding “WOW” amongst the crowd. There were those that thought that 3D sports broadcast technology is not ready for prime time.

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Hey, BCS. Thanks For Nothing.

The BCS has been busted again. So what now?

The Million Dollar Band may have shown the Utes Marching Band how it’s done, but the Utah football team has induced vertigo causing more BCS turmoil. After spanking the Crimson Tide 31-17, the Utes improve to 13-0 on the season.

Should they be #1?

Why not? They played like the #1 team suffocating Alabama’s offense with eight sacks, three turnovers, and held the Tide to just 36 rushing yards (they averaged over 196 per game this season). And Utah executed impeccably on offense — including some risky 3rd and long trickery to keep a drive alive late in the game — thanks to the leadership of the unsexy Heisman shoulda been, Brian Johnson.

The unfortunate part is that they won’t be voted #1 in the final BCS poll. Of course, that’ll be Florida or Oklahoma. Perhaps Utah will earn the ultimate respect from the AP…right?

Probably not. Of the 4 non-BCS teams that have gone undefeated through bowl games (Utah did it twice, Boise State in 2006, Marshall in 1999 and Tulane in 1998), Utah achieved the highest AP poll rank after their win over #20 Pitt in 2004. Even though the Sooners were throttled by USC 55-19 in the Orange Bowl, they still finished above the [undefeated] #4 Utah Utes.

What they’ve done is seal their spot as the #2 team in the nation.

What about Texas? Given the poor play of the Big Ten in the bowl games (currently 1-5 in bowl games), we’ll assume the ‘Horns pull it out…handily. Why shouldn’t they be #2?

While I absolutely despise the USC Trojans, they certainly deserve a voice for the #2 spot after putting Nittany Lions to sleep for the season in the Rose Bowl.

Whatever happens on January 8th, I can’t possibly be satisfied. The BCS was nothing but a contrived championship format that rewarded the current darlings. Wait. Or was that the Heisman? Nevermind. Regardless, the BCS (Bowls Contrived in September) blew it again…it’s incredible, it’s sickening, it’s time for change.

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The BCS Hath Spoken…

Does Texas deserve a piece?

…but will the Longhorns have the last word?

There’s no doubt that the matchup selected by the BCS will be an interesting one. Oklahoma and Florida have been laying waste to its opponents over the last few weeks. The anticipation is similar to that of a Kimbo Slice match and may not be decided until the last seconds wind down. The last such bout should be fresh in our minds when USC and Texas met in 2005.

So, Texas beat OU. Yeah. We know.

Regardless of this redundant claim, the result (45-35) plays into the equation going into the bowl season. Regardless of who the BCS National Championship Game winner may be, perhaps the AP voters would view a Texas beating of Ohio State as deserving of a #1 spot.

The last time this happened was in 2003 when USC and LSU shared the national champion spotlight. USC finished #1 in both the AP and Coaches’ Polls, but the computers punished USC for having the weakest schedule giving LSU and Oklahoma a shot at the BCS title. Despite LSU’s defeat of OU in the Sugar Bowl, the AP poll stood firm in its decision to crown USC its National Champion.

The difference this year is that Texas is ranked third in the human polls going into the Fiesta Bowl. Both place the Longhorns in the #3 slot. However, the computer polls give Texas a .1500 margin over Florida. The result is a tiny .018 margin in the BCS poll between the Gators and the ‘Horns.

1. Oklahoma, 0.976
2. Florida, 0.948
3. Texas, 0.930
4. Alabama, 0.844
5. USC, 0.821
6. Utah, 0.785

USC and Utah will have to settle.

PLAYOFFS? Regardless of all the arguments that exist for or against a playoff system, the most salient factor has to be which teams are chosen. Maybe the BCS is good for one thing after all. Is it fair to select the 8 teams with the BCS poll? What about conference champs? Although some teams may be left out, those teams that feel they should vie for the title will have their day.

No matter what system is chosen, there will be some degree of unfairness. So, once President Obama figures out how to repair our economy, next on the agenda should be the college playoff proposal. I’m all ears.

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