Here’s more proof that college football needs a playoff system
College football fans who have been clamoring for a playoff received more ammunition Saturday night when Texas Tech lost to Oklahoma.
And yes, I am one of them.
To those that say the entire season is a playoff, or that college football – particularly the Big 12 and Southeastern conferences – are going through a playoff right now are left with blanks following the loss.
This isn’t a playoff because of what we are now left with – six teams that have an equal case of saying they deserve to be playing for a national championship.
Within a few weeks, that number may grow to seven if Florida beats Alabama in the SEC title game and the other one-loss teams win their remaining games.
Those outside of Lubbock will look at Tech’s 65-21 loss and automatically eliminate the Red Raiders from BCS contention, but they shouldn’t. All Saturday’s game proved – assuming Tech remains on the outside of the BCS conversation – is that the Red Raiders lost (OK, got blown out) to a top-5 team on its home field.
If this truly was a playoff, as some contend, then why do Oklahoma, Southern California, Florida, Penn State and Texas still have a shot? Is this a double-elimination playoff?
The Red Raiders, by most accounts, are the only odd team not being considered right now. Yet, they have just as many losses as the other teams. They just suffered their defeat later in the season and have fewer weeks to try and make up ground.
For every one-loss team that stakes its claim to being worthy of being considered, I can give you at least one reason why they shouldn’t.
• Tech – Blowout loss.
• USC, Penn State and Florida – lost to unranked teams.
• Oklahoma – Lost to a Texas team that lost to Tech … on a neutral field, not on the Longhorns’ home field.
• Texas – Lost to Tech.
One thing each of the one-loss teams has in common is that they’ve each beaten three ranked opponents. Florida, Penn State and Tech have done it at least once on the road.
I’m not saying Tech deserves to play in Miami. My point is that every team has an argument, a legitimate one, that can be avoided if egoes and money were cast aside to finally get this right.
And this is something else the NCAA and the BCS officials want – you and I discussing this every week for the final month or two of the season. Seems to me, though, the NCAA basketball tournament doesn’t suffer from lack of attention.
One and done?
There are six teams in the BCS top 10 that have only one loss. (No. 1 Alabama and No. 6 Utah are undefeated.) Here is a look at each one-loss team’s one blemish and some of their highlights:
TEXAS
• BCS ranking: No. 2
• Record: 10-1
• Loss: at then-No. 7 Texas Tech
• When they lost: Nov. 1
• Key wins: then-No. 1 Oklahoma in Dallas; then-No. 11 Missouri; then-No. 6 Oklahoma State
OKLAHOMA
• BCS ranking: No. 3
• Record: 10-1
• Loss: vs. Texas, 45-35, in Dallas
• When they lost: Oct. 11
• Key wins: then-No. 24 TCU; then-No. 16 Kansas; then-No. 2 Texas Tech
FLORIDA
• BCS ranking: No. 4
• Record: 10-1
• Loss: vs. Mississippi, 31-30
• When they lost: Sept. 27
• Key wins: then-No. 4 LSU; at then-No. 6 Georgia; then-No. 25 South Carolina
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
• BCS ranking: No. 5
• Record: 9-1
• Loss: at Oregon State
• When they lost: Sept. 25
• Key wins: then-No. 5 Ohio State; then-No. 23 Oregon; then-No. 21 California
TEXAS TECH
• BCS ranking: No. 7
• Record: 10-1
• Loss: at then-No. 5 Oklahoma
• When they lost: Saturday
• Key wins: at then-No. 23 Kansas; then-No. 1 Texas; then-No. 9 Oklahoma State
PENN STATE
• BCS ranking: No. 8
• Record: 11-1
• Loss: at Iowa
• When they lost: Nov. 8
• Key wins: then-No. 22 Illinois; at then-No. 9 Ohio State; then-No. 15 Michigan State
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The NCAA needs to realize that it has created a monster with the current BCS format. Teams are rewarded for running up the score and blowing out opponents, like Oklahoma did Saturday night, to enhance their BCS standings. OU gets 65 and Florida rings up 70 and of course it pays because look at today’s BCS standings.
The OU game was disgusting to me, even watching afar from NC. An onside kick in the first half when you’re already ahead 28-0? And long passes late in the game when you’re ahead by about 40 points? Only the OU coach Stoopes this low.
Shame on the Big XII Conference for letting the BCS select its South Division “champion”. The hope here is that Missouri wins the Big XII title game, especially if Oklahoma is their opponent. I also hope Oregon State wins the Pac 10, FSU beats Florida, and then Florida beats Alabama.
Anything that messes up the BCS has got to be good for college football, which needs to settle the matter of a champion on the field, not in a computer lab. The blame rests squarely on the NCAA, an organization that is out chasing offensive mascots rather than doing something to stop the real villains like Stoops, who’d throw Rudy under the bus if it meant one more point in the BCS standings.
And Texas Tech, if they go 11-1, will be this year’s “Missouri”. Not only will they be shut out of the BCS title game, even if Texas or Oklahoma goes, but they’ll be shut out of the BCS, period, while you’ll be watching Utah and a couple of ACC and Big East teams with at least 3 or 4 losses competing in BCS bowls.
This system is FUBAR.
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Playoff…playoff!
I know, some of my friends are calling me insane because BCS benefit Texas & OU alot….i mean alot. Why?…well, money of course.
I rather win square and fair knowing that my team won or the right teams compete rightly so, and knowing that money did not muscle itself in contention. OU, TEXAS, USC, Ohio, Florida, LSU….all have money muscles. It’s time to change that. But you know what?….i feel as if i’m wasting my calories on worrying about it because it is not going to happen.
Play ‘em off! Hook ‘em and change ‘em!
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Red Raider fans,
Do not worry, you are not out of a BCS bowl. However, you might be out of the national title game because you lost in a blow out. However, I would be surprised if the polls allowed Texas to jump TT after TT wins the Big XII championship game.
As posted last week, I said TT would lose in Norman. OU is not that much better than TT, but when you go on the road in the Big XII and things snowball, this is the result. TT is not that much better than OSU, but when you go on the road in the Big XII and things snowball, this is the result.
Between Texas, TT, OU, and OSU, all home teams have won. Do not expect this to change this week. OSU will beat OU in Stillwater. Get your guns up, but you should call them pistols this week. Also, don’t take Baylor for granted, and get ready to play.
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Blah, blah, blah….
I will agree that there are flaws in the system and every season someone can say they did not get the best deal.
But anyone who has seen brackets arranged for a play-off can see there are also teams that leave the tourny with the same comments…they put the wrong teams in the bracket and the championship game was actually played in the quarter finals or in the second round or whatever.
The championship is not really the ‘best’ team, that is not possible, even baseball and basketball has the same discussions about best team in the pros with their more complex play off systems.
The championship is a defninition, go through the championship series and by definition, the survivor is the champion.
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This was a wonderful article and I hope you can send it to the BCS committee. I’m so tired of Tech being shut out because they make one mistake. They have to be absolutely perfect to be recognized, or someone else always takes the lead. Tech beat Texas and isn’t that worthy of something!!!!! I could just scream when I think about how the announcers discredited a year of excellence over this one loss. Didn’t they say that Tech will now have to settle for the Holiday or Cotton Bowl?!? Sports has become so political.
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A few facts for Connor,
First of all, OU didn’t attempt an onside kick. They were squib kicking it because of the wind and it inadvertently hit a TT player. Secondly, OU didn’t run up the score, they ran their offense for three quarters before putting in reserves in the 4th. Also, 14 points came as a result of an interception and fumble return. Since you are from NC, I suggest you stick to a subject you are familar with like basketball, maybe!
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I can’t believe Tech fans complaining about Stoops running up a score. Ever seen Leach take his foot off the gas before the 4th quarter? Face it, we got beat. Badly.
And it’s funny that “March Madness” is considered to be the greatest thing ever for sports on television, and makes a ton of money. But the Rose Bowl and Big 10 continue to fight December Madness.
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If the sports politicians send UT to the championship game and UT wins, then the Red Raiders can hold their head up high knowing that they are the only team to beat them.
If OU loses to OSU and A&M beats UT would the Red Raiders go to the championship game, provided they beat Missouri?
The BCS system is a flake.
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In reply to the article,
“regular season=playoff”
Ha! The pretzel design of the Big 12 South ruins that gem
OU lost to UT(5) when ranked #1, neutral field
UT lost to Tech(6) when ranked #1, in Lubbock
Tech lost to OU(5) when ranked $2, in Norman
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This goes on every year. It’s no different than any other year. A 2-loss team got into the National Championship and won. How fair is that and how fair is it that the crummy ACC and Big East gets to go to a BCS with their terrible records? The BCS stinks and has discredited some great bowls like the Cotton Bowl and Capital One Bowl, which are tremendous bowls and played on New Year’s Day, which is a College Football staple.
We all knew Tech would get screwed if they lost, whether it be by 1 or 70. No, the blowout didn’t help matters but it was already said that if Tech lost, they were out. I hate that fact as much as any Tech fan.
I am in agreement on “Shame on the Big 12″ for letting the BCS decide who goes to the Big 12 Championship. I would rather see a coin flip like they do with the High School Playoffs with three teams tied (unless that rule has changed recently) than depend on a popularity contest with the polls and BCS rankings. If you are going to have a popularity contest, then let the Big 12 coaches vote who gets into the Championship. You wouldn’t be able to vote for your own team, so you could eliminate that controversy and publicize who the coaches voted for.
Another problem I have for the BCS conferences is they all don’t play by the same rules. Some have to go through a Conference Championship, where others do not do that. Either have Conference Championships or get rid of them entirely.
The only think you can do now is go undefeated and take care of yourself. It’s sad but that’s all you can do for now. We now know how Missouri felt last year getting left out of the picture.
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Just a statement,
I do not mind a team running up the score, the game is 60 minutes long. Last Saturday we just didn’t show up. I believe that it stinks that the BCS will pick the winner of the south division. The Big 12 should be ashamed of this and any method would be preferable, coin-toss, coach election, or even the old last appearance rule (of course this would help Tech today).
Again all is not over, take of Baylor and see what OSU can do.
Go Tech
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Two things…
1. OU deserves the credit for a well played game. Leach would be the 1st to say that the other team does not “run up the score,” we let them do it. If we stop them, then they don’t score. End of discussion.
2. The scenario that no-one is talking about is as follows: OU loses to OSU and Tech goes to the Big 12 Championship game. Texas blows out an overmatched TAM team and stays at #2 in the polls. Tech beats Missouri in a close game. Florida/Alabama game knocks one of them out of the picture. If Tech does not move up 5 spaces with a close win over Missouri, then either Texas or USC play for the national title.
Neither of these teams will have won their conference and, in Texas’ case, will be taken above a Tech team that won the conference AND BEAT TEXAS HEAD TO HEAD. I think OU will win but it is a real possitility. Complaints about the system are not the same as interest in the system. Nobody can tell me that the satisfaction with March Madness is this low!!! I don’t know of anyone who isn’t biased for a particular team that is upset that a #2 seed wins the March Madness or that the 66th best team in the country is left out of the tourney. This system has got to change.
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Hey tech, I wouldn’t worry so much as to what goes on between ou and osu, and Texas and aTm, yall should be focusing on Baylor, they are a better team than I’ve seen in quite sometime, and if tech plays like they did against ou, well I think you can figure the rest out.
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Billy,
If Tech sleepwalks during the Baylor game and gets beat. Guess what? The Sooners stay home while Texas goes to the Big 12 Championship. Not only does Tech lose out, so do the Sooners no matter what they do in the Championship. You are right, can’t worry about other games going on until after the Baylor game.
We’ve all seen the Sooners don’t care about any bowl but the MNC. Evidence in their bowl games the last two years. No offense to any Sooner fans reading this but I saw it in their body language against West Virginia last year.
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Here is a great perspective on the Big 12 south fromo an ESPN analyst.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/notebook?page=notebook/onthemark1124
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Pretty much puts the lid on all the trash talkers. Texas is just the best team in the big 12, hell the best team in The nation for that matter. HOOK EM HORNS
P.S. Thanks for setting the record straight Texas Born
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Hey Billy Brown,
If Baylor could play like OU then maybe they would warrant discussion also… I think there will be the appropriate “focus” on Baylor
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No Ron, Baylor plays pretty much like tech does, should be a pretty good match up, after what I saw on saturday night, I’ll put my money on Baylor, but I’ll pull for Tech.
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Goodbye Tech, Im headed to Tenessee, so I don’t have to face Texas and Oaklahoma again next year.
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I can’t seem to find my a$$, has anyone seen it, I would like to take it with me to Tenessee when I go, I think It’s in Norman, maybe I will send Harrel to get it for me, oops his is gone too.
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It is a shame that there isn’t a better system in place. It seems as though there is controversy of some sort every year. Sounds like an administration that serves itself instead of its constituents. Sound familiar? The system should be fair for ALL teams. Geaux Tech! Regroup, & Beat Baylor!
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PLEASE, I NEED MY A$$
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Why would Leach want to go to Tennesee…
to trade in OU and UT for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU… not a good trade if you ask me…
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FOR MONEY $$$$$$$$$$$ SO I CAN BUY ANOTHER A$$
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LEACH@TTU, WE GOT A WHOLE MESS OF THEM HERE IN NORMAN, HARD TO TELL WHO’S IS WHO’S, I’M SURE ONE OF THEM IS YOURS THOUGH.
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Tech lost very very bad. That is the problem with Tech’s one loss that none of the other one lose teams face. I’m as big a Tech fan as any but playing in the NC game, no way. BCS game I hope so.
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Since the University presidents will never allow a playoff, this is what needs to be done. Play all games as scheduled without any polls. Once the very last game for the season is played, the following day, you have the coaches poll, and the sports writers poll. These polls will count 25% each towards the BCS. The final 50% is the computer poll. Once every game is played, the computer will consider every factor involved from all games played from every team. As it stand now, there is so many bias sports writers, no one gets a fair shake. I live in Baton Rouge, and see it everyday. The poll voter here has no respect for the Big 12, and I am sure this occurs everywhere in other cities for other teams. Do away with conference championship games. Every two years rotate the teams played in the larger conferences. Doing this, you only miss out on playing certain teams once every few years. When the polls are finalized, then each bowl goes thru the process of least rated bowl to best in the final BCS bowl, such as 64 plays 63 in a bowl, 62 plays 61 in another bowl, and so on till you get to 2 plays 1 for the championship.
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How cheap is it to use a coach’s name in your blog (LEACH@TTU)? Voice your opinion, but show some class. Or, is it because you’re hiding from the law?
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Sorry about the last sentence. My lack of class got the best of me.
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just a popularity contest now. the big $ schools will get it their way as usual. while those just as deserving take a back seat. PATHETIC SYSTEM!!! really makes me want to forget college football, as the teams w/ the biggest $ and fan bases get the fast track. remember that 2 loss lsu team last year? or how about a 9-4 florida qb winning the heisman? again PATHETIC!!!
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Keep the playoffs out of NCAA Division 1 football. It is not needed, nor is it wanted by the vaste majority. Only people that want playoffs are the people that have no values of tradition. There was no issue over the national championship in the 1960 or 1970s. Plain and simple fact is the traditional bowls provide more money and practice time to the athletic programs that deserve it, and that is where college football will stay.
Is the system perfect? No, it was created by people who are not perfect. Even with a play off system, you are going to have the same people gripping about how the system sucks. Face it folks, none of you know what you want.
Keep the bowls with their tradition and pageantry, leave the playoffs and the government out of my sport.
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I think a playoff would be more entertaining than the BCS, but I don’t think you want to use the Big 12 South as evidence that a playoff would fix the BCS’ problems. A playoff system that lets three teams from one division of one conference in is either going to be too big to work or really unfair (to all the other conferences).
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Ryan, I can remember an issue with the NC in the 70’s. SMU had a perfect season with Eric Dickerson and Craig James. They were the Southwest Conference Champs. The Pollsters voted Penn State the NC and they had a loss. There was nothing fair about that. I remember a lot of upset people over that. It was political then and it STILL is!!!
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BCS should eat thier own mess and if Utah and Alabama stay undefeated play for the national championship, other wise we need to mount a credible effort to have the system changed in the American tradition and “Sue The Bastards” The BCS that is. Guns UP#27
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The question is, if the BCS doesn’t decide who represents the Big XII South in the championship game, who does?
It can’t really come down to who beat who, because at that point they all beat each other – UT over OU, Tech over UT and OU over Tech.
A coin flip of one of the 50 states and George Washington? Do you use a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar or silver dollar?
Face it, the BCS is doing what it is supposed to do, allow fans to argue about the good and the bad of the system itself.
This season alone is allowing more discussion about system and will be created more if Florida beats Alabama and people get to discuss the best one loss team.
If it’s perfection people are looking for, why do they exclude for the most part, Utah and Ball State, two teams still undefeated.
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Da! There is a fair system in place in everohter sport, the question is why aren’t we using it. Because? The commish NO. Who approved this and why? Who is accountable, Lots of questions and no accountability and plenty of money being made? Guns UP#27
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every other
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HEY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG. NO SAID THE BOOMER SOONER, I DON’T HAVE THE CLASS THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS, THAT’S WHY WE ARE THE WORST FANS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL, EVEN WHEN WE WIN, WE WII CUSS OLD PEOPLE YOUNG PEOPLE WE WILL THROW THINGS AT YOU AT THE GAME EVEN WHEN WE ARE WINNING, WE DON’T CARE ABOUT THE SOONERS, GOING TO A GAME IN NORMAN JUST GIVES A CHANCE TO GET OUT OF OUR TRAILOR AND GET DRUNK.
TEXAS FOOTBALL TEAMS RULE
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HEY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG. TWO TEXAS TEAMS IN THE TOP 10. LET’S BE PROUD OF TEXAS.
TEXAS FOOTBALL TEAMS RULE
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This is one of the better articles I’ve seen on the topic.
The problem is we have a three way tie for the conference, and two of those have pretty much equal ambitions for the national championship as a part of it.
The BCS was designed to get the best two teams together regardless of conference and not have them locked into conference affiliated bowls, otherwise USC wins the Rose, FL or AL wins the Sugar and TX or OU wins the Fiesta and three teams claim to be the champion.
Usually the controversy if over who gets into one game after its all over — but this year we get two rounds of controversy as an intermediate BCS ranking get to decide who’s playing a game to get into the BCS game. The BCS is acting like a playoff seeder when it wasn’t designed to do so.
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First off, I say line up the top 8, and use the BCS bowls, plus the Cotton and Gator bowls to have a playoff. It would be great, and I’d watch every game, rather than only watching my team’s game as I do now.
Secondly, there is a major problem with your list of the teams’ losses. Read over it again and tell me which of these is not like the others.
Tech – Blowout loss
USC, Penn State and Florida – lost to unranked teams
Oklahoma – Lost by 10 on a neutral field
Texas – Lost at Tech on the last play of the game
I’m sorry, but it should be clear who has the most forgivable loss. Now lets look at each team’s best win.
Tech – Beat then No. 1 Texas at home on the last play of the game.
USC – Crushed then No. 5 Ohio State at home (early in the season)
Penn St. – Beat then No. 9 Ohio State in The Horseshoe
Florida – Crushed then No. 6 Georgia on a neutral field (which is a better win than the LSU game, because of where LSU is now.)
OU – Crushed then No. 2 Tech at home
Texas – Beat then No. 1 OU by two scores on a neutral field.
PSU, Florida, and Texas were the only teams to pick up their big wins away from home, and Texas did it against the best team in the group.
I’m sorry Tech fans, but Texas has the best argument. You should root for them over OU, so if Texas wins the National Title you can say, “Yeah, well we beat the national champs.”
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NEUTRAL FIELD IS NOT A ROAD GAME—–YOUR LOGIC IS FLAWED……..
WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT 2 WEEKS ARE DONE AND THEN THE FIGHT WILL BE ON……….
THERE IS NO DOUBT THE RAIDERS GOT THE SHAFT TO BE PUT DOWN 5 SPOTS……..
IF BAMA LOSES BY FORTY, THEY BETTER BE BEHIND US, BUT YOU KNOW THEY WILL END UP 3 OR 4, YOU CANNOT APPLY LOGIC TO THIS.
THERE IS TOO MUCH HUMAN INTERACTION FOR LOGIC TO APPLY…….
WATCH OU, TT, AND TEXAS GET LEFT OUT FOR USC FLORIDA.
THAT IS LOGIC FOR THE BCS…….WHO THE MEDIA WANTS TO SEE. OPINIONS ARE USC HAS THE BEST DEFENSE IN NCAA AND FLORIDA HAS BEST OFFENSE. BEAUTY CONTESTS IS ALL IT IS ABOUT WHEN YOU GET TO THE END. ALTHOUGH UT HAS WON THEIR LAST FEW GAMES, IT HAS NOT BEEN PRETTY AT ALL. 35-7 OVER KANSAS, WHAT WAS THE TECH SCORE?
4 POINT WIN OVER OSU? WHAT WAS THE TECH SCORE?
BAYLOR GAME WAS NOT CLOSE TO THE SCORE, BAYLOR HIT COLT HARD AND HEAVY…..TEXAS HAS NOT HAD A BEAUTY WIN SINCE MIZZ AND OU.
BELIEVE ME THAT’S WHAT THEY LOOK AT.
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You have a problem with winning on a neutral field? My logic is flawed? You are the one saying it is what the media wants to see that matters. The AP poll was taken out of the BCS. It’s the coaches fault, the same coaches who are too busy each week to watch the games. And 35-7 over Kansas isn’t good enough for you? Texas let up on them, just like they let up on Baylor, while Leach is still trying to score with seconds left on the clock. You want to complain about a 4 point win over OSU? How about going to overtime, at home, against Nebraska?
And you have to use some reason: the national media is never going to treat Tech like the big schools if they continue scheduling not one, but two lower division opponents.
And you think really think Tech was shafted because they fell five spots? Where do you think they should be ranked? Texas lost on the last play of the game and fell three spots. Penn St. lost on a last second FG to an unranked team and fell five spots. USC fell eight spots when they lost. Florida dropped nine. What do you think is fair? For Tech to fall from second to third after getting taken to the woodshed?
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wow. Texas Born referred to this article above.
this quote is ironic.
From Bob Stoops:
“If you can’t move us in front of Texas because they beat us, then you have to keep Texas Tech in front of Texas,” Sooners coach Bob Stoops told reporters after the Texas Tech win. “If it’s logical for one, then it’s logical for the other.”
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so, OU beat Tech. Is that all? TCU and Cincinatti.
ok
but they lost to UT
UT beat OU on neutral field. Who else? Kansas St, Oklahoma St. and Missouri
impressive
but Tech beat em
we beat Oklahoma State and Kansas AND Kansas State, and Texas
i swear, no respect. we are in UT/OU shadows despite identical records
we will beat Baylor and who ever else we play (Miss, LSU, Mizzou)
Wreck Em Tech.
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First of all, it’s called research. Texas beat Kansas, they didn’t play Kansas St. Second of all, I wouldn’t brag about beating a 5-7 team. It doesn’t really help your argument. I wouldn’t even brag about beating Kansas.
OU beat Cincinnati, TCU, Tech, and plays OSU
Texas beat OU, Missouri, and OSU
Tech beat Texas and OSU plus two lower division schools and SMU. You have to schedule real football teams if you want out of the shadows.
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