Auburn?

Well, Boise State and even Oregon aren't getting the love they both feel they deserve. Auburn jumped three spots to take over the seemingly unlucky no. 1 BCS ranking after defeating previously undefeated LSU.

Here's the latest STB Rankings:

1. Boise State (Broncos have earned this no. 1 spot for now. Boise State since 2006: 56-4 overall, 6-1 against Top 25, 2-0 in BCS games... oh, and 2-0 vs. Oregon)
2. Oregon
3. TCU
4. Auburn
5. Alabama
6. Utah
7. Michigan State
8. Missouri
9. Ohio State
10. LSU
11. Wisconsin
12. Oklahoma
13. Nebraska
14. Florida State
15. Stanford
16. Arizona
17. Arkansas
18. South Carolina
19. Virginia Tech
20. Iowa
21. Oklahoma State
22. Mississippi State
23. USC
24. Baylor
25. Miami

STB College Football Rankings

We're now 5 weeks into the 2010 College Football season and the controversy pot is stirring as much as ever. So I thought I better help out and let everyone know what the true rankings are :)

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Boise State
4. Oregon
5. TCU
6. Oklahoma
7. LSU
8. Utah
9. Florida
10. Arizona
11. Auburn
12. Arkansas
13. Nebraska
    
14. Iowa
15. Miami (FL)
16. Michigan
17. Michigan St.
18. Wisconsin
19. Oklahoma St.
20. Stanford
21. Florida St.
    
22. South Carolina
23. Nevada
24. Air Force
25. Missouri

Boise State

College Football seems to bring me back to this blog more than anything. Why? Because it's the most controversial sport there is. Why is that, you ask. Because teams like Boise State of the WAC get jumped in the purely opinion-based, yet ever important polls after winning 59-0 for it's 18th straight victory, 30th of it's last 31 games. Who'd the Broncos get jumped by? The Oregon Ducks, a team they beat exactly one year ago. A team who lost badly to Ohio State in last year's Rose Bowl. A team who has played only one ranked opponent all year (over-rated Stanford at home).

How does this happen? Boise State has played, and beaten, two ranked teams this year, both on national television, one on the road. Boise State has two BCS victories in the last 4 years, the most wins of any FBS team over the past decade, returned 21/22 starters from last year's Fiesta Bowl Champion team and yet it appears the pollsters are already making their move to ensure the Broncos are left out of the National Championship talk. What a shame.

What makes anyone still think the Broncos can't hang with the big boys? I can see that argument back in 2006 before they shocked the world with a few trick plays to upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, but not now. Not after winning the big game against the big name schools on the big stage time after time after time.

Four weeks into the college football season we have four teams realistically fighting for a spot in the National Championship: Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and Boise State. Granted Oklahoma, LSU and Michigan could potentially run the table in their respective BCS AQ conferences and sneak in there, but only if those above teams all lose one--well, all but Boise State it appears.

What will the pollsters and computers decide if Bama, OSU and Oregon each drop a game and Oklahoma runs the table to win the Big 12 and LSU does the same to win the SEC? We all know those conferences are stronger than the WAC. Does that mean those teams are better than Boise State? I say no. I say Boise State has been patient and proven itself long enough. Should the Broncos play and defeat an undefeated Nevada November 26 on ESPN2, and finish unbeaten a week later for the second straight year, I say they are more deserving than anyone of a spot in the BCS National Championship.

Anyone have a decent argument against this?

The MWC

Just as Boise State joins the MWC, Utah appears to be gone--rushing off to the Pac-?? 10? 12? 16? Who knows? Too bad too. The Mountain West with BYU, Boise State, TCU and Utah is one heck of a football conference--a shoe-in for an automatic bid to a BCS game. Now it appears that unless the MWC does something to add a 10th team, 2011 will be a downgrade year when Boise joins, not an upgrade.

The MWC without the Utes just isn't as respectable--plain and simple. Utah is 2-0 in BCS games. The rest of the conference is 0-1. Sure, Boise State is 2-0 as well, but one of those wins came against Mountain West member TCU. Not only that, but the Broncos just haven't been as feared or respected or recognized nationwide as the Utes have. As far as basketball goes, Utah had a down year, but the overall program is light-years ahead of Boise State's. Act quick Mountain West. Act quick and act smart.

What is smart you ask? Smart would be helping Utah see the reality of it's move--more money, coupled with more losses, fewer championships and fewer BCS appearances. Smart would be getting rid of any existing TV contracts with The Mtn. Smart would be contacting schools like Nevada, Houston or Fresno State about joining with Boise State for the 2011 season.

Keeping the MWC a 9-school conference and simply having BSU replace Utah could be BCS suicide. The only hope would be BYU as it will obviously continue to play it's in-state rival Utah, giving the Cougars a potential Pac-?? win at the end of a season in which it faced the likes of TCU, Boise State and whatever other preseason teams it chooses. Utah likely won't agree to play anyone else in the MWC very often at all starting in 2011. Too much to lose with little to nothing to gain.

Time for a BCS Shakeup

We've all known it for years, the BCS system is far from perfect. One argument is that while it's not perfect, it is "the best possible system" (assuming you buy into the whole "a playoff isn't realistic" bit--but that's a debate for another day). Well, I'll give the BCS their system. They can keep their computer ratings and everything--all I ask is that everyone capable of realistically competing for a National Championship be included in the equation. How is that not the case? you ask--the Mountain West Conference isn't included, that's how.

Here's a breakdown of the current BCS rankings by conference:

• Big Ten: 4 ranked teams, average BCS ranking - 14.75
• Pac 10: 4 ranked teams, average BCS ranking - 15.5
• Big East: 4 ranked teams, average BCS ranking - 16.5
• SEC: 3 ranked teams, average BCS ranking - 3.67
• MWC: 3 ranked teams, average BCS ranking - 14
• ACC: 3 ranked teams, average BCS ranking - 14
• Big 12: 2 ranked teams, average BCS ranking - 11
• Others: 2 ranked teams, average BCS ranking - 10.5

In case you're thinking, well, that's just the current rankings, what about history, tradition? Here's a breakdown of last year's final AP rankings:

• Big 12: 5 ranked teams, average AP ranking - 9.2
  
• SEC: 4 ranked teams, average AP ranking - 8.5
  
• Big Ten: 4 ranked teams, average AP ranking - 15.5
• Pac 10: 3 ranked teams, average AP ranking - 10.33
  
• MWC: 3 ranked teams, average AP ranking - 11.33
• ACC: 3 ranked teams, average AP ranking -19.33
• Big East: 2 ranked teams, average AP ranking - 20
  
• Others: 1 ranked team, average AP ranking - 11
  

I ask again, why is the MWC not included in the automatic BCS bids?

The MWC is consistently the fourth or fifth best football conference in the country, has been for about four years now, is 2-0 in BCS games and boasted last year's only undefeated team in the land.

The BCS got one thing right, while all men were created equal, all college football conferences were not. The current BCS automatic qualifiers (SEC, Pac 10, Big 12, Big Ten, ACC and Big East) are indeed in a league of their own when it comes to football, but they're no better than the MWC.

TCU is a legitimate National Title contender this year, yet they'll likely get looked over for the BCS Championship game even if they're the only undefeated team remaining. Why? Because their strength of schedule isn't as high as a one-loss Georgia Tech or a one-loss Texas? Oh, really? Actually TCU is 2-0 against the ACC this year (both games on the road by the way). The Big 12? BYU beat Oklahoma at it's best (and in Dallas, a sooner-dominant crowd) and TCU destroyed BYU in Provo. If the Horned Frogs can beat Utah, finish undefeated, and get some help from someone in the Big 12 to beat Texas, they should play the SEC Champion for the National Title.

So, BCS, wake up! If you're going to monopolize college football and hoard all the money, at least get it right and include all of the elite.

AP Poll Continues to Shadow STB!

I'm not sure how many of you compare my poll to the AP or Coaches Polls for College Football or how many of you notice when I post my poll compared to theirs (I'm generally first). In fact, I don't even know how many people read this blog, but the fact is, the AP Poll seems to see one week what I see a week earlier.

Look at this week's polls for instance. Where is Auburn? Better question, where were they last week? Well, the answer is they were nowhere to be found in the AP Poll yet they were #25 in the STB Poll. The week before that I had the Tigers at #22. This week I have them at #21, right where they should be considering their strength of schedule thus far. The AP finally caught on, after seeing them ranked in the STB Poll 2 weeks in a row, the Tigers are somehow #17 in the latest AP Poll and #19 in the Coaches.

Boise State. Great football team, legitimate BSC team in fact. Not quite worthy of a top 5 billing though. The AP pollsters gave the Broncos that last week, only to take it back after Boise beat UC Davis by 18. Where did they fall to? #6. Who took over the #5 spot? Virginia Tech. Who did I put #5 in the STB Poll even last week? Virginia Tech. #6? Boise State.

Same story with South Florida and South Carolina. I've had them ranked for weeks while the AP Poll gave theirs spots to the likes of Houston, who I left unranked and who the AP dropped entirely from the rankings despite slated them #12 in the country last week! Houston? #12? C'mon!

What I suggest is that either the pollsters follow my blog, or the BCS invite me into their complex formula.

STB College Football Rankings - Week 6

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. LSU
5. Virginia Tech
6. Boise State
7. TCU
8. USC
9. Cincinnati
10. Ohio State
11. Miami
12. Oklahoma State
13. Iowa
14. Oregon
    
15. BYU
16. Penn State
    
17. Kansas
18. Mississippi
    
19. South Florida
20. South Carolina
21. Auburn
22. Georgia Tech
23. Wisconsin
24. Stanford
    
25. Boston College