Who’s up in the BCS puzzle?
We are getting right into the heart of the College Football season now and there are still an incredible seven teams without a loss on their resumes, so just who is heading for the BCS Championship game in January?
It’s getting on impossible to predict what the computer will end up churning out for the better bowls and just about every pundit who has made a suggestion so far has come up with something different, many seemingly ignoring the case of a couple of really impressive mid-major schools.
All seven unbeaten teams are well on course to make the top 10 in the BCS although defeats for some of them could spell the end of their hopes, with especially Iowa and TCU in danger despite some excellent wins on their card.
But it is one of those teams that I like to end the season playing for a title – the Horned Frogs, who used their statement game last week to make a real splash on the national scene by annihilating BYU in their own backyard, inflicting only their second defeat of the season by 31 points and showing their ability on all sides of the ball.
Going undefeated now seems more than likely with a couple of dropkick home games sandwiching a clash with No 19 Utah that will most likely make or break their chances. Adding a win over the Utes to previous success at BYU and Clemson would make a fine case for a place in the Championship Game.
But their main problem is Boise State’s fairly uninspiring set of matches the rest of the way, with only home games against Idaho and Nevada likely to provide any kind of test. Should both get to the end of the season unbeaten, there is no chance they play for the title and then it comes down to strength of schedule…possibly edging to TCU but it makes things much harder to interpret.
Their likelihood of Conference Championships should mean one, according to NFL Predictions, has a proper case to go to the final, meaning there could be as many as four unhappy leading schools, even No 1 Florida despite four of their remaining games looking like home bankers.
The probability of an SEC title game with Alabama means both will not make the BCS title game, while Texas will need to play better than they did against Oklahoma when they come up against Oklahoma State on Saturday just to stay unbeaten.
Cincinnati’s fate may not be known until the last weekend of the season, when they travel to a decent Pitt team after three home games with Tony Pike most likely back at the helm at quarterback by then.
And that leaves Iowa, who have probably had the consistently hardest schedule so far but have struggled to beat the likes of Northern Iowa and Arkansas State, and still have to travel to Ohio State…a real statement game if ever there was one.
