Great record, brutal SEC schedule not enough for some Saturday, December 02, 2006 By Ted Lewis ATLANTA -- By most standards, a Florida victory against Arkansas in today's Southeastern Conference championship game should earn the Gators a berth against Ohio State in the BCS national title game. The Gators are 11-1. Among the teams from six major BCS leagues, only the 12-0 Buckeyes have a better record. Florida competes in what is by consensus regarded as the country's toughest conference. The Gators are facing their 10th bowl-eligible team. Just winning their division required defeating four of them. Florida also has a 23-10 victory against BCS-bound LSU. The Gators' strength of schedule is rated sixth in the nation despite having played a 2-9 Division I-AA team. Among the other one-loss teams in contention for that title game spot, Florida is the one which lost longest ago -- 27-17 at then-No. 11 Auburn, which scored its last nine points in the final 32 seconds. Historically, that has been a major determining factor in the polls that make up two-thirds of the BCS standings formula. The Gators are also the only one playing in a conference championship game. And yet, without some help on the scoreboard and from poll voters, even with a victory Florida is likely to play Notre Dame in the Allstate Sugar Bowl come January instead going against Ohio State. That's not bad, considering that Florida hasn't won the SEC since 2000 or gone to a BCS bowl since 2001, Steve Spurrier's final season as the Gators' coach. (much more through link: http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-27/1165042953198320.xml&coll=1 )
If Fla. wins today, they definitely have a case that they got screwed by the BCS. USC lost to an unranked team, did not play the strength of schedule that Fla. did, and if Fla. wins today, they should play for the national championship, even if that knocks LSU out of the Rose.
I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I can't understand why this is not an issue. There is no easy way to compare the one-loss teams, but surely you have to take that into account. In all fairness to USC, they have gotten better during the year. Their offense struggled early and they won some close games. I'm not so sure you can make that same point about Florida. Florida has struggled to score points all year. Which leads me to my next point... When did we replace "running up the score" with "style points?" I recall a lot of talking heads didn't like the original BCS formula b/c computer polls included margin of victory. They thought it would lead to teams running up the score to improve their position in the computer polls, which was considered classless. The '02 OSU team won ugly, much like Florida is doing this year. But it was ok in '02, not in '06. Now, all the talking heads use the words "style points." Call it what it is, running up the score.
Isn't it amazing how 2 out of the last 3 years the SEC has gotten screwed over in having a team deserving of a National Championship birth?
The selection process for the teams that play in the BCS bowl series remains a subjective one despite the ever increasing displeasure of CFB's fans. But the networks aren't going to give up their ability to influence the match-up process currently used ...... and still, the overwhelming majority of CFB fans place their allegiance to an individual team rather than the game of college football. And herein lies the problem. It's the old Divide-And-Conquer problem. Until the fans have collectively "had enough" of the shenanigans that routinely occur under today's BCS process, it's not going to change. Whether you're talking UF in 2006, LSU in 2003, or Auburn in 2004, or other instances, it's a consistent pattern. Instead of focusing on the BCS's screwing of UF, all SEC fans would be better served to focus on our own conference selection process, since it is something we can realistically affect. I would argue that the current SEC Fundraiser (aka: SECC) is a roadblock to SEC teams getting seeded to BCS Bowls. The extra game, always between two of the highest quality teams in Division I, takes a toll on the players. Most SEC teams play their biggest rivalry opponents in the 2 weeks prior to the SECC. It's a brutally tough finish to an already-longer season. The mental requirements to be an SEC player in today's environment are more demanding that they have ever been. The SECC is a no-win proposition for achieving glory. If you lose, you were just a pretender, and if you win, you get no commensurate bump within the computer formulas. Fans need to view it for what it is. It's a business .... and when SEC fans begin seeing it as such, the decision-making at the top will be held more accountable for the results demanded by the fans. It's about having a strong conference ....... the collective strength of the conference determines the respect generated by its champion, and we should realize that the SECC game is hurting all of us here. And what is Mike Slive doing about these problems? Is he out "campaigning" for the benefit of his clients? I mean, that's what it takes with today's championships ..... that, and some good demographics. Is Slive communicating the message of the future to his "consumers" or is he simply flying by the seat of his pants on this gig? Here's the deal .... when we all become sick of bitching about the problem enough, maybe we'll wise up and begin to take some real action. Small steps lead to bigger ones. (stepping off soapbox, :angryfire )
Hmmmm...let's see what happens now. The ESPN dudes during the halftime break between Oregon State and Hawaii just said that they though Florida should go against OSU. Florida won it's conference, etc.
