I wasn't talking about preseason polls. If USC or Texas lose, they will have only one loss and will have lost to one of the consensus top two teams, so it's not a guarantee they will drop below LSU. As far as West Virginia goes, as long as Rich Rodriquez (sp?) is coach, West Virginia will be a nationally prominent team.
As much as I'd love to see it, I just don't see how voters will drop either UT or 'SC that far down with a loss. Reality is, the loser would have one loss and they've been 1-2 for the whole season. Plus, UT beat OSU, so that will tend to have voters keeping the LHs ahead. I think you're looking at final rankings: 1-2 USC/UT 3 PSU, assuming they win 4 OSU 5 LSU WVU falls somewhere beneath. If PSU loses, it may open up some moving of the Tigers to #4. Overall, I too was disappointed with the SEC's performance. Hard to fathom how AU loses to Wisconsin (convincingly) and Georgia, with home field advantage, loses to WVU. Can't help but think that GA watching LSU stomp Miami gave them an inflated sense of self worth. Hard to make the claim that the SEC Champion deserves to be in the national championship (ala Auburn last year), when our "power conference" goes 3-3....
I think the loser of the BCS national championship drops below Penn State if the Nittany Lions topple Bobby Bowden and the Seminole nation.
I don't really agree with that. We play in prominent bowls against good competition. Of our losses, Missouri and South Carolina were evenly matched, West Virginia was better than everyone game them credit for, and Auburn layed something of an egg. The SEC isn't as strong this year as it was last year mostly because we are in the midst of a massive rebuilding effort. Both Auburn and Georgia were supposed to be rebuilding this year, and they were our two most highly ranked teams.
2 people have mentioned coaching and West Virginia in the same sentence. Rich Rodriguez is one of the best coaches in the NCAA right now, IMO. I've watched him since his OC days at Clemson. His system isn't one you see everyday, that much is for sure. But, considering he's lining up his O in a 4 wide set and still runs most of the time, successfully, says a lot about the OL, techniques, etc. I'm waiting for him to get a job offer soon...from one of the 'big schools.' He'll be a success, no matter where.
The announcers last night said he was OC at Tulane when they went undefeated. They also said that he was from West Virginia, I believe. I think it was class the way he dedicated the game to the coal miners.
He was the first choice at TTU a few years back. He decided to wait until his dream job opened back home (I do believe he got assurances). It will take quite an offer or the continued demise of the Big E to get him out of there. One thing about him, NO lack of confidence. He does know that he is good.
I personally wasn't surprised by either the Cap 1 or Sugar bowls. I was surprised that TT didn't put it on Bama and I would have much rather played a #9 Miami in the Peach than a much lower ranked Wisconsin. The Badgers were playing a farewell game for Alvarez. The Barners would had to have played flawless fb far above their heads to win.
I respect Wisconsin as much as I do Miami these days, but I don't think Auburn would have had to play far above their heads. Wisconsin definitely had something to play for, though.
It's all a matter of perception. I agree that it's better to win late than lose late, but if PSU struggles against FSU (which they are) and UT and USC play a close, competitive game, I'd keep UT or USC above PSU...
