The BCS Standings, first view

The First BCS Rankings of 2008

Now note, this isn’t the FIRST showing of the BCS rankings, I may well be the last guy to talk about it this week, but it is the first poll of the season. I thought we’d take a look at it and see if there is any surprises.

Before the rankings came out, I actually thought there was a chance that Penn State might jump over Alabama. I know both are undefeated, but it seemed like Penn State’s crushing win over Michigan seemed more convincing than Alabama’s win over Ole Miss. I thought there might be a slight chance of that happening, not that it would.

So Texas is number 1, no surprise there. With that big win over Oklahoma and a win over Missouri, this IS the best team in the NCAA…for now. There is no question here, if Texas runs the tables, they are in. But here’s another bit for you, if ANY Big 12 team that is currently undefeated runs the tables, they are in. The conference is just too good to NOT have the Big 12 in the National Championship. Texas scores a .9979 out of a 10, so that is near perfect…as it should be.

Alabama is second with a BCS rating of .9487. I mentioned earlier that I thought there might be a chance of Penn State jumping over them, not that I would argue either way. I think if Alabama sweeps the SEC, they obviously are in… but I will debate the strength of schedule.

Yes they beat Clemson, but where is Clemson now? They’ll be lucky to even make a bowl. Tulane, Western Kentucky and Arkansas aren’t scaring anybody, and we know Arkansas is in a rebuilding year. Granted the Georgia game was incredible, but adding on wins over a Kentucky team that has a soft schedule and ANY Mississippi team, and I gotta tell you, I am just not convinced that this is the second best team in the nation.

That’s not a knock against Alabama fans, because you always cheer for your team, regardless of the situation (CLEMSON) but to me, I don’t agree with the BCS having Alabama here. But IF they sweep, they will have proven that they are the second best team in the nation.

Penn State holds position at #3 with a .8666 and you can now make an argument of the “what ifs”. The media does this every year, stirring questions without giving time for things to play out. What if Texas, Alabama and Penn State finish undefeated?

I thought PSU would jump but when you look at the schedule, I guess I can see why they didn’t. They do have a couple of quality wins, but the Wisconsin game should have helped Penn State out, but they also needed the Badgers to not flop like they are currently doing. And wins against Temple and Syracuse isn’t raising any eyebrows either. They’re gonna have to beat Ohio State and hope Michigan State finishes in the top 25 by the end of the year to have a chance to jump over Alabama. Penn State needs QUALITY wins if the top two teams aren’t budging. But this is the curse of the Big 10, without a conference championship, you don’t get that extra game to make your point.

Oklahoma is 4th with a .8319 and we all know that their loss was against Texas. Now here is something to think about. What if Oklahoma wins the rest of their games and Alabama loses one game? Is it possible that with ranked teams Texas Tech AND Oklahoma State left on the schedule, could Oklahoma jump into a second spot, OVER Penn State?

I mean, it COULD happen. The strength of schedule is in Oklahoma’s favor….

Just thinking out loud…..

USC rounds out the top 5 at a ranking of .7751, a far cry from the Championship game unless things happen. The problem for USC is that currently, NONE of the remaining teams on the schedule are ranked, so we’re looking at a very weak schedule. They may have to crush everybody 69-0 to get some serious looks, but that one loss against Oregon State may have done them in. There is still hope to move up, but they won’t get any help from the remaining teams. MAYBE Cal, and there might be some mercy votes for Notre Dame, but outside of that, they are kinda in the same boat as Penn State. Without a Pac-10 Championship to stir the pot, they are at the mercy of the other teams above them.

I’ll probably get in more detail on this in another blog, as you guys know I am blogging more on Blogspot than on Wordpress and Blogster, Until then….

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