The Waterboy
Jeff Yoder | Sports Co-Editor
This is not a column titled after the 1998 comedy with Adam Sandler. It's a place to take a break from the action, step over to the sideline and let me refresh you with a cold cup of sports knowledge. Every other week, I'll give a response to the professional and college sports worlds' latest controversy.
Voting season is over. As holiday season begins, so does bowl season. Somewhere this winter, the snow will begin to fall as children await the rush of tearing through presents. Their parents, fans of an undefeated college football team, will feign smiles due to their alma maters going undefeated and getting left out of the national title game. The BCS (Bowl Championship Series) strikes again.This could be the case for two of the final four remaining unbeatens in the BCS: Alabama, Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame. All four have unblemished records, and none has a cakewalk for a schedule.
Each of the four has a tough month ahead, but only Alabama would be a lock for the BCS title game if it wins out. That means that Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame could all win their remaining games and only one would get a shot at the national title.
No one can predict which of the three will snatch No. 2 in the standings before the Jan. 7, 2013, matchup with, most likely, the Alabama Crimson Tide. The BCS standings are a mixture of theorems, algorithms and some blend of computerized chaos that doesn't make sense to anyone in the general public.
College football has been the only sport, or the only watched sport, to determine a champion without a playoff. BCS lovers say it makes the season more exciting because every game matters, but if those same people are Oregon, Kansas State or Notre Dame fans, they'll reconsider their opinion this season.
The Oregon Ducks have California, No. 14 Stanford and No. 11 Oregon State remaining on their schedule. Kansas State has TCU, Baylor and No. 17 Texas. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will play Boston College, Wake Forest and No. 19 USC.
Somewhere in all this mess is a fifth unbeaten team as well. The Louisville Cardinals are 9-0 on the season but sit at No. 9 in the country due to playing in the Big East. Essentially, the BCS computers just don't respect the Cardinals, the Big East or winning football games compared to tough scheduling.
The BCS still wouldn't send Louisville to the national title game if three of the four other unbeatens lose before December and the Cardinals win out.
Kansas State has made a case for a title bid by shocking the Big 12 conference this season. Notre Dame had some scares along the way, but the luck and legacy of the Irish have them feeling confident as they've proclaimed themselves "God's team." Regardless, I don't expect either of the above topping Oregon and 'Bama.
If I'm right, I'm declaring the BCS title game the "O-'Bama Game," resembling another winner via a chaotic and confusing system.
Oregon deserves a title bid for the way it has shredded defenses all year. Averaging more points per game than a WNBA team, duck dynasty is locked and loaded. Alabama is a sure thing if they win out because of their continued dominance in the nation's best conference, the SEC. Winning the SEC is the equivalent of winning the electoral votes in Ohio, and we all know how that turned out. Roll Tide.
The BCS is unjust and irritating, but a playoff system is on the way. In 2014, a four-team playoff system will commence and continue through 2025. It's just not early enough for this year's four juggernauts to battle it out in what would be a legendary, first-annual college football playoff.
