First, and foremost, Texas did not get screwed. Period. It isn't a two-way tie, it's a three-way tie. 11-1/7-1. That's how they all three teams look on paper. All those people screaming about needing playoffs, settling it on the field, and how Texas is getting hosed, enough. Texas Tech beat Texas head-to-head and Tech also has an 11-1/7-1 record. Sorry, but "settling it on the field" doesn't solve the three-way tie problem in the Big XII South. I don't know if Oklahoma or Texas, or Texas Tech for that matter, is more deserving, but screaming about settling it on the field than making subjective arguments about excluding Tech from the equation is incongruous and intellectually dishonest. Texas didn't get screwed, they lost to Tech. Get over it.
Speaking of the Big XII, does anyone care at all about the championship game (aside from Texas fans)? Seriously, we get to watch Oklahoma torch Missouri again? Oh, and #17 (9-3) Boston College playing #25 (8-4) Virginia Tech for the ACC championship (and the right to play Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl)? Someone hold me back, it's too much excitement to handle all in one week . . . yawn.
Actually, I like the ACC this year: very competitive conference, with no real standout. It makes for fun football, but not championship/BCS Bowl level football.
Speaking of conference evaluations, can anyone really say one conference is that much better than the rest? The ACC wins the depth award. 10 of 12 teams bowl eligible. Each of those 10 can reach out and bite someone on any given Saturday.
The SEC? Florida looks really good, but what's their defense like? Alabama? Who have they really beaten? LSU? Georgia? I like the Tide this season, and think they will give Florida a good fight, but their resume just isn't that impressive. Georgia is down (see loss to Georgia Tech), Tennessee is WAY down, Auburn is down, LSU is down, heck, even South Carolina is down relative to where they should be, which isn't that impressive. Kentucky and Vanderbilt? Please. Mississippi is up, so that's one.
The Big East? Don't get me started.
The Pac-10? USC is very, very good on defense, and their offense is better than you think. Still, the loss to Oregon State looks bad because, well, Oregon State just isn't that good. Neither is Oregon, Cal, or Arizona.
The Big Ten? Are we down because Michigan isn't any good? USC better not sleep on Penn State, but there's a reason the Rose Bowl isn't generating much hype. Ohio State? USC did destroy them (only a 3-point difference from USC's embarassment of Notre Dame). Michigan State, Iowa, and Northwestern, and heck, throw in our Badgers for kicks, are all good on the right day and poor on the wrong one (obviously that's a sliding scale).
So, back to the Big XII. Really? Do they play any defense down there? Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech make up the deepest bench of top-tier teams right now . . . I think. But I'm not at all sure their defenses are very good. Missouri is ok, but not great, same for Oklahoma State. So, yeah, I'll go ahead with conventional wisdom that the Big XII is the best (at the top) right now, but I won't be surprised if those high flying offenses get shut down come bowl season.
It brings me back to how conference comparisons are just pretty lame. They're all playing football and they all have good, mediocre, and bad teams.
By the way, what happened to Fresno State and Texas A&M?
This Saturday is the last chance for Ty Willingham to get a win at U-Dub this season. Without a monumental upset of Cal, the State of Washington won't have a single D-1 (FBS) win other than against itself (Wazzu over U-Dub in overtime). Ouch.
Last, but not least: Auburn. How do they justify firing one of their winningest coaches ever, with a 6-1 record against their most hated rival over the last seven years, who unbeaten and mere subjective sports writers' opinions away from a national title within the last five years? DUMB. Karma should relegate them to the SEC cellar for the next 20 years. And Syracuse's AD should be all over Tubberville like stink on stink.
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