The Big 12 and the BCS

There's something wrong with a system that allows two teams, neither of which had a better record than the Texas Longhorns and both of which were beaten by the Horns, to play for the Big 12 Championship.

Yes, I am a Texas fanatic. But even if I weren't, this system smells. And it's not the fault of the BCS, although it adds another reason to my list of why we should get rid of it, but of the Big 12. This would not happen in the Southeastern or the Atlantic Coast Conference, two other college football leagues with championship games, because they have more sensible playoff procedures. This year's Big 12 screw-up will undoubtedly result in changes made to the league's method of choosing playoff teams, making that method more like the SEC and the ACC, but that can't undue the damage done this year.

And don't think I'm about to change my mind and start advocating for an eight-team playoff to determine college football's championship. I have even more reasons after this season to be against a playoff than I was earlier. For one thing, an eight-team playoff this year, according to the current BCS standings, would eliminate Boise State and watching the Broncos crush a credible Fresno State team, 61-10 (48-0 in the second half), last week convinced me they can play with anybody. A playoff would deny them that chance, however. For another thing, leagues with playoffs are all about the playoffs and not about the regular season. College football has the best, most exciting, regular season of any sport and it would be a disaster to ruin that.

But this isn't about determining the national championship -- I'll save repeating that argument for another day. Besides, if Missouri upsets Oklahoma (which is likelier than, say, Alabama defeating Florida in the SEC title game), Texas is sitting pretty for the BCS championship game. Hey, remember the last time Oklahoma played for the national championship? It didn't play in the Big 12 title game that year either. Then there's always the possibility OU wins the title game, but looks miserable doing it, and the voters in the Harris and Coaches polls decide to rank Texas ahead of Oklahoma again. And there's always the AP championship. The Associated Press doesn't participate in the BCS. Texas is No. 3 in the AP poll, behind Alabama and Florida. It stands to reason the winner of the SEC title game will be No. 1 in the next AP poll and Texas will take the loser's place at No. 2. Then, if the SEC winner loses the BCS title game, Texas could easily ascend to No. 1 after it demolishes Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Hey, it happened in 2003 when the AP named Southern California the national champion even though the Trojans didn't play in the BCS title game.

But my main argument here is about determining the Big 12 champion, not the national champion. This year, the Big 12 got it wrong. By adapting the same procedures next year as the ACC and the SEC, they can make sure a travesty like this doesn't happen again.

Of course, there's a lot of people in Berkeley right now saying "What goes around comes around." They remember 2004 when it appeared Cal was a lock for the Rose Bowl. But then in Cal's final game of the season, a 26-16 victory over Southern Mississippi, Cal coach Jeff Tedford ordered his quarterback Aaron Rodgers to take a knee at the end of the game rather than try for another score (as Texas Tech coach Mike Leach would have done). Some say that unimpressive final score over a less-than-mediocre team, combined with with some extensive lobbying by Texas coach Mack Brown pushed Texas ahead of Cal in the final regular season polls and put the Horns in the Rose Bowl in Cal's place. California wound up in the Holiday Bowl, where it was destroyed by Texas Tech, no less, and still hasn't been to a Rose Bowl since 1959.