Rutgers Win Means It's Time to Get Excited at UF
Big night for the Gators, and they weren't even playing.
Louisville is out of the picture now.
That means there is a good chance that UF can win out and play for the National Championship.
There will be several one-loss teams at the end of the season, but if UF does run the table, I think they will have the strongest case for playing in the BCS title game.
It's because of strength of schedule. Strength of schedule is not an actual component of the BCS anymore, but it is factored into the computer rankings and it is factored into the voting of the coaches and the representatives of the Harris Poll. So you would think people would give the edge to the one-loss SEC team, rather than an independent, a Pac-10 team, a Big 12 team, a Big 10 team, and so on.
Let's look at the main competitors under the assumption that each team wins its remaining games and ends the regular season with one loss.
Texas lost to Ohio State, handled Oklahoma, and barely got by Nebraska. Texas is good, but they lost at home, whereas UF lost on the road. UF is a stronger candidate. The Gators have played tougher competition.
Louisville and West Virginia play in the Big East. That's enough for me to say UF is a stronger candidate.
Cal and USC play in the Pac 10. That's enough for me to say UF is a stronger candidate. However, if USC does beat Cal and Notre Dame, then they have a case. Especially since they dominated Arkansas on the road. UF should root against USC.
Wake Forest and Wisconsin are too far back in the BCS standings to play for a championship, and UF is better than both of those teams.
Notre Dame is interesting. With Michigan State and Penn State having down years, the wins are less impressive. Notre Dame lost to Michigan, but they have played well this year and they deserve to be considered. If they beat USC, I would have a tough time arguing against Notre Dame as the best one-loss team in the country. I might not agree, but I would have to respect that claim.
Boise State is not in a strong enough conference.
Then there is Rutgers. Interesting... What if the Scarlet Knights finish undefeated? I believe they should have the right to play the Michigan/Ohio State winner in the National Championship. If Rutgers loses, forget it. UF is a stronger candidate.
A few more teams to consider.
The Michigan/Ohio State loser. Neither team has played a schedule as difficult as UF's, but the Big 10 is not bad, and those two teams are excellent. Michigan beat Notre Dame. Ohio State beat Texas. I think I would have to see how close of a game that one is before I make a judgment.
I won't get into Auburn and Arkansas, because under this particular scenario, UF will win out and win the SEC.
UF has the strongest case. Gainesville is already going crazy. The scene downtown tonight will be fun. The Gators fans are smart. They know all UF has to do is win the rest of the way. They'll have a pretty good shot of playing for a championship.
By the way... Rutgers? Really? Good for them.
Good for the Gators.
Comments
It show's just how garbage the Big East is when Rutgers is in first place!
Posted by: Anonymous | November 10, 2006 02:31 PM