The BCS is none of their business

Sporting News, The, Nov 24, 2003 by Matt Haye

They were throwing corn chips like confetti in Fort Worth last weekend. The TCU Horned Frogs, the pride of some and the scourge of others in this thrill-a-week season, had won again--this time in front of representatives from the Fiesta Bowl, who had brought along freebie bags of their sponsor's chips for folks to do with as they pleased. Apparently, not many were choked down.

Meanwhile, another time zone over, Boise State won for the 27th time in 30 games. Back down in Denton, Texas, North Texas won its 17th consecutive Sun Belt game and became the first team to gain a bowl invitation. Earlier in the week, Miami of Ohio looked more like Miami of Florida in a beatdown of Marshall, snapping the Herd's six-year hold on the Mid-American Conference's East Division. Out in Salt Lake City, first-year coach Urban Meyer has Utah one win from claiming its first Mountain West championship.

Why is all of this important? Well, it's not, really. And that's the point. While it's exciting and entertaining to watch non-BCS teams, they have no business in the BCS back yard. And yes, TCU--or any other non-BCS team at any other time--that means no rubbing shoulders with the big boys in the big bowls.

I'm not a BCS apologist; I'm a college football realist. The non-BCS teams don't belong on the same field with the BCS teams. Talk all you want about this non-BCS team beating that BCS team in any specific game; it means nothing. Isolated incidents are an ocean away from long-term success.

A few weeks ago, after Virginia Tech shocked then-unbeaten Miami and turned the race for the Sugar Bowl sideways, I asked Hokies cornerback DeAngelo Hall about TCU's claim to a BCS bowl bid. "I don't know how good they are," Hall said. "But I'd love to see them play in our conference."

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what you must consider: Think Boise State would win 27 of 30 in the Pac-10? Think TCU would be 10-0 in the Big 12, staring at a huge South Division showdown with Oklahoma? Think Miami of Ohio would have one loss in the Big Ten and roll into the Big House for a chance at the league title? Think North Texas would have 17 consecutive wins in the SEC West?

Look, I'm all for the little guy; I get juiced when the NCAA Tournament rolls around and Valparaiso dusts some ACC school in the first round. But in basketball, it takes one player to get hot from beyond the arc and throw in rainbows behind a screen. This is football, where it takes 22 players 60 minutes to win a blood-and-guts riot.

And don't give me that argument about Baylor, Duke and Vanderbilt or any other tomato can undeserving of BCS status. Throw TCU in the Big 12 and watch how fast it becomes Baylor. Throw Miami of Ohio into the Big Ten and watch how fast it becomes Northwestern. The difference between Northern Illinois beating Alabama and the Huskies winning consistently in the SEC is as wide as Phil Fulmer's waistline.

There's a reason Northern Illinois can beat a BCS heavyweight but lose to MAC brethren Bowling Green and Toledo in the same season. When you play in a conference, other league teams know your tendencies and schemes and personnel from year to year. There's no sneaking up on anyone; opponents are physically and emotionally pumped week after week. Let's see Northern Illinois follow up that win in Tuscaloosa with a trip to Florida, a home game against Tennessee and back-to-back road games against Mississippi and Georgia--then come home to meet LSU.

After a round to that meat grinder, let's see the Northern Illinois staff match up against Fulmer and Ron Zook and Lou Holtz and Nick Saban from December through February--when the foundation of a team is built through recruiting. Watch how fast the Huskies become the Commodores.

Know why the BCS honchos get so ruffled about non-BCS teams wanting access to their big bowls and big money? Because it's nailing the lotto without earning the ticket. Major League Baseball wouldn't allow the Toledo Mud Hens to play in the World Series, so why should the BCS allow the Toledo Rockets to play in the Sugar Bowl?

Boise State has lost twice in the last 23 games--both times to BCS teams--and North Texas has been setup fodder for the Big 12 and SEC the past two seasons. Miami of Ohio's lone loss this season came when stud quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw four picks against Iowa, the Big Ten's fourth-best team.

Then there's Utah, which is on the verge of winning what many believe has been the best non-BCS conference since the billion-dollar system was formed in 1998. Utah lost to Texas A&M earlier this season--the same Aggies team that has given up 267 points in losing five of its seven Big 12 games so far this season. That's more than 50 points per game, folks. Utah, meet Baylor. Now go back to your nice little Liberty Bowl, eat some barbeque, and have a blast on Beale Street. The BCS boys have some heavy lifting to do.

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