The College View 2006 WK 14

The final pieces of the BCS puzzle are coming together. Will the picture of this puzzle turn out to be a masterpiece or a jumbled mess? Since the BCS was created in 1998 there have only been three seasons (1999, 2002 and 2005) in which there was little controversy over the teams playing in the championship. Let's take a look at the five seasons in which utter bedlam has taken place.

The 1999 Fiesta Bowl ('98 season) pitted Tennessee (12-0) against Florida State (11-1). Both teams were ranked first and second in the AP poll, so where's the controversy? That would come from the teams ranked three through six. Like the Seminoles; Ohio State, Kansas State, Arizona and UCLA only had one loss each. Tennessee defeated Florida State 23-16.

No. 1 Oklahoma played No. 3 Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl. Again, Florida State came into the championship game with one loss. This time the Seminoles kept No. 2 Miami (11-1) from playing for the title. No. 4 Washington and No. 5 Oregon State also had one loss and didn’t have a chance to play for the title. Oklahoma defeated Florida State 13-2.

The 2002 Rose Bowl (espn.go.com/ncf/bowls01/rose.html) was possibly the biggest black eye to the BCS system when No. 1 Miami faced No. 4 Nebraska. The Cornhuskers limped into the game after losing their regular season finale to Colorado 36-62.
No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Colorado got to watch Miami smoke Nebraska 37-14.

USC fans won't forget the 2004 Sugar Bowl between No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Oklahoma. The Trojans were No. 1 in the AP poll, yet they were shafted by the BCS system. Each of the three teams had one loss, but LSU and Oklahoma received more computer points. LSU defeated Oklahoma 21-14 and split the championship with USC.

Finally the 2005 Orange Bowl was yet another example of why college football still has a mythical champion. USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah and Boise State finished the regular season undefeated, but only two were able to play for the championship. USC and Oklahoma got the honor to play while Auburn was the major player left out. USC defeated Oklahoma 55-19 to win the title. Auburn and Utah also finished the season undefeated.

For this year's puzzle to be completed to the liking of the BCS organizers USC needs to defeat UCLA. However, even if USC wins, Michigan and Wisconsin will also have one loss. If Florida, Louisville and Rutgers win on Saturday six teams will finish the season with one loss. If USC and Florida both lose on Saturday why shouldn’t Wisconsin get a chance to play Ohio State instead of Michigan? Then there’s undefeated Boise State. Kind of messes up the picture a little bit doesn’t it?

I’m hoping that the mayhem continues until they finally establish a playoff system.

USC at UCLA (plus 13.5)
The View
UCLA leads the PAC 10 in rushing defense, sacks (37) and tackles for loss (90). A major weakness for the Bruins is pass defense. USC hopes to exploit that weakness with Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith. Jarrett and Smith are combining for over ten receptions and 156 yards a game. USC has won seven straight against UCLA. Make that eight.

USC- 33, UCLA- 21


Arkansas at Florida (minus 3)
The View
Florida defeated Arkansas in the SEC Championship game in 1995 and leads the series 5-1.
If Florida can’t stop Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and the wildcat formation the Gators can forget about playing in Glendale. When Florida loses they can forget about playing in any BCS game.

Arkansas- 27, Florida- 17

Army at Navy (minus 20.5)
The View
Army is bad, really bad. The Black Knights are ranked 119th out 119 schools with a turnover margin of minus 1.55. Army is ranked 100th or worse in seven statistical categories. Navy runs away with the Commander in Chief Trophy.

Navy- 42, Army- 14

The View's Record
Last Two Weeks: 4-0, 4-0 against the spread
Season: 47-16, 33-30 against the spread

(Matt Gutridge is a freelance writer for the Eagle-Gazette. Contact him by e-mail at TheCollegeView@hotmail.com.)