First BCS standings out: http://bit.ly/33wdIo. USC, #4 in polls but #11 in computers, is #7, behind Boise, Iowa, Cincy.
First BCS standings out: http://bit.ly/33wdIo. USC, #4 in polls but #11 in computers, is #7, behind Boise, Iowa, Cincy.
Computers sure love Arizona though.
Stewart Mandel is currently predicting USC in the title game. Although he does say, “If Texas makes it through the next two weeks unscathed, I’ll rethink my title-game projection. And of course if USC loses to Oregon, I’ll have no choice.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/10/18/college.football.overtime/1.html
Just saw that, too. But he’s assuming the voters’ pecking order remains essentially static, and USC makes up ground with the computers. Never mind the computers — I’m unconvinced the voters will keep one-loss USC ahead of undefeated Iowa or Cincinnati if those teams keep winning. I could well be wrong, but at season’s end, I think being unbeaten will carry more weight with the voters than Mandel is thinking. There has been a tendency in recent years to re-assess at season’s end and really think about who is most deserving. If USC’s one loss had been to an awesome team, it’d be a different story (hence why Virginia Tech was in much better shape than the Trojans, until they lost yesterday of course), but losing at Washington isn’t going to match up well with any undefeated team’s resume. I believe the Trojans need not just Texas, but also Iowa, and quite possibly Cincinnati, to lose.
And an undefeated Iowa would be a team that had beaten tOSU…but without the burden of a loss to Washington as suffered by USC.
Right. Good point. They have also beaten Arizona, USC’s last opponent of the season, and possibly the second- or third-place team in the Pac-10, depending on how things play out.
Jerry Palm’s thinking is more consistent with mine, in that he says USC vs. Cincinnati would be the real debate:
By contrast, I don’t think USC vs. Iowa is much of a debate. Iowa jumps USC when it beats Ohio State, and goes to the title game. USC goes to the Rose Bowl.
Therefore: GO SPARTY!!!
We’re just at the halfway mark of the season, so we know that all the undefeateds are going to lose at least one game, maybe 2 games. It’s pretty silly to even be debating BCS polls until November. The top 10 at the end of November will look nothing like it looks today.