Digesting a Season Completed, Part I

For the first time since it's inception, the BCS has the problem of having three teams with identical records atop the polls. In the past, I've defended the BCS on the principle that it was much, much better than the bowl system preceding it (if this were 1997, Oklahoma would be playing in the Orange Bowl, USC in the Rose, and LSU in the Sugar). But now we have legitmate travesty: a team that's #1 in both polls will not get to play in the national title game. I think the BCS is well-intentioned, but should only be used as a tiebreaker. The BCS should only be implemented when the top two teams in the AP and Coaches polls don't match. If I were a USC fan I'd be outraged, but I do take solace in realizing that there are a few factors that prevent this from being a complete sham:

1. USC didn't win all its games. It would be different if this were a situation like the one 12-0 Penn St. faced in 1994, when they had to watch 13-0 Nebraska win both national titles. But the old rule would have been true this year: if USC had gone undefeated, they wouldn't have had to rely on polls and computers.

2. The Trojans may not even deserve their number 1 rankings. One of the things I hate about the way polls are conducted is that an early-season loss is forgivable while a late loss isn't. People always claim that momentum should be important, but what would have happened if USC had had their Cal game scheduled yesterday instead of in October? For all we know, Oklahoma and LSU may in fact be the two best teams in college football.

3. The Trojans can still win the AP national title. The writers poll has always been the one that I've recognized as the true rankings. The coaches poll isn't as objective as the AP, since coaches are biased towards teams on their schedule and in their conference.

4. We're back to a traditional Rose Bowl matchup. The Big 10 champ facing the Pac 10 champ on New Year's Day: just as it should always be.

5. All of this will be forgotten if and when the Wolverines win. Let's not forget that in the end, Southern Cal will have to beat a pretty damn good Michigan team in order for any of this to be relevant. Go Blue!