True, the BCS is in turmoil -- a threat of 7 one loss teams and two undefeated non-bcs teams looms; but the issue of the day, or week, or whatever, would also affect any possible playoff brackets, if in fact the NCAA used a logical plan to decide its 1-A football champion. The issue is who gets to play for the Big 12 Championship. By rule, it is supposed to be one team from the Big 12 North against one team from the Big 12 South. This year had a mediocre showing amongst those in the north, and a bumper crop of good teams in the south.
Three teams in the south have one loss, and they have all beaten eachother, which would eliminate a head to head disqualifier. I think they actually went through about 20 tiebreakers before they had to use the BCS, which declared Oklahoma is going to the game.
Texas Tech was pretty much eliminated from being one of the teams going to the game after getting routed by Oklahoma. More importantly perhaps, they lost last.
But this left the basic argument between everyone on ESPN at whether it should be Oklahoma or Texas that goes. And because everyone at ESPN thinks alike, they all decided that Texas should go, because back in the beginning of October, the two teams played at a neutral site (in the state of Texas) and Texas won.
The problem is it is a simplistic argument, that addresses not at all any of the complex issues of college football. It is a strict head to head matchup argument, automatically disqualifying the team with the least history.
1. Oklahoma didn't only beat Texas Tech, they crushed them. This was the only blowout of all the head to head matchups. And this team that Oklahoma crushed, they beat Texas. Not to mention both of these games came much later than the Oklahoma-Texas matchup, and because teams become closer to their true selves the more the season goes on, that makes those two games possibly more indicitative of the quality of the teams than the Cotton Bowl matchup in October.
2. Oklahoma had a much tougher out of conference schedule, and they both had about equally tough in conference schedules. Both teams played every other team in the Big 12 South, and then three from the North. Oklahoma drew Kansas, Kansas State, and Nebraska. Texas drew Kansas, Colorado, and Missouri. Thats pretty much a push. However, out of conference, Oklahoma beat a then #24 TCU and eventual Big East Champ Cincinatti. Texas had a few teams that are competitive within their weak conferences -- Rice, UTEP, Florida Atlantic; and had one of the awfully weak teams of the SEC in Arkansas. Out of conference schedules do not compare at all, and gives Oklahoma more meaningful wins.
3. The last issue is the issue of Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State is also in the Big 12 South, and so all three of these teams played, and beat them. Additionally, these are the only three teams to beat Oklahoma State all year. Texas barely squeaked by Oklahoma State, 28-24. Texas Tech re-enters the conversation here, as they routed them 56-20. Most importantly, however, Oklahoma also crushed them, 61-41. The Oklahoma/Oklahoma State matchup is also more important than Texas/Ok St and TT/Ok St because Oklahoma/Oklahoma State is a longstanding rivalry, which means potentially the weaker team can win on emotion, especially when said weaker team has a bad streak going against them. Oklahoma State had already been eliminated from contention for winning the conference, so all they had to play for was their pride against a rival school, something oddly stronger.
Besides, I'd take Oklahoma over Texas anyway. Mack Brown's an asshole, and it appears Stoops has done at least a decent job of excorcising the demons of Barry Switzer. Besides, who can't help but remember the year their team had to be liked, the year Mike Leach (now head coach of Texas Tech) was the offensive coordinator, and Josh Heupel simply willed his team to win. He may not have had all the skills -- his arm was weak and his speed was servicable -- but he did what he could. Besides, they beat Florida State in that game, in the state of Florida no less. How could one not applaud the efforts to stymie the inflated record of Bobby Bowden?
Besides, maybe this makes up for all those times Texas campaigned and appealed for votes to get into certain bowls in years past. ... naaaaah
--Knuttel
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