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With much hype surrounding it, including an exclusive unveiling
on ESPN’s SportsCenter, the Bowl Championship Series rankings
were revealed for the first time this season on Monday.
Our very own UCLA Bruins own the No. 3 ranking. And with No. 1
Oklahoma playing No. 2 Nebraska this Saturday, the Bruins are
poised to move into one of the top two spots that determine the
national championship game combatants.
In these parts, many have expressed their dismay with the media
and coaches’ polls, which never seem to give the Bruins much
credit. We all have our theories, including the very popular
“East Coast Bias” theory.
But smile, UCLA fans! Your Bruins are No. 3 and in the
driver’s seat in the only ranking that counts.
Since its inception in 1998, the BCS has had its fair share of
critics.
Some people disagree with its complicated ranking system, where
the AP media poll and ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll are
factored in with computer-generated rankings, strength of schedule
and quality wins.
But for most critics, the No. 1 beef with the BCS is that it
destroys tradition, and in particular the Pac-10 vs. Big 10
distinction in the Rose Bowl Game.
Since 1947, the game has featured the champions of the Pac-10
and Big 10. This year, the Rose Bowl, “The Granddaddy of Them
All,” will break from tradition and feature the top two teams
in the final BCS rankings for the regular season, regardless of
conference. The game will also be shifted to Jan. 3 instead of its
usual New Year’s Day slot.
In the three years since the inception of the BCS, the new
system has made it so that the Rose Bowl is not the game a Pac-10
or Big 10 school wants to play in. Remember 1998 when the Bruins
were relegated to playing in the Rose Bowl after losing out on a
chance to play in the Fiesta Bowl, site of the national
championship game that year. The Rose Bowl used to be the dream
every Pac-10 and Big 10 school tried to reach each year. Now,
playing in the Rose Bowl is just a reminder for schools in those
conferences that they were not good enough to play for a national
title.
And this year, Pac-10 and Big 10 champions don’t even get
to play in “their” game. They may be forced to play
elsewhere for the first time in over 50 years.
True, the BCS has created a Rose Bowl game that has lost its
special qualities.
But at the same time, UCLA fans should be aware that the Bruins
would have little to no chance at a national championship run
whatsoever without the BCS. Yes, this year, the BCS is a blessing.
Without it, the Bruins would be playing only for a Pac-10 title and
pride.
Now, part of my example is contingent on UCLA winning the Pac-10
and going undefeated. I am not trying to be presumptuous and in
effect jinxing our beloved Bruins, but I use this example to make a
point.
Under the old system, the Bruins, should they win the
conference, would go to the Rose Bowl and play the Big 10 champion.
The problem is that the Big 10 champ may not be anywhere near UCLA
in the polls. For example, if the season ended today, the Big 10
champ would be No. 8 Michigan, which already has one loss. So while
other top five teams are playing each other in bowl games, the
Bruins would be hurt by playing a lower ranked team.
Another problem is that prior to the BCS, the national champion
was crowned on the polls alone. That meant that the media and the
coaches each set the rankings and declared their own champion.
The whole notion of polling is based on personal opinions. While
those opinions are usually valid, they are still subjective.
We need not look further than the current coaches’ poll,
which has Virginia Tech at No. 4 and UCLA at No. 5. Now, while the
Bruins faced tough opponents such as Alabama, Ohio State, and
Washington, the Hokies took on the likes of Connecticut, Rutgers
and Central Florida. Virginia Tech has played nobodies and has been
rewarded.
Pollsters have been known to favor East Coast teams. Often, they
just never get to see the games played out west, especially those
played at night. If a voter never gets to see UCLA, you can almost
excuse them from not giving the Bruins any love. The BCS, with the
computer formula rankings and strength of schedule considerations,
bring equity into the picture.
The BCS rewards teams like UCLA for playing good football
against tough opponents. It should teach teams like Miami or
Virginia Tech to schedule tough games or face the consequences. The
BCS works. That’s evident from the Bruins’ No. 3
ranking. The Bruins truly do deserve to be there and will be higher
should they continue their undefeated run.
The BCS ranking system isn’t perfect, but it’s the
fairest system that has been implemented in the history of college
football. Until college football enacts playoffs, there will always
be questions surrounding who’s No.1. But the playoff issue is
a topic that can wait for another day.