BCS Review Series: 2011, LSU Robbed in All-SEC Absurdity

Part 14 of a series: Over the next few weeks, I will be reviewing each of the 16 seasons since the Bowl Championship Series came into existence in 1998. Here is a look back at who got lucky, who got robbed, what could've been, what should've been and other controversies of the day. The series will appear throughout December and January.

Part 1: 1998, A New Beginning for College Football

Part 2: 1999, FSU Ends Michael Vick's Quest for Perfection

Part 3: 2000, FSU-Miami Sows Seeds of Controversy

Part 4: 2001, Nebraska Fiasco Rocks College Football

Part 5: 2002, Controversy on Field Mars Perfect Ending

Part 6: 2003, Nightmare of Split National Championship

Part 7: 2004, Unbeaten Auburn Left Out in the Cold

Part 8: 2005, Perfect Season Ends With Epic at Rose Bowl

Part 9: 2006, Dawn of SEC's Reign in College Football

Part 10: 2007, LSU Goes "Undefeated in Regulation"

Part 11: 2008, SEC Wins in Polls, Then on the Field

Part 12: 2009, Alabama, Texas More Equal Than Others

Part 13: 2010, SEC and Pac-10 Finally Get Together

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The 2011 season was where the BCS got it all wrong.

And the victim that suffered the most amount of injustice was actually an SEC team—LSU.

The Tigers of 2011 put up possibly the most impressive resume of any team in the BCS era. They defeated five teams with at least 10 wins. They beat three teams that went on to play in BCS bowl games. And they became the first (and only) team to score a perfect 1.000 in the final BCS standings since the format was adopted in 2004.

Yet, thanks to the combination of a giant loophole that the BCS never closed and the media-driven groupthink mentality amongst the voters, LSU was forced to play a conference team that it had already defeated during the regular season—on the road, no less.

Alabama might have won the 2011 BCS title, but its place in the championship game was so richly undeserved. Let us count the ways:

1. Championship loophole: In both 2001 (Nebraska) and 2003 (Oklahoma), a team that failed to win its conference somehow ended up in the BCS title game. After each instance, an argument was made that a conference title should be mandatory for teams playing for the national championship.

That reasoning had both logical and historical roots. Every national championship team since the AP began publishing its final poll after bowl games in 1968 was a conference champion, all the way until the advent of the BCS era in 1998. Conference title was a requirement for teams to qualify for the biggest bowl games.

Yet, in 2011, Alabama didn't win its own division, never mind the conference, since it didn't even qualify for the SEC title game.

2. BCS precedent: Without the conference title requirement, it was up to the voters to decide the top two teams in the final BCS standings—an established fact after the formula was tweaked in 2004. Their only guideline was that the finalists be the nebulous "best two teams."

In 2006, they correctly averted rematching Ohio State and Michigan in the title game, even though the Big Ten rivals were Nos. 1 and 2 going into the final weeks of the season. The voters bought into the SEC argument (loudly advocated on CBS by Gary Danielson) that it was not possible to determine the best two teams in the nation if they were both from the same conference.

But in 2011, most of the voters forgot all about that after being brain-washed by the SEC dominance over the past five years.

3. Strength of schedule: Alabama's main competition was Oklahoma State, which lost out on the absurdity of the argument that one bad loss trumps all good wins.

The Cowboys' only loss of the season was to 6-6 Iowa State on the road in overtime whereas the Tide's only loss was to LSU at home in overtime. Yet, OSU had a higher computer ranking, having defeated four teams with at least nine wins, whereas 'Bama beat just two. OSU ended up losing the argument because it played in the underrated (by the human voters) Big 12.

Alabama also played one of the weakest schedules of any teams appearing in the BCS title games. Because it got to skip the SEC title game entirely, it played only nine and won only eight games against BCS conference opponents—in both cases the fewest of any team that won the title in the BCS era.

4. Post-hoc fallacy: Because Alabama did beat LSU, 21-0, in a snooze of a championship game, does that mean its selection was vindicated? Most definitely not.

The Crimson Tide were well-prepared to play in the championship game after getting an unearned reprieve. But that they played well was irrelevant because they shouldn't have been in there in the first place. SEC apologists like to excuse its teams' poor performances in big bowl games due to lack of interest (see, Alabama, in 2009 and 2014 Sugar Bowl), but if they win it just affirmed the conference's superiority.

In 2011, they wanted that argument to go both ways.

Final 2011 BCS Standings: 1. LSU, 2. Alabama, 3. Oklahoma State.

Likely four-team playoff: LSU vs. Alabama; Oklahoma State vs. Oregon.

The rematch would've been accepted here with the Tide no better than a No. 4 seed since they were the only non-champion in the field. Oregon would've gotten the nod over Stanford despite having one more loss because it beat the Cardinal and won the Pac-12.

Controversies

Boise State Snub III: Whereas conference championship was not required for teams to play in the BCS title game, that requirement was iron-clad for non-AQ teams wishing to participate in a BCS bowl game.

For the second year in a row, Boise State lost its only game in a heartbreaker when its kicker missed a field goal at the end of regulation. This time, in their first year as a member of the Mountain West Conference, the 36-35 loss to TCU cost them the conference title.

As a result, despite finishing No. 7 in the final BCS standings, well ahead of three BCS conference champions (Big Ten, ACC and Big East), Boise State was snubbed again by the BCS bowls. The Sugar Bowl opted to match up No. 11 Virginia Tech with No. 13 Michigan, with neither a conference winner. The Broncos were relegated to play in the Las Vegas Bowl for a second straight year.

K-State Snub V: Bill Snyder returned to Manhattan and rebuilt the Wildcats program a second time, only to find that the BCS was just as inhospitable as when he left it the first time.

Kansas State was snubbed for a BCS bowl berth for a fifth time after finishing in the top 10 in the final standings. Just as No. 7 Boise State was bypassed by the Sugar Bowl, the eighth-ranked Wildcats ended up in the Cotton Bowl. K-State never received an at-large berth in the entire BCS era, as its two BCS bowl appearances (2003 and 2012) both came after winning the Big 12 title.

2011 BCS Bowl Matchups

Bowl	Score	Attendance	TV Rating
BCS Champ*	#2 Alabama 21, #1 LSU 0	78,237	16.2
Rose	#5 Oregon 45, #10 Wisconsin 38	91,245	11.8
Fiesta	#3 Oklahoma St. 41, #4 Stanford 38 (OT)	69,927	9.7
Sugar	#13 Michigan 23, #11 Va. Tech 20 (OT)	64,512	7.1
Orange	#23 West Virginia 70, #15 Clemson 33	67,563	5.3

Final analysis: Like it or not, Alabama's 2011 BCS title must come with an asterisk.

Unlike Nebraska in 2001 and Oklahoma in 2003, the Tide did win the BCS title game and took home the crystal ball. Their second championship in three years left no doubt that Nick Saban was building a budding dynasty, but doubts sprung anew about the viability of the BCS.

It has become clear to many of the BCS critics that the entire apparatus, built by its SEC godfather Roy Kramer, had become inexorably tilted in favor of his old conference both in perception and in practice. Its influence now extended to the AP poll, which had a chance to exercise its own independence, but declined. In the final poll, 55 of the 60 voters ranked Alabama No. 1 while four went with Oklahoma State.

The SEC's takeover of college football was now complete.

No Rematch!

In a stunning turn of events, Oklahoma State will face LSU in the BCS Championship Game on Jan. 9, not Alabama, as had been widely believed until the wee hours Saturday night.

The final BCS Standings will be close between OSU and Alabama, with the computers locking in the Cowboys at No. 2 and Alabama at No. 3. And then it would be up to the voters to render their final verdict.

More of them will still have Alabama at No. 2, in both the coaches and Harris polls, but OSU's edge in the computers will be enough to overcome the Crimson Tide's advantage in the two human polls.

A few things that happened tonight turned the tide:

* Oklahoma State's impressive victory over Oklahoma was a resounding statement. The Cowboys proved that not only they could score, but they could play sound defense and cause game-changing turnovers.

* Virginia Tech's blowout loss against Clemson removed a direct competitor for the precious No. 2 votes, not to mention the all-important No. 3 votes. Remember, OSU was No. 5 in both polls coming into Saturday night's game.

* CBS's shameless and disingenuous cheerleading for Alabama ultimately will prove to have done more harm to the Tide than help. If CBS had done nothing, it's likely it wouldn't have caused enough voters to have such a revulsion to decline an LSU-Alabama rematch. Whereas Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson definitely made the difference in Florida's favor in 2006, the opposite must be said in this case.

* Finally, the fact that the only other worthy 1-loss teams: Alabama, Stanford and Boise State all failed to win their respective conferences bolstered OSU's case. Even though the BCS never made that a requirement to reach the title game, many voters would like to consider that a prerequisite.

So that's the shocking conclusion to this strange regular season that really proved that LSU is unquestionably the best team in the land. But because of the system that we have, the Tigers will have to play one more game to make it official. They're probably glad that it won't be the Crimson Tide.

There will be more drama beyond the unveiling of the participants in the BCS title game. For my complete analysis see here at SB Nation.

Here's the projected final BCS Standings:

1. LSU, 2. Oklahoma State, 3. Alabama, 4. Stanford, 5. Oregon, 6. Boise State, 7. Arkansas, 8. Kansas State, 9. South Carolina, 10. Wisconsin, 11. Baylor, 12. Virginia Tech, 13. Michigan, 14. Houston, 15. Oklahoma, 16. Michigan State, 17. Clemson, 18. TCU, 19. Georgia, 20. Nebraska.

And the projected BCS bowl matchups:

BCS Championship: LSU (SEC champion, No. 1) vs. Oklahoma State (Big 12 champion, No. 2)

Rose Bowl: Oregon (Pac-12 champion) vs. Wisconsin (Big Ten champion)

Sugar Bowl: Alabama (at-large) vs. Stanford (at-large)

Fiesta Bowl: Kansas State (at-large) vs. Michigan (at-large)

Orange Bowl: Clemson (ACC champion) vs. West Virginia (Big East champion)

Who Can Stop an All-SEC Rematch?

Only one man stands between an LSU-Alabama rematch in the BCS title game.

Here a hint: He's 44.

Mike Gundy will need to be his persuasive best, first on the field, and then to the national media and his brotherhood of coaches, on why his Oklahoma State Cowboys should break up the all-SEC party in New Orleans.

Oklahoma State not only needs to beat Oklahoma impressively in Bedlam next Saturday to secure the Big 12 title, it has to make a case on why its overtime loss to Iowa State last week should be overlooked to bump Alabama out of the BCS title game. The Pokes will have to convince enough of the 174 voters in the coaches and Harris polls to make a flip-flop to jump to No. 2.

Yep, Alabama, not LSU.

Does that mean the Tigers' SEC title game against Georgia is practically a bye?

Is Michigan assured of a BCS berth after beating Ohio State for the first time in eight years? Or do the Wolverines have to sweat out a couple of games?

What about Stanford?

Is TCU one Houston loss away from its third straight BCS bowl?

Those, and other questions concerning the BCS lineup will need to be answered. And that's what the Guru's here for. Check out my comprehensive Q&A Sunday morning at SB Nation to put your mind at ease.

That, and many other questions concerning the BCS lineup will need to be answered. And that's what the Guru's here for. Check out my comprehensive Q&A Sunday morning at SB Nation to put your mind at ease.

Until then, here are the projections:

1. LSU, 2. Alabama, 3. Oklahoma State, 4. Virginia Tech, 5. Stanford, 6. Boise State, 7. Houston, 8. Arkansas, 9. Oklahoma, 10. Oregon, 11. Kansas State, 12. South Carolina, 13. Georgia, 14. Michigan State, 15. Wisconsin.

And as an extra service this week, I also project Michigan at No. 16 and TCU at No. 18.

The Guru's BlogPoll (Week 12)

The Guru's BlogPoll ballot, with notes below:

BCS Guru Ballot - Week 12

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers	--
2	Alabama Crimson Tide	1
3	Arkansas Razorbacks	2
4	Stanford Cardinal	2
5	Houston Cougars	2
6	Boise St. Broncos	2
7	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	-5
8	Virginia Tech Hokies	2
9	USC Trojans	11
10	Oregon Ducks	-6
11	Kansas St. Wildcats	1
12	South Carolina Gamecocks	1
13	Georgia Bulldogs	1
14	Michigan St. Spartans	1
15	Wisconsin Badgers	1
16	Michigan Wolverines	3
17	Penn St. Nittany Lions	1
18	TCU Horned Frogs	3
19	Oklahoma Sooners	-8
20	Clemson Tigers	-11
21	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	2
22	Nebraska Cornhuskers	-5
23	Baylor Bears	--
24	West Virginia Mountaineers	--
25	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	-3
Dropouts: Florida St. Seminoles, Cincinnati Bearcats

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

* I could not understand, for the life of me, how Virginia Tech could be ranked fourth in the Coaches' Poll. Fourth? A team that nearly lost to Duke and got shut out in the second half in a 14-10 squeaker? Incidentally, Stanford routed the same Duke team and is ranked a spot behind VT. I don't make that mistake here. I actually watch the games and pay attention, which is obviously not what most of these voters do.

* Oklahoma State's loss (to Iowa State) is far worse than Boise State's (to TCU). And OSU's best win (a nailbiter over Kansas State) is inferior to Boise's best win (a rout at Georgia). So why shouldn't Boise be ranked ahead of OSU?

* USC is the best two-loss team, after having beaten the the second-best two-loss team. The Trojans belong in the top 10.

* New teams that made the ballot this week: Baylor, West Virginia.

* Conference-by-conference tally: SEC (5), Big Ten (5), Big 12 (4), Pac-12 (3), ACC (2), C-USA (2), MWC (2), Big East (1), Independent (1).

A Rematch? Which One?

All that stands between the BCS and rematch hell is an Oklahoma State loss to Oklahoma in their Bedlam showdown.

At least that's how it looks after Saturday's bloodletting. Both Stanford and Boise State went down against familiar foes. And as a result, there are only three unbeaten FBS teams left and only two of them have a shot at the BCS national title game.

Both Stanford and Boise State ran into their respective kryptonite. The Cardinal have lost just twice in their last 23 games, and both of those were to Oregon. Last year, it was a 52-31 beatdown in Eugene. This time, it was a 53-30 meltdown on the Farm.

It's worse for Boise. At least Stanford just flat-out got beat. The Broncos had several chances to close out a victory that surely would've sent them to yet another perfect regular season but failed to do so. The crushing 36-35 loss not only destroyed their hopes of a BCS title game berth, it also all but extinguished their chances for a third BCS bowl in six years. Boise has lost just three times in its last 49 games - two of those came against TCU, each by a point.

What all that left us is a BCS Standings that's begging for a rematch. LSU and Oklahoma State are safely perched at the top, each headed to New Orleans if it can win out. But should OSU lose to OU, then it could be LSU-Alabama or LSU-Oregon. We have seen both of those movies before.

Luckily, we still have three more weeks to shake things out. And LSU isn't out of the woods yet by any means, with a home game against Arkansas and a likely SEC title game against resurgent Georgia left. We're just getting warmed up here.

I will have more analysis Sunday morning at SB Nation. For now, here are the projected BCS Standings:

1. LSU, 2. Oklahoma State, 3. Alabama, 4. Oregon, 5. Oklahoma, 6. Arkansas, 7. Stanford, 8. Clemson, 9. Boise State, 10. Virginia Tech, 11. Houston, 12. South Carolina, 13. Georgia, 14. Michigan State, 15. Kansas State.

Who Else After LSU and Alabama?

Before we start hyping the Nov. 5 "Game of the Century, 2011 Edition" and pondering a rematch between these same teams in New Orleans next Jan. 9, here's a reminder:

There are other games that still have to be played and they might still matter, just a little.

To be sure, the LSU-Alabama showdown deserves all the attention it gets, including the belated move to primetime after CBS traded with ESPN for, essentially, "a game to be named later." And we will get into that plenty next week.

But it will be next week. Thanks to ingenious scheduling by the SEC, somehow BOTH teams have a bye to get ready for this titanic tilt. While they practice, a few other teams will be jockeying for the spot in the on-deck circle, hoping for a shot at the winner in the BCS national championship game.

The latest BCS standings tell this much: The top three teams - LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State - control their own destinies. After that, it's far from certain.

This week's BCS Bowl projections:

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Boise State
Sugar Bowl: Stanford vs. Nebraska
Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. Syracuse
BCS Championship: LSU vs. Alabama

(Full analysis exclusively at SB Nation)

The Guru's BlogPoll (Week 7)

The Guru's BlogPoll ballot, with comments below:

BCS Guru Ballot - Week 8

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers	--
2	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
3	Oklahoma Sooners	--
4	Boise St. Broncos	--
5	Stanford Cardinal	--
6	Wisconsin Badgers	--
7	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
8	Oregon Ducks	--
9	Clemson Tigers	--
10	Kansas St. Wildcats	5
11	Arkansas Razorbacks	2
12	West Virginia Mountaineers	--
13	Nebraska Cornhuskers	1
14	Virginia Tech Hokies	3
15	Houston Cougars	3
16	Michigan St. Spartans	--
17	Michigan Wolverines	-7
18	USC Trojans	2
19	South Carolina Gamecocks	3
20	Washington Huskies	5
21	Illinois Fighting Illini	-5
22	Penn St. Nittany Lions	--
23	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	-12
24	Auburn Tigers	--
25	Georgia Bulldogs	--
Dropouts: Arizona St. Sun Devils, Texas Longhorns, Baylor Bears, North Carolina Tar Heels

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

* Yeah, there's just about no change at the top, so shoot me. Three undefeated teams - but the three more suspect ones, went down. Two others (Kansas State and Clemson) escaped with wins, but their luck will run out soon. It's possible that there could be as many as six unbeatens, including Houston, at the end of the season. At worst, there will be at least three.

* The good news is that at least in two instances, the matter will be settled on the field. But don't count out the LSU-Alabama loser on Nov. 5. It has just enough time to creep back up the standings to force a rematch if the OU-OSU winner should stumble along the way.

* There's a pretty big gap from No. 8 to No. 9 on my ballot. After that, all the teams are nearly indistinguishable from one another.

* New teams that made the ballot this week: Michigan State, Penn State, Auburn, Georgia.

* Conference-by-conference tally: SEC (6), Big Ten (6), Pac-12 (4), Big 12 (3), ACC (3), MWC (1), Big East (1), C-USA (1).

The Next Conspiracy

Oklahoma State was exposed as unworthy of a BCS bowl bid. So Boise State is in, right?

With apologies to Lee Corso ... not so fast, my friend!

There is still one scenario where the Broncos would be left out of a BCS bowl bid - if Texas loses to Nebraska in the Big 12 title game, then the Longhorns will gain the final at-large bid over the Broncos. At this point, with six unbeatens and no one-loss teams, it's unlikely that any two-loss team will be chosen over Boise State for the final at-large spot.

But the next conspiracy, if you want to call it that, is on the horizon. With potentially five unbeaten teams heading into the BCS bowls, conveniently only the BCS title game will pit two undefeated teams, denying a claim for a "people's champion." In fact, two of the other three likely unbeatens will be facing a team with at least two losses in BCS bowl games.

This is how the bowl picture will shake out should Texas as expected meets the SEC champion:

BCS Championship Game: Florida/Alabama winner vs. Texas
Sugar Bowl: Florida/Alabama loser vs. Cincinnati/Pittsburgh winner
Fiesta Bowl: Iowa or Penn State vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: TCU vs. Georgia Tech/Clemson winner
Rose Bowl: Oregon/Oregon State winner vs. Ohio State

If Texas loses to Nebraska:

BCS Championship Game: Florida/Alabama winner vs. Cincinnati or TCU
Sugar Bowl: Florida/Alabama loser vs. TCU or Pittsburgh
Fiesta Bowl: Iowa or Penn State vs. Nebraska
Orange Bowl: Texas vs. Georgia Tech/Clemson winner
Rose Bowl: Oregon/Oregon State winner vs. Ohio State

TCU's blowout victory cemented its claim to be the first team to finish the regular season undefeated, but it came with a price. Because New Mexico is so terrible, the Horned Frogs will take a hit in the computer ratings, so much so that it may cost them a spot in the next BCS standings. It will be close, but the Guru expects Cincinnati to jump TCU for No. 4.

The projected BCS standings:

1. Florida, 2. Alabama, 3. Texas, 4. Cincinnati, 5. TCU, 6. Boise Sate, 7. Oregon, 8. Ohio State, 9. Iowa, 10. Penn State, 11. Georgia Tech, 12. Virginia Tech, 13. Pittsburgh, 14. LSU, 15. BYU.

Bowling Alone ... With 67 Others

America may be suffering a decline in social capital because everybody is busy texting and tweeting instead of going out and bonding with real people. Robert Putnam was simply ahead of his time.

But that's not a problem in college football. Unless your team really, really sucked, everybody gets to bowl, even if it costs your school money for the privilege.

Once again, we have 34 bowls in this postseason for 68 teams. And on the eve of Thanksgiving, we officially have 69 bowl eligible teams, meaning every bowl slot will be filled, with at least one 6-6 team being sent home despite its excellence perfect mediocrity.

The odd team out could be Notre Dame, either by its own choosing or by being squeezed out of a bowl slot. If the Irish lose to Stanford this weekend - as expected - they may decide to clean house instead of making an appearance at a minor bowl and risking Jimmy Clausen being sucker-punched by one of their irate, drunken alums.

The biggest loser last week was Kansas State, which went from a potential BCS bowl slot to no bowl at all with a single defeat. The Wildcats were playing Nebraska for the Big 12 North title, but their 17-3 loss dropped them to 6-6 overall. And since K-State had two wins over lower division teams, it did not muster the six required victories to be bowl eligible.

Nebraska, meanwhile, becomes one of the 21 teams still under consideration for the 10 BCS bowl slots, according to the BCS press release (in order of the latest BCS rankings):

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati
6. Boise State
7. Georgia Tech
8. Oregon
9. Pittsburgh
10. Ohio State *
11. Iowa
12. Oklahoma State
13. Penn State
14. Virginia Tech
15. LSU
16. Oregon State
17. Miami (Fla.)
18. Clemson
19. BYU
20. USC
26. Nebraska

(* clinched Rose Bowl berth)

Realistically, only teams in the top 13, plus Oregon State, Clemson and Nebraska, which are playing for their respective conference championships, are still in the running. And in truth, the last BCS bowl slot will come down between Oklahoma State and Boise State.

If the Cowboys defeat Oklahoma in Norman this week, they will be picked by the Fiesta Bowl, leaving Boise State in the cold. Should the Sooners prevail, the Broncos' prospects will brighten considerably, with either the Fiesta Bowl or Sugar Bowl a possible destination.

The BCS bowl lineup with an OSU win:

BCS National Championship: Florida/Alabama vs. Texas
Sugar Bowl: Florida/Alabama vs. Cincinnati/Pittsburgh
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. TCU
Orange Bowl: Iowa/Penn State vs. Georgia Tech/Clemson
Rose Bowl: Oregon/Oregon State vs. Ohio State

The BCS bowl lineup with an OSU loss:

BCS National Championship: Florida/Alabama vs. Texas
Sugar Bowl: Florida/Alabama vs. TCU
Fiesta Bowl: Iowa/Penn State vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: Cincinnati/Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech/Clemson
Rose Bowl: Oregon/Oregon State vs. Ohio State

The rest of the bowl list:

BOWL QUALIFIED (31) - teams with at least 7 wins
North Carolina
Boston College
West Virginia
South Florida
Rutgers
Missouri
Texas Tech
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Stanford
California
Arkansas
Ole Miss
Auburn
Kentucky
Utah
Air Force
Nevada
Idaho
Fresno State
Houston
Central Florida
Southern Miss
East Carolina
Navy
Temple
Ohio
Central Michigan
Northern Illinois
Troy
Middle Tennessee State

BOWL ELIGIBLE (17) - Teams with 6 wins
Florida State
Iowa State +
Oklahoma
Texas A&M
Michigan State +
Minnesota +
Notre Dame
UCLA
Arizona
Georgia
South Carolina
Tennessee
Southern Methodist
Marshall
Bowling Green
Louisiana-Monroe
Louisiana-Lafayette

(+ regular season complete)

ON THE BRINK (8)
Connecticut
Kansas
Wyoming
Army
Hawaii
UAB
Kent State
Toledo

^ Duke, at 5-6, will not be bowl eligible after losing to Miami last week. One of the Blue Devils' wins was over North Carolina Central, which is a provisional member of the FCS (I-AA) and therefore does not count.

Who's Your (Sugar) Daddy?

Mike Gundy may be a man now (at least he thinks so), but part of his everyday challenge is very much the burden foisted upon every boy the world over - making his daddy proud.

Gundy's daddy, metaphorically speaking, of course, is T. Boone Pickens, a Texas oil man. A man who's given over a quarter of a billion bucks to the Oklahoma State athletic program. A man whose name graces the Cowboys' brand-spanking new stadium.

And Gundy has no better opportunity to please his (sugar) daddy than this week.

Oklahoma State's football program, thanks to the largess of Pickens, is trying to emerge from the shadows of Oklahoma and Texas and become a bona fide powerhouse in the Big 12. The trouble is, in order to be in their company, you have to beat them at least once in awhile.

Gundy has never beaten either since taking over as the Cowboys head coach in 2005. In fact, OSU last defeated Oklahoma in 2002 and has not won against Texas since 1997, which was the only time in history that the Cowboys managed to defeat both in the same season.

They have a chance to rewrite some history, beginning Saturday night when the Longhorns visit Boone Pickens Stadium, an invasion that's certain to draw a record crowd in Stillwater.

Texas is ranked No. 3, in line for its first BCS title game berth since 2005, and favored by 9 1/2 points. But the Cowboys, whose lone loss was at home to Houston, can seize control of the Big 12 South race with an upset victory. That would put them on course for the school's first Big 12 title, first BCS bowl game, and first 10-win season, ever.

It's a lot to play for. It's something to make your daddy real proud ... and rest assured he'll be there, since he never misses a game.

By all accounts, Pickens has not been the meddling type, but you'd be a fool to think that a man who's given OSU $400 million over the years doesn't exert some influence. Gundy, for example, got a new seven-year contract worth $15.7 million at the end of last season. We're just guessing that some (if not most) of that money comes out of Pickens' pocket.

For now, Gundy will have earn his keep without All-American wideout Dez Bryant, who has been declared ineligible for the rest of the season by the unforgiving NCAA. You see, even at OSU, there is a higher power that even Pickens' billions can't buy.

★★★★★ GAME OF THE WEEK: USC at Oregon, 8 p.m. ET (ABC). As important as the Texas-OSU game is, it doesn't quite take the top billing. Oregon has a chance to end USC's seven-year reign as the Pac-10's top dog, something the Ducks thought they had accomplished in 2007, but couldn't quite finish the job. The Trojans, despite playing a freshman quarterback, are in the thick of the BCS title race. A USC win at Autzen Stadium all but locks up, at the minimum, a record eighth straight trip to a BCS bowl.

★★★★ FOUR-STAR GAME: Texas at Oklahoma State, 8 p.m. ET (ABC). The Longhorns have beaten the Cowboys in the last 11 meetings and are 21-2 all-time against OSU. But the Cowboys have made things interesting of late, losing only 28-24 last year and dropping a 38-35 decision in 2007 after blowing a 21-point fourth-quarter lead. The winner of this game will effectively claim the Big 12 South and be a heavy favorite in the conference title game.

★★★ THREE-STAR GAME: Georgia vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS). The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has been reduced to merely The Coke-Zero Tailgate Hangout as the recession and Georgia's mediocrity both have put a damper on this rivalry. The Gators are still acting mad about the entire-team celebration stunt from two years ago. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are not acting or saying anything for fear of a repeat of last year's beatdown.

★★ TWO-STAR GAME: Indiana at Iowa, noon p.m. ET (ESPN). Will Iowa's luck finally run out? They have pushed the envelope in just about every game this season, including last week's Houdini-like escape against Michigan State. This year's Hoosiers are actually not half bad, and if the Hawkeyes are already dreaming about the BCS or the Rose Bowl, they could be in for a sudden and rude awakening.

★ ONE-STAR GAME: Cincinnati at Syracuse, noon ET (ESPNU). The Bearcats seem to be on a collision course with Pittsburgh in the season finale for the Big East crown and a BCS bowl berth. But they still have a few more obstacles to overcome before they can get there and aim for an undefeated season. Cincy's task this week? Beat a standout basketball star in the biggest on-campus basketball arena.

The Guru's BlogPoll Ballot (Week 2)

The Guru's ballot this week. A couple of notes below:

Rank	Team	Delta
1	USC
2	Florida
3	Texas
4	Alabama
5	Brigham Young
6	Boise State	1
7	California	1
8	Penn State	1
9	LSU	2
10	Ohio State	2
11	Oklahoma	1
12	TCU	1
13	Mississippi	1
14	Virginia Tech	2
15	Miami (Florida)	2
16	Utah	1
17	Missouri	1
18	Houston
19	Oklahoma State	13
20	Georgia	1
21	Georgia Tech
22	Cincinnati
23	Pittsburgh	1
24	UCLA
25	Michigan
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Notre Dame (#20), North Carolina (#23), Oregon State (#25).


Unlike the Week 1 ballot, there is very little movement on my ballot as the world order of college football is taking shape. And also unlike the Week 1 ballot, I did consult with the previous week's ballot to form my decisions, in particular:

1) Only three teams in my Week 1 ballot lost - Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Notre Dame. The Buckeyes lost to top-ranked (on my ballot) USC in a very close game, so they suffered no penalty. In fact, they moved up two spots. The Cowboys lost at home to previously unranked Houston, causing them to slip 13 places. Notre Dame is out of the top 25 altogether after losing to Michigan.

2) North Carolina and Oregon State were dropped after unimpressive wins. The Tar Heels needed a late holding call in the end zone (though the right call) to pull out of a 12-10 win at Connecticut. Oregon State took advantage of a pass interference flag on fourth down (a very questionable call) to keep alive their game-winning drive at UNLV.

3) The three dropouts were replaced in the ballot by Houston, UCLA and Michigan, three teams with easily the most impressive victories this week by previously unranked teams. The Cougars shocked OSU even after blowing an early lead to win in Stillwater. UCLA used a goal-line stand to fend off Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. And Michigan, of course, nipped the Irish behind the wunderkind freshman QB Tate Forcier.

4) USC remains No. 1 on my ballot. The Trojans won at Ohio Stadium, against a highly talented and motivated Buckeyes, in what's so far the signature win of the season by an elite team, eclipsing BYU's victory over Oklahoma. With Utah struggling to beat San Jose State, a team that USC destroyed last week, there is little doubt that the Trojans are a cut above. Until Florida plays somebody (maybe this week against Tennessee) worth a lick, the Gators will have to settle for No. 2, for now.