Week 7, 2010: Are we destined for a rematch in the desert?

Knock knock knock Penny knock knock knock Penny knock knock knock Penny. There is an elephant and a big headed Spartan knocking at your door to let you know you're Cornhuskers have been replaced in my college football tourney projections!



This was the week that two of teams that were suffering in the BCS standings, due to poorer computer rankings than the positions given to them by mere humans, were ousted out of the projections: Ohio State and Nebraska. The BCS Bowls will be rooting for them and their fan bases to get back in the hunt.

Will this season play out as one when every road game that a ranked team goes on is filled with hidden explosives, leading to a lack of undefeated teams as conference season's progress? Or will it return to the form of last season with five undefeated teams? So far, it certainly seems like the former, reminding me of 1984-1985, the year BYU was the only undefeated team and 9-1-1 Oklahoma went into the bowls ranked #2.

That season provided an interesting national championship opportunity that I have never read much about. BYU climbed to #1 in week 12, after Oklahoma beat then #1 Nebraska, 17-7. Washington had been #1 a few weeks before, but lost to USC. The Trojans finished 8-3 overall, but tied in the conference with UW with one loss, and the head to head victory gave SC the Rose Bowl birth rather than the 10-1 Huskies.

So BYU was tops and headed to the Holiday Bowl because of their conference's affiliation. There was a chance Auburn at 8-4 would play the Cougars. Auburn was the pre-season top team, but lost Bo Jackson for most of the year. However, Bo was back for the bowls. Auburn took a Liberty Bowl bid instead, and Bo won that game's MVP. So instead of playing a team like the resume built Auburn Tigers, BYU's Holiday Bowl foe was 6-5 Michigan. However, conceivably Washington could have taken that slot and played BYU for the national championship. They instead took an Orange Bowl game in which they beat Oklahoma, and a collected a bigger payout than the Holiday Bowl. But UW could have said, forget the cash, we want a ring, and provided a real test for themselves and BYU. They took the cash, nuf said.

Back in 84-85, I was still doing an eight team tourney. In the bowl quarterfinals, Oklahoma lost to Doug Flutie and Boston College, Washington easily handled South Carolina, Nebraska beat Ohio State with minimal difficulties, and BYU, in overtime, lost to Oklahoma State.

Turning to real life for a moment rather than my mythical tourney; so will this season's championship dessert in the desert be a Fiesta Bowl rematch as BCS conference teams undefeated dreams desert them? Because as all this conference upset lunacy unfolds, we've got Boise State and TCU (and maybe Utah) cruising along above it all. So how 'bout a Fiesta Bowl rematch of the Broncos and Horned Frogs in the title game? Or maybe turn back the clock a little further for a Oklahoma-BSU Fiesta Bowl rematch?

So far in this topsy-turvy world of collegiate football, I would think the most thankful man in America this Thanksgiving will be whoever was thinking about replacing Urban Meyer in Florida when the Urban cowboy resigned suddenly last year. Think of the weight of expectations on their shoulders if they would have lost three straight, two in Gainesville, if they were the new head coach on campus.

This week, I am thankful that ESPN has the rights to televise the BCS Bowls, because they have decided to fill their Sunday night schedule with a BCS show during which the latest BCS standings are released. Thank you ESPN!! And thanks to BCSguru.com, BCSevolution.com, and www.bcsknowhow.com for providing BCS standings and making my life easier during the weeks leading up to the official standings!

On to the projections! Except for losing the caravans of fans that Ohio State and Nebraska provide, this weeks projection would be too good to be true. Teams with natural conference affiliations for three of the four bowls, a potential Oregon-Michigan State in the Rose, and even though no ACC in the Orange Bowl, an SEC team will do very well. No way the final tourney ends up this perfectly. Avoiding an Oklahoma-FSU rematch is the only hiccup,

"In college football, one day you're in, and the next day you're out." -Pop Warner

OUT- Ohio State, Nebraska
IN-Alabama, Michigan State

FIRST ROUND:

In Detroit:#7 Michigan State (Big Ten champ) vs #10 West Virginia (Big East champ)

In Atlanta: #8 Alabama (at-large) vs #9 Florida State (ACC champ)


BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):

Fiesta: #1 Oklahoma (Big XII champ) vs Alabama or the Michigan St/West Virginia winner

Sugar: #4 Auburn (SEC champ) vs #5 Texas Christian (at-large)

Rose: #2 Oregon (Pac-10 champ) vs Florida St or the Michigan St/West Virginia winner

Orange: #3 Boise State (non-BCS conference automatic) vs #6 Louisiana State (at-large)


Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL

BCS Championship in Glendale AZ

Week by week seedings:

Week	5	6	7
Oklahoma	3	4	1
Oregon	4	2	2
Boise St	2	1	3
Auburn	8	8	4
TCU	5	3	5
LSU	7	7	6
Michigan State	n/a	n/a	7
Alabama	1	n/a	8
Florida State	n/a	9	9
WVU	10	10	10
Ohio State	6	5	n/a
Nebraska	n/a	6	n/a
Miami	9	n/a	n/a
Florida	n/a	n/a	n/a
Texas	n/a	n/a	n/a
VTU	n/a	n/a	n/a
Pitt	n/a	n/a	n/a

Week	Pre	1	2	3	4
Oklahoma	7	n/a	4	5	6
Oregon	9	8	7	8	7
Boise St	5	2	6	6	2
Auburn	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
TCU	6	5	8	7	4
LSU	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	8
Michigan State	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Alabama	1	1	1	1	1
Florida State	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
WVU	n/a	10	10	10	10
Ohio State	2	4	3	3	5
Nebraska	n/a	7	n/a	n/a	n/a
Miami	n/a	9	9	9	9
Florida	3	6	5	4	3
Texas	4	3	2	2	n/a
VTU	8	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Pitt	10	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a