And now live from the ESPN studios, it's the BCS College Football Tournament Selection Show presented by Nancy's Pizza, with Rece Davis, Lou Holtz, and Mark May.
RECE: Wow. All I can say is WOW. Was that some 48 hours of college football or what? We started out assuming Northern Illinois would be back for a return trip to the tournament, Oklahoma State would be a high seed, Ohio State in the top two, but twists and turns galore have us at selection Sunday, with plenty of questions. Coach, what do you think?
LOU: You're right Rece, WOW. Ohio State goes from top two seed in the Rose Bowl to wondering about an at-large bid. Auburn's late season push gets them to the top two seed we assume. That is why I love college football. MARK: I think this is going to be a very strong field. We assume the tenth seed will be a one loss Central Florida team that lost to South Carolina by three. This will be a pretty strong group, Florida State will be top seed, but I see lots of teams that could win it all. And will we see Iron Bowl II at some point?
LOU: Gosh Mark, you sound as giddy as me!
RECE: So guys, here is what we know; six teams are in. Florida State, the likely top seed, Auburn, the likely second seed, Michigan State, Stanford, Baylor, and as Mark said, Central Florida. So first big question, who are the other four? Coach, who is going to get those last spots in the tournament?
LOU: Well, Alabama for sure. And certainly Ohio State has to be there, with one loss. I think this is the year South Carolina finally makes it in, along with Clemson. Those are my four at-large teams.
MARK: Coach, I agree with you on your old school, South Carolina, but I think Missouri will make it four SEC teams in the tournament. LOU: Well Mark, four SEC teams is just too many. Oklahoma, Oregon, Clemson; they all deserve it more than a fourth SEC team. That is just what I think. That is that way it ought to be.
RECE: Coach, I think the at-large to watch is possibly Oklahoma, if any team if going to stop a four team SEC party. But right now, it looks likely that the Oregon Ducks streak of four straight tournaments, the longest current streak, will end here. But Stanford will carry the torch with their fourth straight tournament, and looking for a fourth straight Final Four appearance. So that begs the next question. Which of these teams will make the top six, and avoid having to play in the First Round?
MARK: I think Baylor and Ohio State are the two teams on the edge. So Florida State, Auburn, Alabama, Michigan State, and Stanford will be in the top six, and Baylor will edge out Ohio State. The Buckeyes go from top two seed and a Rose Bowl to playing in a First Round game, probably against South Carolina.
LOU: Oh Mark, Ohio State has one loss to a great Michigan State team. I think they will make the top six. Two loss Stanford, well, you have to play in the First Round. No fourth straight Rose Bowl for you, I am sorry to say.
LOU: Oh Mark, Ohio State has one loss to a great Michigan State team. I think they will make the top six. Two loss Stanford, well, you have to play in the First Round. No fourth straight Rose Bowl for you, I am sorry to say.
RECE: Well, time for the guesswork to end. Weeks of games, big plays of historic proportions, and it all boils down to the next few minutes, when we find out which ten teams will make this year’s college football tournament. And now, it is time to learn the which ten teams made the 2013-2014 BCS college football tournament, so we go to Brent Musburger in Pasadena. Brent...
BRENT: You are looking...LIVE at the Rose Bowl, and the site of the championship game, Pasadena, California. Hi there everybody, ten teams will play to win here, and take home the BCS championship trophy. And now, it is time for the Sabra Classic Hummus and Pretzels Snack bracket presentation. Let's go to tournament Commissioner Nelson, who will reveal this year's tournament. Commissioner..."
COMMISIONER: Thank you Brent. It is my pleasure to announce the teams that will be playing in the 2013-2014 BCS College Football Tournament.
In the First Round, in Cleveland, the seventh seed and at-large representative of the Big Ten Conference, the Buckeyes of the Ohio State University, will take on the ninth seed, and at-large team from the Southeastern Conference, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
The other First Round game will be played in Tampa, where the eighth seed, the Tigers of the University of Missouri, an SEC at-large, will play the tenth seeded University of Central Florida Knights, champions of the AAC.
So let's move onto the BCS Bowl quarterfinals. The winner of the Missouri/Central Florida match-up will move on to the Orange Bowl, to play the top seed, the Florida State University Seminoles, champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The winner of the Orange Bowl, will take on the winner of the Rose Bowl, which will feature the fourth seed, champion of the Big Ten conference, the Spartans of Michigan State University, and champions of the Pac-12 Conference, the fifth seeded Stanford University Cardinal.
The winner of the Ohio State/South Carolina game will move on to the Sugar Bowl, to play the number two seed, and champion of the Southeastern Conference, the Tigers of Auburn University.
The Sugar Bowl winner will take on the winner of the remaining quarterfinal game, the Fiesta Bowl, which will feature the third seed, at-large from the Southeast Conference, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, who will play the sixth seed, and champion of the Big XII conference, the Bears of Baylor University.
The winners of the BCS quarterfinals will meet in Indianapolis for Football's Final Four, and the winner of the semi-finals will play for the BCS championship, right here, in Pasadena.
BRENT: Thank you Commissioner, it shapes up to be yet another exciting tournament. Two questions. What was the last that was closest to make the field, and secondly, there is a provision that no team can have more than one game with home state advantage, yet Stanford gets to play in the Rose Bowl and maybe come back for the championship game. How did that occur?
COMMISH: Oregon was the tenth team in our standings, but they were far behind South Carolina for the last at-large slot. The Big Ten and Michigan State waved the provision that allowed Stanford to play in the Rose Bowl to allow a match-up of the two conferences aligned with the Rose Bowl.
BRENT: Thank you Commissioner, and now back to the studio.
(microphones pick up unsuspecting continuing conversation)
BRENT: Good job Commissioner. You did fine.
COMMISH: I think my face turned red when you asked about Stanford, I could feel it in my face I think.COMMISH: Oh no, I hope not, let's watch the tape.
RECE: So, there it is. Four SEC teams in. Oklahoma, Oregon, and Clemson did not make the cut. And Ohio State, looking at a Rose Bowl game, drops to a First Round game. Now, it will be in Cleveland, but if they win, they have to go to the Sugar Bowl to face Auburn. Coach, your thoughts?
LOU: Yes, far too big a drop for Ohio State, in my opinion. Plus, South Carolina, finally makes the tournament after many years, and they have to go to Cleveland in December. That will be cruel and unusual punishment for the Gamecocks and their fans.
MARK: I think it will be a great tournament. I only see Missouri as a team from the First Round that could possibly challenge the top two seeds, so I think Florida State and Auburn have a nice path to Indianapolis. Alabama will be a big favorite over Baylor, but Baylor will come to play, remembering how third seed Florida underperformed last season, and the long standing third seed curse when they play a sixth seed. And I think Stanford has a pretty good shot at their fourth straight Final Four, although the folks in Indianapolis will be rooting for a little Michigan State caravan to drive down from East Lansing. However, if Indy gets Auburn-Alabama Iron Bowl II, it will be one hot ticket no matter how cold Indiana is.
RECE: Let’s look at this graphic. Here are each of the ten teams in number of appearances over the eight years of the ten team era. Ohio State and Alabama now are tied as leaders nationally during that period with five appearances in the eight year span, and Stanford has current longest string at four. Baylor and Central Florida are first timers overall, and it has been a while for Michigan State and South Carolina:
Ohio State 5 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013
Alabama 5 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013
Stanford 4 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Auburn 2 2010, 2013
Missouri 2 2007, 2013
Florida State 2 2012, 2013
RECE: "So let's review the tournament..."
First Round:
Cleveland: #7 Ohio State (at-large) versus #9 South Carolina (at-large)Tampa: #8 Missouri (at-large) versus #10 Central Florida (AAC Champ)
Rose: #4 Michigan State (Big Ten Champ) versus #5 Stanford (Pac-12 Champ)
Sugar: #2 Auburn (SEC Champ) versus Ohio State/South Carolina winner
Fiesta: #3 Alabama (at-large) versus #6 Baylor (Big XII Champ)
Semi-Finals (Football's Final Four) in Indianapolis
National Championship in Pasadena
RECE: It should be a great great tournament. For the Hall of Famer, Lou Holtz, and Mark May, good night from the ESPN studios
