Latest BCS Rankings: Mizzou @ #6

[lukethedrifter]

Hawaii has control over their non-conference schedule. They are well aware of the strength of their conference. If they want to be a title contender, then they should do better than Northern Colorado and Charleston Southern for their non-con.

How many big time school will actually schedule Hawaii as part of their non-conference schedule though? A school like Ohio St has no incentive to risk a loss against a team like Hawaii when they can just schedule cupcakes to give them their best shot at a title. That makes it hard for Hawaii to schedule more credible games.

Even if that's true, it's still a matter of degrees. It's not only that Hawaii doesn't have any real good teams on it's schedule, but most of the non-con this year is really terrible teams.

I don't buy the non-con games thing. Look at Mizzou's schedule for '08. Sure Illinois is tough, but SEMO? Nevada? Buffalo? Every team schedules non-conference cupcake games (Mizzou had plenty of them this year) and it's doesn't hurt their standings. There's really no benefit to scheduling tough non-con games (outside of drawing in more fans from popular teams), which is why you never see teams taking that risk. The way the format is now, cupcake games are here to stay.

Unless you are a cupcake and want to be considered a ribeye.

[maddash]

Hawaii has control over their non-conference schedule. They are well aware of the strength of their conference. If they want to be a title contender, then they should do better than Northern Colorado and Charleston Southern for their non-con.

How many big time school will actually schedule Hawaii as part of their non-conference schedule though? A school like Ohio St has no incentive to risk a loss against a team like Hawaii when they can just schedule cupcakes to give them their best shot at a title. That makes it hard for Hawaii to schedule more credible games.

Even if that's true, it's still a matter of degrees. It's not only that Hawaii doesn't have any real good teams on it's schedule, but most of the non-con this year is really terrible teams.

I don't buy the non-con games thing. Look at Mizzou's schedule for '08. Sure Illinois is tough, but SEMO? Nevada? Buffalo? Every team schedules non-conference cupcake games (Mizzou had plenty of them this year) and it's doesn't hurt their standings. There's really no benefit to scheduling tough non-con games (outside of drawing in more fans from popular teams), which is why you never see teams taking that risk. The way the format is now, cupcake games are here to stay.

Unless you are a cupcake and want to be considered a ribeye.

This is true. But then those cupcake teams start getting the cold shoulder when BCS schools realize they just might get beat by them.

A nice little article on Hawaii says it better than I can: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19605039/

[lukethedrifter]

Hawaii has control over their non-conference schedule. They are well aware of the strength of their conference. If they want to be a title contender, then they should do better than Northern Colorado and Charleston Southern for their non-con.

How many big time school will actually schedule Hawaii as part of their non-conference schedule though? A school like Ohio St has no incentive to risk a loss against a team like Hawaii when they can just schedule cupcakes to give them their best shot at a title. That makes it hard for Hawaii to schedule more credible games.

Even if that's true, it's still a matter of degrees. It's not only that Hawaii doesn't have any real good teams on it's schedule, but most of the non-con this year is really terrible teams.

I don't buy the non-con games thing. Look at Mizzou's schedule for '08. Sure Illinois is tough, but SEMO? Nevada? Buffalo? Every team schedules non-conference cupcake games (Mizzou had plenty of them this year) and it's doesn't hurt their standings. There's really no benefit to scheduling tough non-con games (outside of drawing in more fans from popular teams), which is why you never see teams taking that risk. The way the format is now, cupcake games are here to stay.

Unless you are a cupcake and want to be considered a ribeye.

This is true. But then those cupcake teams start getting the cold shoulder when BCS schools realize they just might get beat by them.

A nice little article on Hawaii says it better than I can: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19605039/

No doubt that it's quite the conundrum.

[GatewaySnayke]

I don't see how an eight-team playoff would be fair this year.

Let's say that Missouri runs the table and defeats K-State, Kansas and finally Oklahoma. That would leave KU and Missouri with one loss and Oklahoma with two losses, yet Missouri gets to play for the national championship and KU and Oklahoma don't? Same goes for the SEC. Florida, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina and heck, even Auburn could all conceivably win the national championship -- but only the SEC champion gets to play? There is a logjam of really good teams in each of the major conference's right now, then there are teams like Hawaii and Boise State who take care of business in their conferences. You can't limit it to eight teams, it has to be more. Every team in the Top 25 should get a shot and then some.

[ThatGuy]

Same goes for the SEC. Florida, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina and heck, even Auburn could all conceivably win the national championship -- but only the SEC champion gets to play?

You're forgetting the team that controls its own destiny in the SEC East.

[GatewaySnayke]

Same goes for the SEC. Florida, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina and heck, even Auburn could all conceivably win the national championship -- but only the SEC champion gets to play?

You're forgetting the team that controls its own destiny in the SEC East.

Ole Miss?

[Popeye_Card]

I don't see how an eight-team playoff would be fair this year.

Let's say that Missouri runs the table and defeats K-State, Kansas and finally Oklahoma. That would leave KU and Missouri with one loss and Oklahoma with two losses, yet Missouri gets to play for the national championship and KU and Oklahoma don't? Same goes for the SEC. Florida, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina and heck, even Auburn could all conceivably win the national championship -- but only the SEC champion gets to play? There is a logjam of really good teams in each of the major conference's right now, then there are teams like Hawaii and Boise State who take care of business in their conferences. You can't limit it to eight teams, it has to be more. Every team in the Top 25 should get a shot and then some.

But see, now you're downgrading the importance of the regular season. No way should a Florida, with 3 losses already, be given a shot at winning a national championship--even if they're very good. If you keep it to 8, you have the undefeated teams and the very best 1 loss teams. I thought about 16 before, but that waters it down pretty significantly, and that's 4 games for the teams that reach the championship.

I'm not trying to promote the idea that you try to determine who the very best team really is--anything can happen in individual football games, so a playoff isn't going to determine that. What I'm trying to promote is the idea that if your team takes care of it's business on the field, then they're given at least a chance to win the championship on the field--not based on schedules and pollsters.

--P--

[longhornbaseball]

Ari-frickin-dickin-zona!!!!!!

[GatewaySnayke]

Ari-frickin-dickin-zona!!!!!!

Indeed.

[lukethedrifter]

Things are looking good for Mizzou AND Chase Danielson.