[NU Sports] BCS ... (fwd)

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

> Exposed at the end of the season?  They had a grand total of 6 points
> scored on them in their last three games, against admittedly mediocre

I meant to say "toward the end" -- ATM and Okie State moved the ball up
and down on the Sooners vaunted D.

As for those last 2-3 games ... it's kind of funny to see the polls and
pundits say that OU really emerged and proved that they were the #2 team at
the end of the season (yeah, I'm looking your way Corso:) ) because they
whacked Colorado and Nebraska down the stretch while Auburn had smaller
margins against Tennessee and Alabama (and crushed Georgia, btw). Well,
Oklahoma SHOULD have whacked Colorado and Nebraska. Beating those teams big
at the end didn't prove anything ... watching the Aggies control the game
vs. OU until their QB went down says more. Needing late heroics to stay
unbeaten is something Auburn had to resort to only once this year with LSU
and the magical goalposts ... and that was in September. OU had a few
narrow escapes late in the season and USC -- given a free pass for last
year's snub -- had the closest shaves of all with the Cal thriller and that
horrible non-fumble call vs. UCLA that was a 10-point swing.

> They also shut out Texas, the first time the Horns been shut out since,
> what, the Truman administration?  (On that basis alone I think Cal got
> shafted Royally.)

Drumbeat!:)

> winning.  I also think USC has a soft underbelly in its defense, far
> more so than the Sooners do.

UCLA may have exposed a weakness on special teams, and the Trojans do
start slow at times ... but I think both these offenses have power and
explosiveness, but I like the SC defense a lot more.

But a couple of great coaches ... will be interesting to see what they
have planned with a month's preparation. And it's a promising matchup,
don't get me wrong ... it's what everybody wanted at the start of the
season. Kind of how folks wanted to see OU-Miami a few years back, but
they never met in the bowls. USC and OU are the two premier programs over
the last 2-3 years. Now we get to see them match up. I just wasn't a big
believer in the Big XII last year and question OU's defense this year
(their offense, however, is awesome and kept them in those ATM and OSU
games).

> The Orange Bowl should feature two Heisman champions, possibly in one
> uniform and it will have the top 3 finishers in this year's Heisman race.
> I doubt that's ever happened.

It might have the top four after Bush made his case on Saturday.

> I guess we'll find out who's reading it all wrong in January, but I
> think it'll be something like OU 31 USC 14.

My early pick: USC 34, OU 21 ... then again, should Utah lure Norm Chow
away from SC and he doesn't coach the bowl game ...

> Auburn-Va Tech is harder to read, Tennessee showed that Auburn does
> have some weaknesses, I just don't know if the Hokies are the right

I don't see why folks were so down on Auburn for a 10-point win. They
played the toughest opponent of the top 3 on Saturday and were playing the
Vols for a second time (always tough to beat a team twice) ... they
dominated the first half, laxed in the second but still won by double
digits. And they absolutely demolished the Vols earlier IN Knoxville. I
just think the Tigers are the most sound all-around team in the nation.
We'll never know if that's true or not.

As for VaTech, I wouldn't underestimate them either. Don't forget that
they had USC on the ropes, leading in the fourth quarter before they let
it slip away. Their inexperience showed again in a fluke loss to NC State
- otherwise, they've rolled and that win at Miami was impressive.

> finishing 3rd.   Do they think they can sway the AP voters, who haven'
> t seen all that excited about Auburn all season?  I don't think that's

Well, since VaTech and SC did play, I guess their best shot would be a
rout of VaTech with SC barely winning. And not barely winning in a classic
way (OSU/Miami Fiesta Bowl) but barely winning in an UGLY way (that OU/FSU
Orange Bowl ... what was it, 6-2 in the fourth?). But yeah - it would take
a miracle. They'd have had a better chance if they faced Utah in the bowl game.

> possible this year, unfortunately.  And that might open the door for
> an upset.

The B(C)S folks are gonna be big cheerleaders for Louisville, Pitt and
VaTech so we don't have four unbeatens at the end of the year.

And to go along with our list coaching experiment, it's gonna be real
interesting to watch the attendance figures at the bowl games this year.
With all the MAC teams and mid-majors who don't have huge fan bases, will
the casual football fans still show up? And with a collective shoulder
shrug of excitement of the big bowl lineup on January 1 ... will we have a
lot of bowls in front of half empty stadiums?

Will Cal fans who already booked up Pasadena rent a car and drive to San
Diego? Will the horde of Cheeseheads, making their own Rose Bowl
reservations a month ago but willing to settle for Orlando perhaps, head to
Tampa? Will UGa fans? LSU might have made more sense in the Cotton than
Citrus ... Utah and Texas have promised to sell seats, but will Michigan
fans head west a second year for a non-Rose Bowl Rose Bowl and will Pitt
bring anybody? And SC finally has filled home stands this year, but will
their annoying band and even more insufferable fans head cross country to
Miami (they didn't two years ago) or will it be a Sooner Nation sea of
crimson in the Orange Bowl?

Or for the game Mike's waiting for -- will anybody show up in Boise?:)

GO CATS!!!
-SjT


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