Top 25 Crap

[The Ancient Enemy]

This is why I despise college football:

- Boise State is 8-0, has the longest winning streak in the country, pounds Hawaii 69-3, keeps Chang from breaking the record, and they don't even move up ONE spot.

- Oklahoma State loses to Oklahoma, moves UP a spot.

- Texas A&M loses to one of the worst programs in the country and only drops 4 slots.

- Northern Illinois is the third best team in the MAC this year, and they jump into the rankings.

Take a look at how all of that pans out. Now, UT and OU benefit from a ranked A&M. No. Illinois lost a game to Iowa State. UTEP is 6-2, has the best start in probably 200 years, only has losses to Arizona State (been ranked awhile) and Boise State (longest winning steak in nation) they beat a tough La. Tech, beat Fresno when Fresno was highly touted, and beat the crap out of Hawaii. These rankings are nothing more than an instrument used to help the teams at the top.

[Eaglealum]

How ya doin' Maestro?

[gators_own_u]

i completley agree with you i think there definatly needs be some changes becuase only certain teams get recognized every year another problem i have this year is that if auburn and oklahoma go undeafted oklahoma will go to the championship game and not auburn, which is crap becuase i think auburn has the best team in the country even better than usc

[count2infinity]

yes...there are teams that will never get the respect that they deserve and move up that top 25...but what do you suggest should be done about it? have a top team from each conference and a playoff...but even still there are arguements that some conferences are better than others (which they are). so what should be done?

[The Ancient Enemy]

Well, first of all you DON'T ERASE STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE. That's ridiculous. Secondly, college football is just like a business. You move up the ladder as you get better as an employee. It is getting to the point where there NEEDS to be conference championship games. Why not deleted the WAC and shove those teams in other conferences? Pete Carroll is the best coach in college football and also the most opportunistic. USC is not going away any time soon. Sooner or later USC is going to get screwed just like everyone else does, and it'll be because the Big 12 and SEC play an extra game over a GOOD opponent. The Pac 10 has 10 teams, obviously, and you need 12 to play a conference championship. That extra game guarantees you that you have to play a quality opponent late in the season when it matters the most. Think of how great it would be to see USC and Cal lock up for the Pac 12 championship. At the end of the season, I'll post my opinions on conference realignments. But for now, especially in the Pac-10 where the intra-conference competition is already very weak, maybe it's a good decision to pick up 2 more teams. One of which should be Fresno, because they have rivalries with UCLA and whatnot and because of geography. Another is Utah (or Boise, too), and they better do this pretty soon. Urban Meyer runs the best offense in the country, and he has clauses in his contract that say he can leave Utah if Ohio State, Michigan, or ND come calling. You've already heard him mentioned for the Florida job. If the Pac-10 loses Urban Meyer to the SEC or ACC, the game is over. Because there's no debate whatsoever between the ACC and SEC vs. the Pac-10. Urban Meyer wants to win a national championship. That isn't going to happen in Utah as long as that program stays in the Mountain West. What they would need to do is play 4 non-conference games against very good teams. I think Utah this season can beat everyone but USC and Auburn. But as far as non-conference games go, how many top teams are going to be willing to play Urban Meyer in week one? None. He's gonna leave that school and go someplace else and win the national title in 2 seasons. Believe it.

Take the teams out of the WAC and Mountain West and displace them. Then, with the remainders, bring up a few I-AA teams that are more than ready to make that leap. Conference championships are where it's at, and it's going to become more and more apparent in the next few seasons. People (voters) watch "championships". No one loses here. Fresno and Utah and Boise get an actual shot, the fans see high caliber conference championships, and the conferences themselves get a ton of money from it. It's fair, no one from a smaller conference gets the shaft (generally), and everybody goes home a winner.

[count2infinity]

yes..i agree with you enemy...don't take away strength of schedule...but USC has already gotten screwed over...last year when they didn't play in the championship game, that was horrible. I just don't see a solution coming anytime soon for this because no matter what, you are leaving someone out that has the same right to be in a position where another team is.

and just a question on the strength of schedule factor...has boise state played anyone that tough in thier streak?

[The Ancient Enemy]

USC got screwed because they lost to Cal, and didn't play a conference championship. LSU won the SEC. It is absolutely a joke if a team from the SEC runs that gauntlet and doesn't get to jump over OU or even USC. I completely believe that it is USC's title to lose, and they have every right to defend it. But let's be honest here. Look at the schedules. Next year this is going to be even more complex. The ACC will have 12 teams and play a championship. The only team in the ACC that is a pushover is Duke. Every other ACC program can move into a smaller conference and be a #2 or #3 team with substantial ease. That's why it's not that surprising that Miami lost to UNC. It's real easy to look at teams in the SEC and ACC and think they're pushovers. Stick Wake Forest or Arkansas in the Big East and see what happens.

As for Boise, I'm not exactly sure, but obviously more of the wins were over conference teams. Keep in mind though that you still need to be a very tough team to come out of nowhere and just start dominating a conference. That program gets better every year. This year they beat Oregon State, and I know what you're thinking, but Oregon State is actually an okay team, and should have beaten LSU, too. Boise has won a bunch of bowl games, too, but I can't exactly remember over who.

**added: in the last 2 years they beat a ranked TCU, and beat Iowa State, both in bowl games. This year they look like they are going undefeated again.

[gators_own_u]

i like your option of taking teams like wake forest and putting them into other conferences, but what i wish would happen is that they could just have a dang playoff system. it is the simplest way of fixing all this mess and quite honestly it would be alot more intertesting. if there was a playoff then atleast lets say 8 teams would have a chance to win the title, and you could still find a way to implement the bowl games so everyone is happy. i guess that is just being to simple though, but i wish some how it could happen

[HOLLYWOOD]

How would you guys know who is good and not?? We will see the next few weeks who is good and who is not in the top 25!! It all equals out. Did PSU make the top 25 yet??

[DeBiceps]

Well, offering an opinion following the intelligent remarks given by the poster before me (Because Penn State not being in the top 25 obviously has EVERYTHING to do with this topic) is gonna be difficult, but i'll try..

The nail has been hit directly on the head in regards to the conference championship. One thing that should also be mentioned in all the major conferences having a title game is MONEY.

I'm sure the ACC would love to have someone play in the BCS title game every year, but the main reason the likes of a Boston College was added to the conference was to ensure a title game for financial reasons.

One of the conference championships (big 12 or sec.. i'm not sure) is sponsered by Sprite (not sure who has the other one), who throws out HUGE dollars for the naming rights to a title game. That money is going straight to the conference people, which is nothing less than brilliant by the head honchos of the ACC for wanting in on this revenue.

It's almost inexcusable for the major conferences not trying to make a move for expansion and adding title games, as Companies are always going to want the naming rights to big games (Michigan/Ohio State just picked up a sponser), so there is always money to be made. Fits in real nice with the "College football is a business" statement, doesnt it?