OSU should expect BCS bid
Written by Dave Woolford | | news@toledofreepress.comGive me an ”O!” ”O!”
Give me an ”R!” ”R?”
Oh, are we spelling Oregon? You know, the 10-1 Oregon Ducks, who somehow think they should get a BCS at-large Bowl berth instead of O-H-I-O. The Pac-10 figures the BCS selection committee owes them one after thoroughly neglecting California last year.
Let’s be honest; only a quack would choose 10-1 Oregon over 9-2 Ohio State for one of the two at-large BCS Bowl berths.
Actually, there’s only one now. It seems Notre Dame has entitlement to the other. That was all but ascertained before the Fighting Irish narrowly defeated Stanford 38-31 in the waning moments Nov. 26. That gave ND the required minimum nine victories to be BCS eligible.
The Irish are 9-2. They have lost their last seven Bowl games and haven’t appeared in a Bowl since 2000 when they were waxed by Oregon State 41-9.
But it’s all about spin. Notre Dame is a warm, fuzzy comeback story with a new cuddly bear-appearing coach in Charlie Weis.
The four BCS Bowl-game berths will be announced Dec. 4 following conference championship games. Here’s how we see it:
Rose Bowl: It should be a match up between the two best and only unbeaten teams in the country, USC and Texas. It will also match the three leading Heisman Trophy candidates, Southern Cal tailback Reggie Bush, quarterback Matt Leinart and Texas quarterback Vincent Young. It’s Bush’s hardware to lose. And should USC lose to 9-1 UCLA Saturday? Please, don’t even go there. Total chaos is not an option.
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech will play floundering Florida State, loser of three straight, for the ACC championship Dec. 3. The Hokies will prevail and be matched against Penn State, another feel-good story. The game that supposedly sped past Joe Paterno has been run down by the fleet 78-year-old JoePa. It’s another very intriguing quarterback match up, pitting Virginia Tech’s Marcus Vick against Michael Robinson, both tailbacks playing out of position.
Sugar Bowl: LSU has Georgia on its mind, but should survive against the Bulldogs in the SEC title game Dec. 3 to play Big East rep West Virginia. It’s the biggest mismatch of the BCS circus. Hopefully, the Mountaineers won’t be as toothless as league compatriot Pittsburgh was last year in losing to Utah 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl. West Virginia’s only major victory came against Louisville, in three overtimes.
Fiesta Bowl: This should be a Notre Dame-Ohio State match up. Forget that Oregon is 10-1, which Fiesta Bowl officials have already done. The Buckeyes’ two losses were to top-five teams; Texas (25-22) and Big Ten co-champ Penn State (17-10). The Bucks are on a six-game winning streak and have one of the nation’s best defenses.
There’s a chance the Orange Bowl might choose Ohio State over Penn State. Maybe no one likes the Bucks that much and they end up in Orlando in the Capital One Bowl.
What’s in your wallet? If there’s money, put it on OSU being BCS Bowl bound.
