College Football
Matt Bonesteel
Washington Post
Friday, December 12, 2003; Noon ET
The controversy of the Bowl Championship Series has increasingly come under fire. In various human polls, sportswriters and coaches agree that the best among college football this year was Southern California. However, the computer-based BCS poll machine picked Oklahoma and Louisiana State for college football's national title in the Sugar Bowl, leaving USC to play Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
What do you think about the Bowl Championship Series system?
Post college sports editor Matt Rennie and staff writer Matt Bonesteel took your questions on college football.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Oakton, Va.:
I guess we have to ease up on K-State coach Bill Snyder. That was one major upset, and probably gave the BCS bowl honchos a heart attack. I don't know which way to look at it -- that Snyder did a great job or Stoops did a terrible one.
Matt Bonesteel: Yes, it was a huge win for Snyder and K-State, who finally got the job done against a ranked team. Plus, we can thank them for bringing about at least major changes in the BCS. So I'll cut them some slack. Today, anyway. But watch 'em tank in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State.
Hello fellow frustrated fans. Matt Bonesteel here, flying solo today (Rennie had to take his Bo Schembechler bobblehead in for a cleaning). Need to vent about the BCS? Now's your chance.
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Somewhere, USA:
As an LSU alum, I've been to a lot of games in Tiger Stadium, but Jan 4 in the Superdome will make a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium seem sedate. What do you think LSU's chances are against OU? GEAUX TIGERS!
Matt Bonesteel: Oh yeah, the Superdome is gonna be rocking on Jan. 4, that's for sure. If the Tigers' defense can do what it did to Georgia in the SEC title game (they had six sacks, for starters), then sure they can keep up with the Sooners. Plus they'll have the crowd and momentum (how much momentum after a month-long break remains to be seen).
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Suitland, Md:
Are you surprised that Philip Rivers is not a Heisman Trophy finalist? Does a 7-5 record disqualify a player from Heisman consideration no matter how outstanding his performance? Perusing the list of recent winners, it looks as if the maximum # of losses allowed is 4. And that includes this year's group.
And why only 4 finalists?
Matt Bonesteel: Yep, going 7-5 in the ACC (as it stands now) isn't gonna cut it with Heisman voters, who have a hard time getting past the unspoken rule of the race, namely that the award should only go to a quarterback or running back from a winning team (usually from the East Coast or Midwest), unless the player in question has had a great overall career (see Ricky Williams from 9-3 Texas in 1998). Only three wide receivers have ever won the award.
Don't know why there's only four finalists. Maybe the DAC doesn't want to pay for airfare for more than that.
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Annandale, Va.:
M&M,
Why is everyone so upset, instead of one National Championship game, we have two, with twice the excitement and twice the chance for a close game...
Seriously though, the BCS is a perfect system - to generate the top eight teams for a playoff. Elevate gator and cotton to bcs status and use the 6 bcs bowls for the playoff and add a National Championship game. The bowls are intact, all the non contendors can still compete in the 20 or so other bowls. More money, more inclusion and split. This isn't rocket science. The obvious solution is there.
Matt Bonesteel: Annandale, you sound like a BCS bigwig in the first part of your comment, but I agree with you. And I'm sure that's what a lot of BCS supporters (are there any?) want to say, only they fear getting laughed out of the room. I think it's great that there will be TWO games of major importance rather than just one. Of course, I'd also like to see USC playing LSU, but what's done is done.
That being said, I also totally agree with your second comment about the playoff. That would be a good system, in my mind.
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Washington DC:
Hey Matt-
Offhand, do you know which of the BSC conferences pool their bowl money and split it evenly (I know the ACC does) vs. which let "winner take all?"
I feel like this should be some sort of underlying issue in the BCS debate, but don't relly have a theory on it...yet.
Matt Bonesteel: That's a darn good question, but I don't have an answer for you. I was under the assumption that they all split the bowl money evenly, but I could be wrong.
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McLean, Va.:
Admit it. You love the BCS because most years it feeds you a wonderful controversy that you can writing articles about, and have Live Online discussions about. BCS must be like bread and butter this time of year for sports writers.
My take is that, no matter the system, playoff, BCS, traditional powerhouse-versus-cupcake bowlgames, there will always be some controversy inherit in trying to pick a champion out of 117 teams that play at most 13 games each. Do you honestly think there will ever be a completely fair way of doing this?
Matt Bonesteel: This is a point I've been making for years: That the BCS was created not to anoint a national champion, but to create publicity for college football. Complaining about the BCS, as many in my profession have (rightly) done, is still talking about it.
And even if a playoff was instituted, there would still be controversy as to who gets in. What kind of criteria would they use? The BCS ratings? Teams would still get left out. There is no totally fair way, excepting a 117-team playoff.
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Manhattan KS (the Little Apple) :
(submitting early) As a graduate and fan of Kansas State University, I'd like to see a little love from the Matts - especially Bonesteel - whom I believe called KSU's team "fraudulent" and predicted that J. White would throw 15 touchdown passes against the Wildcat defense. So how you like them apples?
Matt Bonesteel: Oh I didn't "predict" that J. White would bomb it up against K-State. I only desired it.
But here goes: Congratulations Kansas State. There, I said it. I feel so dirty.
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BCS-weary USC guy, Arlington, Va.:
If USC beats Michigan, they're going to put 2003 on their national champion banner. Fair?
As a follow-up, who would be favored in a USC-LSU matchup, and by how much?
Matt Bonesteel: Sure it's fair, since they'll most likely be the AP champion. We're in the mid-'90s all over again, with teams sharing championships. I wonder if Ace of Base will also be making a comeback.
I would guess the Trojans would get the edge in the should-be title game. Not being a oddsmaker, I couldn't say by how much. (Speaking of oddsmakers, everyone should run out and get last week's Sports Illustrated to read the story on Vegas oddsmakers. It's fascinating stuff.)
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Tysons Corner, Va.:
I've seen a lot of people say that the BCS messed up not only in the championship game (and I could write paragraphs on why no system will be perfect, but that's neither here nor there), but also in the Orange Bowl matchup. Frankly, I don't understand the complaints there. What better matchup for a bowl game than a long established and heated rivalry? That would actually be my pick as the best bowl matchup this season.
Matt Bonesteel: I have no problem with Miami and Florida State meeting again in the Orange Bowl. Apparently the players and coaches absolutely didn't want it, but they can go talk to the BCS commissioners about why the Fiesta Bowl picked Ohio State instead of Florida State.
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Arlington, Va.:
Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but what does it mean to be a "Heisman finalist?" It's sports reporters who vote on it, right? So do the reporters vote for the selections, then they vote a second round from the top four finishers? Does someone just pick four popular players, and the reporters have to pick among them? Or is this just the committee's expectation of who is probably going to win? In other words, if I'm a Heisman voter and want to vote for Virginia Tech's third-string nose tackle, say, for the Heisman, could I do it?
Matt Bonesteel: I'm pretty sure it's the four who receive the most Heisman votes. The balloting process is broken down here:
http://www.heisman.com/balloting.html
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Columbia, Md.:
Please excuse this question, as I suspect the answer is obvious - who actually elects the Heisman winner? I know the Downtown Athletic Club sponsors the trophy, but writers do the voting. Correct?
If so, do you have a vote and even if ya didn't who do you believe should win?
Happy Holidays and better times for the Orangemen........
Matt Bonesteel: I don't have a vote (I'm assuming the DAC is afraid I'd vote for an Orangman every time). Actually, I don't think The Post allows us to vote on things like that, but I can't be certain about that. But if I did have a vote, I'd pick Walter Reyes.
Just kidding. I'd pick Jason White. Anyone who changed his or her vote because of one bad game is an idiot. Everyone is allowed a bad game. White has had a marvelous season.
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Alexandria, Va.:
I think the end result of all the fuss will be
to turn Michigan and Oklahoma into a pair
of junkyard dogs. Oklahoma, having
been told all year how great they are, have
now been told they stink, don't deserve to
compete for the championship, etc.
Michigan seems to be all but overlooked
in the rush to crown USC. Don't they still
have to play the games? If Michigan beats
USC and/or OU obliterates LSU, what
then?
Matt Bonesteel: Good points. If Michigan beats USC and Oklahoma tops LSU, then I'm guessing the Sooners would be the undisputed national champion, and that the BCS honchos would be breathing a little easier.
And you're right not to write off Michigan. The Wolverines were arguably the best team in the country down the stretch. Sheesh, I sound like Rennie.
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Denver, Colo.:
I think I'm the only person (aside from Oklahoma fans) who actually thinks the BCS got it right.
The fundamental problem with the system is that two conferences have championship games and the others don't, so it's not a level playing field. Should Oklahoma be penalized for having to play a conference championship game while USC didn't? And conversely, should LSU get to benefit from a conference championship game when USC didn't have that same opportunity?
Also, when a team loses should be irrelevant. If Oklahoma lost his game in September, nobody would argue about them being number 1. The rankings should be based on the totality of the season, not what the teams did last week.
The bottom line is over the course of the entire season, Oklahoma was clearly the best team. LSU and USC are really close, but I think LSU deserves the edge for playing in a tougher conference.
Matt Bonesteel: I think that the NCAA should say either everyone has a conference championship game, or no one has one.
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Beautiful Silver Spring, Md.:
People bashing the BCS for excluding USC from the Sugar Bowl mostly cite Oklahoma's recent loss to K-State as proof that the Sooners are not championship material. But even with Mr. Bonesteel's antipathy towards Kansas State, it seems that Oklahoma's loss was much more respectable, as losses go, than USC's loss to unrankable Cal and somewhat more respectable than LSU's loss to bobbing-towards-mediocrity Florida. The main difference between the three, in most people's minds, is that Oklahoma's happened most recently. I think teams should be ranked on their overall resumes rather than that last job at Burger King when deciding to hire them for ABC's moneymaking system, which is what the computer polls, but not the humans, do. Your thoughts on this specific issue?
P.S. Maryland on New Year's Day - whoda thunk it? Go Terps!
Matt Bonesteel: Welcome back, Beautiful Silver Spring! We all talk about the flaws in the computer rankings, but the issue of when a team loses exposes the flaws in the human side of the BCS, namely that an early loss hurts less in the AP and the USA Today/ESPN/Frankie the Team Manager poll than a loss like Oklahoma's. Yes, this stinks, but what can be done about inherent human nature. "What have you done for me lately?" is not only a Janet Jackson song, it's the mantra of poll voters.
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Bethesda, Md.:
The thing that most intrigues me about the Rose Bowl is the fact that USC has played only one top 25 team. Don't get me wrong they are a very good team. However, the nation has basicly annointed them the champions when the've only beat one top 25 team.
Matt Bonesteel: Yep, a lot of USC fans and BCS bashers are forgetting this. Plus, the Trojans lost to a mediocre California team, while OU lost to a good K-State team.
Can you feel the K-State love up in here today?
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Centreville, Va.:
As a graduate of a 1-AA school, I'm impressed when schools of that level make the move from 1-AA to 1-A (see Florida A & M, Marshall, UConn). Do you think there's any Maryland/Virginia schools that could/would/should make the move?
Matt Bonesteel: Well, it takes a HUGE financial committment to do so, with HUGE financial risks involved. I mean, U-Conn. had to build a whole stadium to become I-A compliant, then found out the conference it was joining was about to become significantly downgraded. Don't know if any of the lower-tier schools in Virginia or Maryland are willing to take the risks involved.
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Northern New Jersey:
If a playoff system is so unfeasible for division I-A, how come they had them in divisions I-AA, II, and III for years? Because a playoff would kill the bowls, and the money that goes along with them. So why can't the administrators just admit this instead of talking about the "welfare of the student athletes"? They just come of as complete hypocrites.
Matt Bonesteel: Yes, yes, yes. But I also heard on the radio somewhere that there are a lot of Division I-AA players who would rather have a bowl system.
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Sykesville, Md.:
An open suggestion towards fixing the BCS; people should boycott the Sugar Bowl. Poor TV ratings are the only way to get the attention of the folks in charge of this fiasco.
Thanks for the chat.
Matt Bonesteel: And thank you for chatting.
Let the Sykesville Sugar Bowl Boycott officially begin. But I'm not sure you're gonna get too many takers. I know I'm sure gonna watch the games.
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Alexandria, Va:
Forget USC! It seems to me that Michigan
is the one getting royally dissed in this
BCS fuss. No one seems to think they
have a chance against "The True Numero
Uno". I'll root for them to kick Trojan butt in
the Rose Bowl. Then if OU beats LSU by
their customary 35 points, everybody gets
to fuggedabodit!
Matt Bonesteel: Rennie, is that you?
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Camp Hill, Pa.:
Hi Guys!
After winning 30 games in 3 years, now Coach Friedgen is pulling in what looks like a top 15 recruiting class.
What are your feelings about how UMD football will compete in an enlarged ACC? Is this a blip, or is Maryland truly "stepping up?"
Thanks!
Matt Bonesteel: Oh this is no blip. Fridge is an outstanding coach and a great recruiter. I think the Terps can and will be competitive in the "new" ACC.
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Orangeman, Md.:
What do you think about Coach P keeping his job up in Syracuse?
Matt Bonesteel: Finally, a 'Cuse question! I think it's time for a change, even after that utter demolition of Notre Dame. Coach P is a nice guy who has a pristine record of graduating his players and getting invovled in the community up there. But he's been there forever, and the last couple of years have just been dreadful to watch. It's time for some new blood.
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WVU Alum:
Beautiful Silver Spring's comments lead me to ask - who do you like in the Gator? Can the Terps put another whuppin' on the Mountaineers?
Matt Bonesteel: Should be a great game. West Virginia is not the same team Maryland saw on Sept. 20, and they're smarting a bit from not getting that BCS bid even with a share of the conference title.
BTW WVU alum, how'd you like that win by my mighty Colonials? (To clear up the confusion, if there is any, I grew up in Syracuse but went to GW.)
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New York, NY:
Any picks for us I-AA fans on this weekends games, particularly Delaware Wofford?
Matt Bonesteel: I gotta go with my upstate compadres at Colgate. Go 'Gate!
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Matt Bonesteel: Time's up for today. Thanks for all the great questions this week, and sorry if I couldn't get to yours. Rennie will be back next week for our final chat of the year (please, no tears). Until then, ta-ta.
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