COLUMN 3
No way to tell who's really No.1
Boise State won big against San Jose State last Saturday, but they picked up an even bigger victory when Oregon destroyed then-No. 4 USC by 27 points the same night. The Broncos are now 8-0 and have been rolling through the Western Athletic Conference. But their best win of the season came in week one, when they defeated Oregon at home.
Voters were surely tempted to move Oregon into the top 5 after the Ducks' thrashing of the mighty Trojans on Halloween. But they had to remind themselves that this was the same team that had lost to Boise State back in September. Oregon is now ranked No.8 in the BCS, just behind Boise State, who falls in at No.7.
After watching Oregon win big against USC, I am fully confident that the Ducks can defeat any team in the country if they are playing well. No one beats the Trojans by 27 points, but Oregon pulled it off last week.
Thanks to Oregon, the Broncos picked up an indirect win against USC. The Ducks will likely now run the table in the Pac-10 and win the conference championship. And it makes me wonder: Are the Broncos better than any team in the Pac-10?
We will likely never know if Oregon could topple Florida or if Boise State could defeat Texas for the National Championship. The biggest debate I have been hearing about Boise State right now is whether or not they will qualify for a BCS bowl over TCU, not about their chances for a national title. The computers even have Oregon ranked ahead of Boise
State, despite the direct win the Broncos own against the Ducks.
Obviously, the system is a mess. Last year, undefeated Utah rolled over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Utes had no problem with the Crimson Tide, the same team that led eventual national champion Florida at the end of three quarters in last year's SEC Championship Game. I couldn't help but wonder how Utah would match up against Tim Tebow and the Gators.
A lot of people have discussed the possibility of a playoff in college football, but it's time for the NCAA to take action and make a major change. This week's top 10 features seven undefeated teams, more than I ever remember there being at this point in the season. It's impossible to settle a debate about which team is better without finding out by watching them play on the field.
Right now, Oregon is playing as well as any team in the country. I'm sure the Ducks wish they could
have that game against Boise State back, but they have done a great job moving on after the loss. As long as Boise State stays undefeated, the Ducks have no shot at making the National Championship game.
Until the BCS system is fixed, we will have no way of knowing who really is the best team in college football, especially when multiple teams go undefeated in the same season. An eight-team playoff would provide seven matchups that would all feature the teams that most people would want to see.
March Madness captivates the nation every year like no other sporting event does, as workers all across the nation drop their TPS reports and Palm Pilots and keep a watchful eye on their brackets for three weeks.
A college football playoff would be a hit. Maybe some NCAA officials are worried about the possibility of TCU knocking off Florida or Boise State pulling off an upset of Texas for a national title.
These are the kinds of upsets that have put the Madness in March, and the same kinds of upsets that we will likely never get to see in January or December.
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
Oregon's mascot is hoisted into the air by fans following the Ducks 47-20 victory against Southern California in Eugene, Ore. The No. 10 Oregon Ducks ran past No. 4 USC 47-20 for the Trojans' worst loss since 1997.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE WAVE NOVEMBER 6,2009