Quote:
Originally Posted by Murphy3
So yeah, I think a 1 loss Oklahoma, OSU, Tech, or Texas gets into the championship game before USC.
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Oklahoma, yes obviously. OSU/Tech, no way. There is not a chance in hell that a 1 loss Tech or OSU team finishes ahead of a 1 loss USC. First of all, USC's loss would be earlier in the year, which always hurts you much, much less than a later loss. Second, again, USC gets favorable poll treatment compared to a Tech/OSU because of the residual perception of the quality of their program. Did you notice that when #1 USC lost to an UNRAKED Oregon State team, they only dropped to #8 in the human polls? Hypothetically, if Tech or Okla State were #1 in the poll and lost to an unranked team 5 games into the year, how far do you imagine they'd drop? A bit farther than #8, yeah?
Say Texas beats Tech & OSU (and eventually wins out, going to the Big 12 CG), then one of those two beat OU a second time. That puts Tech at 1 loss, OSU at 1 loss, and OU at 2 losses. You honestly believe any of those 3 teams will end up ranked ahead of USC, were that to happen?
USC is higher in the BCS
right now than Tech and OSU, despite both of them being undefeated and USC having a loss to an unranked team! How do you figure that either of them actually end up ahead of USC if they drop a game and finish with 1 loss and USC wins out? You're putting way too much stock into the strength of schedule. The computers only account for 1/3 of the polls, and if Tech/OSU lose they will end up no less than 5 or 6 spots lower than USC in the human polls. That differential will be more than enough to counterbalance the strength of schedule shortcomings in the computers for USC, and USC will end up ranked at least 3-4 spots higher than either of them in the BCS.
Really, your whole issue here is that you're assuming the polls are logical and fair. They aren't. A team with USC's reputation will always, always, always be ranked higher than a team with Tech or Oklahoma State's reputation, at least in the human polls, if the two have the same record. It's not fair, but that's just how it works.