For the past few years, the BCS has proven little by little that a playoff is required to choose the real national champion. This year has been no different - in fact the outcome of this year maybe the most dramatic as the number of teams with one losses to unranked teams is greater than it has ever been in the history of the BCS.
Why is this year so different? Because every single team in the title hunt has been upset by an unranked team. It means that every "deserving" champion lost a game that they should have won. That last sentence means everything, because in College Football you don't lose a game you should have won and go to the NC game. In fact, it's fairly ludicrous that it will happen that way this year.
And as James mentioned - the Big 12, Pac 10, and SEC all have more than 2 teams in the top 16, which means numerous bids will go to lower rankings. That in itself is a shame, as you won't get to see the best teams in the prime matchups.
Let's go through the list:
#1 LSU - is the only top ranked team to lose to a ranked opponent (Kentucky) and otherwise defeated 5 other ranked teams during this season. In the current BCS system, this is the only team "deserving" of an NC trip, as long as they win out (adding a victory over one more ranked opponent).
#2 Kansas - is the only second ranked team who is likely to fall in the next couple of weeks. The curse of the #2 is very real this year... and their next opponent Missouri is fearfully accurate on offense. Should they win next week, AND win the Big 12 CG, then they will be deserving of the NC game.
#3 West Virginia - They lost to a ranked opponent at the time, South Florida. However, you look at what happened to South Florida after that game, you can see that WVU should have won that game. They escaped Cincinnati, and will likely do the business against UConn, but they are definitely not deserving of an NC run in our current system, but they deserve a chance to prove it in a playoff.
#4 Missouri - The final weeks will show what they're made of. Their only loss was to a surging Oklahoma team... and even then it was a game that they very well could have won. If they beat Kansas and win the B12 CG, they will be more deserving of playing for the NC game than West Virginia.
#5 Ohio State - You can't lose to an unranked Illinois team and be in consideration for the NC game in the current system. However, they didn't fall too far since Illinois had previously been ranked and is ranked again. They will match up well with pretty much any of the top 10 teams, and with their solid defense they could be hard to beat in a playoff. However, they're going to the Rose Bowl.
#6 Arizona State - needs to win this coming Saturday against USC to play Ohio State in what will be a repeat of 1996 Rose Bowl. In fact, it's the only win they need to win the Pac-10, however it's not as easy as it looks. USC has been silent the past few weeks but they've done their job.
#7 Georgia - They have 2 conference losses, to Tennessee and South Carolina. The latter they should have won - and had they done so they would be higher in the rankings. Once again, the game against the 'Cocks was a game they should have won... and the blowout that Tennessee gave them is an embarrassment. They are, however, the highest ranked 2-loss team.
#8 Virginia Tech - when you have a quality loss to the top ranked team in the nation, and then lose a heartbreaker to the then #2 team in the nation, one would think they would be higher than this... however the latter game was a game in which they had been in control of for 57 minutes. They won't play prevent again, I'm sure of that.
So in my playoff picture with currently top ranked teams, here's how it would go:
Dec 22: Playoff weekend #1
LSU vs Va Tech - LSU win
Kansas vs Georgia - Georgia win
ASU vs WVU - WVU win
Mizzou vs OSU - man, this one's hard to call but I'm rooting for the Bucks.
Dec 29th: Playoff weekend #2
LSU vs Georgia - What should have been the SEC CG, LSU win.
WVU vs OSU - The defense shuts down slaton, but can't contain White. WVU wins, barely.
Jan 5th: Championship game
WVU vs LSU - the Tigers' defense wakes up and Dorsey clogs the middle. Perriloux and Flynn have their way with the untested WVU defense. LSU wins.
Now doesn't that sound a lot more compelling than the current system that we've got?!?
