Who Should Be #1?

BCS, Who Should Be #1?

 

   I love when the first BCS rankings come out and I get to hear about all the angry fans who feel their team should be #1 or where they think another team should rank. Hopefully I can shine some light on why the BCS works the way it does, and maybe why voters should follow in the same foot-steps.

 

   First, let me clear up the common misunderstanding that the BCS is here to give us a prediction of where a team will finish at the end of the season..... The BCS is a ranking system that works just like any other ranking in other sports. Think about the FedEx Cup in golf. The rankings change all year long based on who wins what and where another player finishes. Well, the BCS works the same way. It takes in what a team has done thus far, then ranks based on that alone (not what a team did in the previous season). Since when should what a team did last season matter in this year's BCS rankings? If we can agree on what I have stated in this paragraph, then we are ready to move on to the next point..... If not, well, you might not want to continue reading.

 

   I am sure most of you have seen the stories from ESPN writers in the past 24 to 36 hours that have been debating who should be #1 in the BCS. Included in nearly every one of those stories are the stats supporting their argument. Here are those stats (according to ESPN).

 

 

Alabama.

Record: 7-0

Opponents Record: 22-27

Best Win: Texas A&M (Ranked #6 at the time, now ranked 16)

Total Offense Rank: 35

Total Defense Rank: 5

Scoring Offense Rank: 16

Scoring Defense Rank: 1

Average Margin of Victory: 31

 

 

Florida State.

Record: 6-0

Opponents Record: 27-13

Best Win: Clemson (Ranked #3 at the time, and now ranked 9)

Total Offense Rank: 5

Total Defense Rank: Tied for 6th

Scoring Offense Rank: 3

Scoring Defense Rank: 3

Average Margin Victory: 40.9

 

Oregon.

Record: 7-0

Opponents Record: 22-27

Best Win: Washington (Ranked 16 at the time, now unranked)

Total Offense Rank: 2

Total Defense Rank: 42

Scoring Offense Rank: 2

Scoring Defense Rank: 12

Average Margin of Victory: 40.3

 

   So there they are, in simple black and white. Oregon fans are upset that FSU jumped over their Ducks, but according to these stats AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON, I have to agree that it makes sense. Oregon hasn't played a top 10 team.... not even a top 15 team for that matter. Florida State has played two ranked teams thus far and one of them was a top 3 team. Florida State is also top 10 in each of the main categories listed (3 of them being top 5). At this point of the season, I feel it is justified for Florida State to be where they are in the BCS.

 

   So what about Alabama? Do they deserve to be #1 based on their body of work thus far? The Preseason Polls are really for the media and the fans to get excited about.... Can we agree on that? The BCS is what matters. The BCS doesn't account for what a team has done in the previous seasons (and that's the way it should be). So, in the BCS Computers, Alabama ranks #2. Florida State ranks ahead of them at #1, and Oregon actually lands at #4 in the computers. College Football is one of the very few sports that let's human bias control the majority of the rankings. Nascar has the 'Chase for the Cup' series that uses a point system. The PGA uses a FedEx Cup Point system as well. There are no human voters in either of those sports (or at least that have the control that College Football let's voters have). Both sports do a great job at getting to a champion with little to no complaints. It's because a system is in place and they follow it. Granted, the BCS is not a perfect system and that is why we are moving to a 4 team playoff, but that still won't fix it. My point, though, is that at some point we have to move away from ranking teams based on what they did in previous seasons. Alabama is only #1 because the voters had them there to start the season. Could they end up winning the BCS Title again? Sure, and that's fine, but the rankings should reflect what you have done each week..... And so far, as much as fans don't want to hear it, Florida State has looked more impressive this season.

 

   Now that I have made a few fans upset, I will continue the debate tomorrow with a very in depth look at the SEC. I have done a bit of research over the last couple days, and a good friend of mine has looked up some very interesting stats that I would like to share as well. Tomorrow, the plot thickens. Is the SEC as strong as the media as made it out to be? No opinions tomorrow.... ALL STATS AND FACTS. I will leave my opinion at the door..... I promise. The stats speak for themselves (and it goes deeper than just BCS Titles). Don't miss it, SEC Segment should be posted tomorrow afternoon.

 

    What do you think the BCS should look like at this point of the season? What's your take on the topic? I want to hear from you, send in your questions, comments, reactions, etc. anything college football for CollegeFootball2Day's Reader Question Segment. Send to Jeremy.cf2day@yahoo.com or find us on Facebook and post to our page at www.facebook.com/collegefootball2day. And don't forget to give us a 'LIKE' and a 'SHARE'.