BCS Got It Right...

[Route 66]

Texas Columnist: BCS Got It Right

Fort Worth, TX - While there's a lot of belly-aching coming from the south side of the Red River over Oklahoma getting the nod for this Saturday's Big 12 championship game, one columnist says the BCS actually got it right.

Gil Lebreton is a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He says it was man, not machine that failed on Sunday. He says Oklahoma deserves to be in the title game based on their 20-point win at Bedlam, which he calls "as significant a road victory as any team in the Big 12 Conference achieved this season."

Lebreton used his column to take Texas head coach Mack Brown to task over his phone-in during the Bedlam game to make his case for the Longhorns.

"In the end, what could Brown have done for me," Lebreton asks. "He could have just shut up and allowed his team's memorable 11-1 season do the talking for all of Longhorns, Inc. Instead, Brown began to show up on TV more than that Geico lizard."

Lebreton says Bob Stoops was asked to do a phone-in during Texas' Thanksgiving victory over Texas A&M, but refused, saying he didn't think it was right.

Want to read the whole column? Visit Lebreton's page on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram website at

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/columnists/gil_lebreton//story/1066534.html

 

[Route 66]

The whole article-

In the eternal struggle of man versus machine, man failed miserably Sunday.

That’s not to say that the right team won’t be playing in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday. The Oklahoma Sooners argued their case eloquently.

They said nothing.

No rented planes circling over Austin. No phone-ins from Bob Stoops in the middle of Mack Brown’s Thanksgiving dinner.

Just football. Just a 61-41 victory in hostile environs over a No. 11-ranked archrival.

The Sooners’ decisive win Saturday over Oklahoma State was as significant a road victory as any team in the Big 12 Conference achieved this season.

There’s your tiebreaker.

As myopic Texas fans — and their head coach — conveniently decline to acknowledge, there was a three-way knot, not a two-team tie, atop the Big 12 South standings.

Why should a single game played Oct. 11 decide everything? Why not a game played Nov. 1?

Yet, over and over again over the past two weeks, Brown had filibustered for voters not to forget his Texas team’s October victory over the Sooners.

Never mind, he seemed to say, that just one week ago Oklahoma took apart a then-undefeated, No. 2-ranked Texas Tech team by 44 points — the same Tech team that beat Texas on Nov. 1.

Never mind that the Sooners’ season ledger included nonconference victories over TCU and BCS-bowl-bound Cincinnati.

Longhorns fans countered by trumpeting their Oct. 18 — what is it about October? — win over the Missouri Tigers.

Oh, right. The team that Kansas beat.

In the end, what could Brown have done for me?

He could have just shut up and allowed his team’s memorable 11-1 season do the talking for all of Longhorns, Inc.

Instead, Brown began to show up on TV more than that Geico lizard. The poor-taste clincher came Saturday night when he agreed to be interviewed in the middle of the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State telecast.

Why didn’t Oklahoma do that, Stoops was asked Sunday?

"I was asked to be on the Texas game Thursday," the OU coach said, "and I said no. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t think it was right."

Stay classy, Austin, Stoops was saying, without mentioning any names.

But as Stoops and the Sooners saw, Brown’s politicking for his team worked. The Longhorns gained ground in both of the human polls.

Go figure. Texas, playing at home, defeated a vastly disappointing Texas A&M team 49-9 in a game that Colt McCoy was still quarterbacking in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, playing on the road, knocked off the No. 11 team in the nation — and yet lost ground in the human polls to the Texas poor-us campaign.

"It was the campaigning. I don’t think there’s any question," said Jerry Palm, whose CollegeBCS.com Web site is the bible for all things BCS.

For all the whining, in other words, about computers and formulas and BCS rules, the human element continues to be the bug in the equation. The same thing happened in 2004 when writers and coaches, after Brown again had politicked all week, leapfrogged Texas over Cal in the final poll and sent the Longhorns to the Rose Bowl.

Everyone seems to complain about the so-called "BCS computers," but as Stoops said, "They don’t have agendas. They don’t have loyalties. They don’t have opinions. They don’t have all the bias that everyone else does.

"And if you say no one else does, I don’t think you’re being truthful."

When the numbers were finally added, Stoops thinks that the strength of Oklahoma’s schedule likely was the determining factor that will send his team to Kansas City next weekend.

It’s probably not going to make TCU feel any better, but the Horned Frogs might well have sent the Sooners to the national championship game.

"For people to continue to want to play out-of-conference games that people want to watch and go to and be excited about," Stoops said, "there has to be an incentive. Otherwise, just schedule four wins and move on down the road. You could almost schedule a bowl game by that."

If Texas wants to blame anyone today, it needs to blame the guy that scheduled Florida Atlantic, UTEP, Arkansas and Rice. Similar cream-puff scheduling cost undefeated Auburn a title game shot in 2004.

This time, fortunately, the six BCS formula computers cut through the rhetoric.

They judged the football, not the filibuster. And Oklahoma came out the winner in more ways than one.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

If the BCS wants to get it right, they would get a playoff system like every other division of amateur or professional football.

And I am not talking about texas/ou this year. I am talking about the last few years, this year and the future.

I have no stakes in the texas, tt or oklahoma race like many here so it has nothing to do with being a homer or a hater for either of the schools.

I just think the BCS or Div I needs to follow suit with the rest of the american football (peewee to professional) and institute a playoff of sorts.

If they marketed it right they would actually make more money but they are too afraid of losing money now so they don't want a playoff system.

Again it is the only level of football that does not have a playoff system...think about that.

 

[joseephuss]

How can you blame UT for some private citizen renting a plane to fly over the OU/OSU game?

Just because Bob Stoops turned down an interview during the UT/A&M game doesn't mean he wasn't out there propping his team up. I saw or heard him several times last week. He was not classless and neither was Mack Brown. Both guys talked more about how the system was broken and would end up hurting deserving teams rather than their teams being more deserving. I have no problems with either guy and the interviews they both did last week. I just find it funny that one would be looked at as classless at this point. I guarantee that had Texas been higher ranked right now that the same article would have been printed, but with Bob Stoops being propped up as the one lacking class. And the article would be just as wrong.

 

[Ren]

For every article like this there's about 5 that says the exact opposite and it's not just the Texas media.

OU fans seriously need to drop this holier then thou campaign when trying to prove you deserve this. UT fans have every right to be upset as you would have had this gone the other way. The BCS made a decision if you think it's the right one or not is purely subjective. Last i checked OU didn't beat UT which by it self means UT has a very strong argument as well for why it's the wrong decision

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

For every article like this there's about 5 that says the exact opposite and it's not just the Texas media.

OU fans seriously need to drop this holier then thou campaign when trying to prove you deserve this. UT fans have every right to be upset as you would have had this gone the other way. The BCS made a decision if you think it's the right one or not is purely subjective. Last i checked OU didn't beat UT which by it self means UT has a very strong argument as well for why it's the wrong decision

I think too many here get caught up in the UT/OU arguments because they are so close to the teams.

I have to wonder if it was two other teams that they were not close to or did not dislike if their opinions would be the same under the same circumstances.

And what that does is just show how flawed the lack of a play off system and the BCS is at this point and in years prior.

 

[Route 66]

For every article like this there's about 5 that says the exact opposite and it's not just the Texas media.

OU fans seriously need to drop this holier then thou campaign when trying to prove you deserve this. UT fans have every right to be upset as you would have had this gone the other way. The BCS made a decision if you think it's the right one or not is purely subjective. Last i checked OU didn't beat UT which by it self means UT has a very strong argument as well for why it's the wrong decision

Funny how its OU that acts holier than thou yet its the Texas fans like you that are whining non stop because they are the ones who think they are holier than everyone else and should be in the next game. Some fans at least realize its a tossup this year. Give up the argument you guys beat OU one time earlier in the season. Why don't you mention the fact we trampled the team that beat you guys. You also beat OSU by what, 4 pts on your own field? We went in to their field and beat them by 20. Of course that will always be overlooked.

 

[trickblue]

Funny how its OU that acts holier than thou yet its the Texas fans like you that are whining non stop because they are the ones who think they are holier than everyone else and should be in the next game. Some fans at least realize its a tossup this year. Give up the argument you guys beat OU one time earlier in the season. Why don't you mention the fact we trampled the team that beat you guys. You also beat OSU by what, 4 pts on your own field? We went in to their field and beat them by 20. Of course that will always be overlooked.

Because it doesn't matter... head to head Texas won... on a neutral field...

 

[Route 66]

Because it doesn't matter... head to head Texas won... on a neutral field...

..and we beat the Giants twice last year and they got to the Super Bowl so what's your point?

 

[trickblue]

..and we beat the Giants twice last year and they got to the Super Bowl so what's your point?

They won the SB after they beat us in the playoffs... playoffs... novel idea...

The point is that Texas BEAT OU and they both have one loss...

I can imagine your argument if the shoe were on the other foot...

 

[Ren]

Funny how its OU that acts holier than thou yet its the Texas fans like you that are whining non stop because they are the ones who think they are holier than everyone else and should be in the next game. Some fans at least realize its a tossup this year. Give up the argument you guys beat OU one time earlier in the season. Why don't you mention the fact we trampled the team that beat you guys. You also beat OSU by what, 4 pts on your own field? We went in to their field and beat them by 20. Of course that will always be overlooked.

You just made my point

who's the one whining in this thread you or me?

 

[Route 66]

They won the SB after they beat us in the playoffs... playoffs... novel idea...

The point is that Texas BEAT OU and they both have one loss...

I can imagine your argument if the shoe were on the other foot...

The problem is you don't see that either team could have made it in. All you see is Texas should be in and not OU. A lot of Longhorns fans see it to where either team could be in. You are stuck like a skipped record on that game. You knew the BCS system before the season started.

 

[Route 66]

You just made my point

who's the one whining in this thread you or me?

Um, I was replying to your ridiculous post. Figure it out.

 

[trickblue]

The problem is you don't see that either team could have made it in. All you see is Texas should be in and not OU. A lot of Longhorns fans see it to where either team could be in. You are stuck like a skipped record on that game. You knew the BCS system before the season started.

I didn't say OU couldn't make it... I said they SHOULDN'T make it...

I'm stuck like a skipped record because it's all that matters between the two. Texas beat OU when it counted. Since there is no playoff system, the regular season represents one in ways...

If OU had beaten Texas and not gotten in while Texas did, I'm quite sure you would be arguing differently...

 

[Route 66]

I didn't say OU couldn't make it... I said they SHOULDN'T make it...

I'm stuck like a skipped record because it's all that matters between the two. Texas beat OU when it counted. Since there is no playoff system, the regular season represents one in ways...

If OU had beaten Texas and not gotten in while Texas did, I'm quite sure you would be arguing differently...

That's the whole point. You state OU shouldn't make it. I repeat again that decent Texas fans realizet that any of our teams deserve to go forward. You cannot since you still hear 45-35 in your brain every second. Since there is no playoff system, the BCS standings go into affect, not just one game. You knew this before the season started.

 

[Ren]

Um, I was replying to your ridiculous post. Figure it out.

It's ridiculous cause it doesn't agree with your views right?

 

[Route 66]

It's ridiculous cause it doesn't agree with your views right?

It's ridiculous to group an entire team and its fans together and spout off about a "holier than thou" attitude when that is the very nature that a lot of Longhorn fans exhibit about this whole scenario.

 

[Ren]

It's ridiculous to group an entire team and its fans together and spout off about a "holier than thou" attitude when that is the very nature that a lot of Longhorn fans exhibit about this whole scenario.

dude your spouting it off right now with to anyone who doesn't agree with you with you in this very thread

 

[Route 66]

dude your spouting it off right now with to anyone who doesn't agree with you with you in this very thread

No. You chose to make a comment and I chose to reply. Pretty simple.

 

[trickblue]

That's the whole point. You state OU shouldn't make it. I repeat again that decent Texas fans realizet that any of our teams deserve to go forward. You cannot since you still hear 45-35 in your brain every second. Since there is no playoff system, the BCS standings go into affect, not just one game. You knew this before the season started.

So I'm not a decent fan because the system is broken?

Interesting litmus test you have there... you are stating they are decent only because they agree with you... I happen not to agree but I am decent as well...