Cincy Holds On, West Virginia to a BCS Bowl

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     UCONN trailed 28-6 going in to halftime, and fought back to make it a one possession game with over four minutes remaining.  They could not stop Cincy with a little over two minutes left on 3rd and 2, and Cincinnati was able to convert and hold on for the win.  UCONN outscored Cincy 21-7 in the second half.
     UCONN was playing to be bowl eligible with a win, and Cincy was playing to create a 3 way tie for the Big East title with Louisville and West Virginia.  Cincy successfully does so and with the tiebreaker rules, West Virginia will receive the automatic BCS Bowl bid.  UCONN ends a disappointing season, the first under new head coach Paul Pasqualoni, with a 5-7 record.

Last Years Big East Champs, Decides This Years Champs

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Last year UCONN won the Big East championship in the last game of the regular season on a 52 yard field goal and made it to their first BCS Bowl game.  This year, they play a role in the last day of the regular season as well.  They play Cincinnati on Saturday, and with a UCONN win, Louisville and West Virginia will remain tied for the division and the tiebreaker will go to Louisville after Louisville beat West Virginia 38-35.  If UCONN loses, then Cincy will make it a three way tie at the top of the division. In the event of a three way tie, the team with the best BCS rank gets the bid, and that will most likely be West Virgina.  West Virginia needed every second in Thursday nights game to beat USF with a last second field goal (almost the exact situation as UCONN's win last year in South Florida, except UCONN left a few seconds on the clock after the kick.)  We will find out on Saturday how the division will play out as UCONN plays in Cincinnati at noon.

UPDATE: UCONN gives Cincy two turnovers for TDs to start the game, Cincy leads at halftime 28-6

Not in favor of a rematch? Remember Super Bowl XLII?

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     With so many speculations that the BCS Championship will be a rematch of LSU and Alabama, it is impossible to ignore that many people do not want to see a rematch.  I am not a huge fan of the BCS system, in fact, this article was originally intended to be an argument in how this season parallels a playoff, if Division I had one.  Since the first LSU vs. Alabama game, it has been team after team going down and losing their chances at the National Championship, and opening the door for Alabama and LSU to square off again.  This would match up arguably the two best NCAA teams, which is what the BCS system is intended to do.  This year, there looks like there will be no huge standout snub.  Thankfully, there probably won't be a 2003 situation, when USC finished 1 in both the AP and Coaches' poll, but came in third in the computer calculations, leaving them to simply watch the championship game...Unless LSU beats Arkansas, and loses in the SEC Title game, while #2 Alabama and #3 Arkansas (both in the SEC West), do not have to play an extra game.  LSU would have everything to lose, and nothing to gain.  If LSU beats Arkansas, then even if they lost in the SEC title game (by a close margin), it would not be impossible for them to still play in the National Championship.  Although in this situation, there would be a team that would be snubbed in one way or another.
     Assuming we see the rematch of LSU and Alabama, it will be hard not to hear the critics who do not want this.  The first matchup received the second highest viewed college game on CBS since 1987...so there still would be a lot of people who will want to see this match-up.  Perhaps it will draw criticism because there were no touchdowns scored in the first match-up, a 9-6 overtime win by LSU.  College football fans are used to the high powered offenses and this game was a defensive battle.  To all the people who do not want to see this rematch however, I want to remind everyone of Super Bowl XLII. 
     The Patriots and Giants played each other in an exciting game in week 17 of the 2007 regular season, as the Patriots escaped with a 38-35 win to go 16-0 in the regular season.  A little over a month later, the world saw one of the greatest Super Bowl's ever played with the Patriots going for a perfect 19-0.  The rematch of the Patriots and Giants made for an all-time classic game.  It was a game that no one could have scripted, but that everyone was talking about for years to come.  At no point was anyone thinking, "this game is lessened because it's a rematch".  The first game was amazing, and the second was even better.  Why are people so quick to assume that a rematch of LSU and Alabama would not be even better than the first?  It is not as though the first game was a blowout, it was a 3 point game!
     Although I would still love to see a playoff system, where we can have Cinderella stories such as in the NCAA basketball tournament, the BCS system would at least be serving its purpose, whether we disagree with its purpose or not.  If we can't have a playoff system, then we have to make sure the two best teams play each other, and if both LSU and Alabama win out, then there would be no doubt in many peoples' minds, who the two best teams are.  Some may not want to see the match-up again, but no one wants to see a team that should be in the title game left out, just because it would be a rematch.

Huge Upset Will Mean a BCS Shakeup

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     Oklahoma State held their destiny in their hands.  With two games left, including one at home against rival #5 Oklahoma on December 3.  They took the field with heavy hearts after the OSU women basketball coaches died in a plane crash Thursday night.  The game began with a moment of silence for Kurt Budke, Miranda Serna, and two others who died in the crash Thursday night.  With so much on their minds, would OSU be able to play a football game? 
    Oklahoma State entered with a 10-0, 7-0 Big 12 record, against an Iowa State team that was 5-4, and 2-4 in the Big 12.  Iowa State entered with an 0-18 record all time record vs. teams ranked #1 or #2 in the nation.  Iowa State trailed 17-7 at halftime and tied the game up in the fourth quarter after holding OSU to only 7 points in the second half.  Iowa State sideline looked exhausted, after nearly 100 offensive plays in regulation.  They would take their first lead of the game, 31-24, on the first play of overtime, a 25 yard touchdown pass.  After Oklahoma tied it 31-31 in their first possession, they would throw an interception on the first play of the 2nd OT.  This opened the door for Iowa State if they could get any score with their offensive possession.  They rushed three times for 25 yards, ending the drive in the end zone, and completing a huge upset 37-31. 
    With Oklahoma State losing, the doors are open for some one loss teams to creep into the #2 spot in the BCS standings.  #1 LSU still has to play Ole Miss tomorrow, and #6 Arkansas, but assuming they win out, that leaves one spot to be filled for the national championship.  #3 Alabama and #4 Oregon would be in line to have a chance for a rematch against LSU in the title game, both teams lost to LSU earlier in the season.  Alabama would have the slight edge if everyone wins out.  #5 Oklahoma would need a little more help and #6 Arkansas could still have a chance if they can upset LSU.  It should be an exciting final two weeks, but things really took a turn tonight with the huge upset by the Cyclones in Ames, Iowa.