NCAA Endzone

Who didn’t see this coming?

In what is undoubtedly the craziest, most unpredictable season in college football history, did anyone really think it would end so simply? That Missouri would have a storybook ending, taking out the only team to beat them this season and at the same time locking up the Heisman for QB Chase Daniel? Or that West Virginia would steamroll their rival in a game where they were four touchdown favorites?

Well it didn’t.

Missouri was outplayed and out coached by Bob Stoops and the Sooners, likely dropping from the title game down to the Cotton Bowl. West Virginia had luckily wrapped up its BCS game; though there is no doubt they won’t be playing in the one they wanted to.

While their doors were shut, many opened. Teams like the Sooners, USC, and Virginia Tech, teams who won their conference championship game, took a giant leap forward in their pursuit of the championship. They all locked up BCS games, but each made a case for getting into the big game.

USC’s recent surge has given people reason to believe they are contenders, but the loss at home against Stanford is a killer. Pete Carroll will never admit this, but if not for a certain ACL tearing; they wouldn’t even be in the Rose Bowl.

Tech looked good against Boston College, but a 41-point loss earlier in the season to LSU looks bad. Really bad considering LSU is also trying to find their way back into title talk.

And how can they not be? Their only losses are in a total of 6 overtimes, versus quality opponents. Of course, they have loss twice, something teams like Kansas and Ohio State have going for them.

Ohio State is likely in by default. They haven’t played in two weeks but managed to jump five spots in the polls during that time. It will most likely be seven by night’s end.

Kansas and Georgia are in a tough position. While Kansas has only one loss and Georgia is the #4 team, meaning they should jump into the championship, they didn’t play this weekend and in reality finished 3rd in each of their conferences.

Which brings us to Oklahoma. Rumor is that they may have done enough yesterday to jump in the voters’ polls to #2. Unfortunately, that’s only 2/3 of the BCS rankings. The computers currently have the Sooners behind Virginia Tech, who with enough votes from humans could find their way in with an all-around feel good story.

So with all these crossing storylines and general muddiness of the BCS, who will come out on top?

No one can say for sure, but Ohio State seems to be a lock (let’s try to avoid a repeat performance).

As for the other team, everything is up for grabs. LSU may be the most deserving, while Oklahoma showed the most yesterday. USC is the hot team, and the computers love Virginia Tech. It seems like Georgia should slide in if the polls hold up, while Kansas is the only other one-loss team around.

Playoffs anyone?

Read up on my favorite baseball team’s recent signing here!