Poll evidence: MWC, not Big East, belongs in BCS
| August 8, 2009 | 5:08 PM
More journal entries from Bruce Plasket »
Without a single game played, it is apparent that it’s time to replace the Big East Conference with the Mountain West Conference in the Bowl Championship Series.
As if it were needed, the first USA Today Coaches Poll of 2009 makes a strong argument that the Big East’s inclusion in the BCS is based on geography and history, not performance.
The poll also cements what everyone already knows.
The SEC — top to bottom — is the best in the land.
The new USA Today Top 25 poll features five SEC teams — including four in the top 10. The ACC, Pac-10 and Big 12 each have four in the poll, while the Big Ten has three.
With the decline of recent Big East powerhouses Louisville and Rutgers and with the continuing puzzle that is the University of Pittsburgh, the Big East has no teams in the preseason poll, while the MWC is represented by three teams — TCU at number 17, Utah at 18 and Brigham Young at 24.
Not surprisingly, defending national champion Florida tops the poll and is joined in the top 25 by SEC members Alabama at No. 5, LSU at 9, Mississippi at 10 and Georgia at the No. 13 spot.
The Big 12, however, is well represented — at least at the top of the poll. The No. 3 spot belongs to Texas, which got hosed out of a chance to play Florida in the national championship game last year after a last-second loss to Texas Tech that allowed Oklahoma — a loser to Texas — to gain a spot in the championship game. Oklahoma is ranked No. 3 in the poll. Oklahoma State holds the No. 11 spot and Nebraska — the favorite to win the Big 12 North — is ranked No. 22.
With Texas and Oklahoma both in the top 3, their Oct. 17 game in Dallas could go a long way in determining one of the two teams in the national championship. Of course, that’s what they said last year before Texas won but lost out to OU in the final BCS rankings.
Outside the top 25, four Big 12 teams received voter points. Kansas led the way with 138 points with Texas Tech receiving 114 points, Missouri 44 and Colorado two points.
The Pac-10 contingent in the poll is led by Southern Cal, which is ranked No. 3 in the poll and likely No.1 in the number of pending NCAA investigations. Cal is ranked No. 12, Oregon No. 14 and Oregon State No. 25.
Virginia Tech at No. 7 is the highest ranked of the four ACC teams in the poll. Georgia Tech is ranked No. 15, while Florida State and North Carolina are 19th and 20th respectively.
The suddenly struggling Big Ten conference is represented by Ohio State at No. 6, Penn State at No. 8 and Iowa at No. 21. Notre Dame, which is almost in the Big Ten, is ranked No. 23.
If preseason predictions hold true, it will be time for the BCS to finally say goodbye to the Big Least.
ACC, BCS, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, college football, Mountain West, national championship game, ncaa, Pac-10
