IF THE CAMPUS BCS CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT HAD BEEN PLAYED

Senior Analyst Mark Noe has done a masterful job of putting together a ten team playoff to settle any and all National Title debates.  I like his proposal; I really do.  But now that the bowl games have all been played and the BCS is patting itself on the back for “getting it right”, I still can’t help from wondering: did they?  Better yet, could there have been an even more interesting match-up for the crystal football?

The more I looked at Mark’s pairings, the more I started to think that there really could have been a very different outlook to the championship game.

The season may be over with, but we can still have a little fun.  Here’s a look at what might’ve been.

PLAY IN (aka “Wild Card” round)

#8 Florida vs. #9 Boise State

The Broncos looked pretty good against TCU (and Oregon in the first week), but there were some other games that were a little closer than they should have been.  Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, and Nevada were within striking distance of upsetting the best team in the WAC.

Florida was the top team in the nation right up until they dropped the SEC championship game to ‘Bama.  They had their own close calls along the road.  Tennessee was within ten points (as was South Carolina), and Arkansas came within three points of upsetting the defending National Champs.

The way I see it…

So here we are; the final weekend of the regular season. It’s hard to believe the season’s done already. After this weekend we’ll know who’s playing for the National Title, who’s going to what bowl games, and who got the shaft. There are two teams in the Big Ten playing well after the rest have packed it up and gone home. I’ll take a look at those games as well as a quick run down of who should be going where when the bowl season starts.

Fresno State at Illinois Saturday, December 5th, 12:30 ET (BTN)

Why would you want to watch this game?

Well, Fresno State may not be Cincinnati, but at 7-4, they’re going bowling and really want a clear idea of which bowl they’ll be gracing this month. An 8-4 record sure looks better than a 7-5 one when you’re trying to impress bowl reps.

Illinois couldn’t play the spoiler last week against Cincy, but can they do it this week against a much weaker team from Fresno? The Illini need something positive to carry into next year. A win here could do wonders for this program.

So, what’s the skinny?

This is new territory. Usually, all of the Big Ten teams are done by now. The weekend before Thanksgiving is traditionally the final shot for all of the teams to do anything at all. This year, both Wisconsin and Illinois have decided to go the distance and play into December. This week Wisconsin is taking a breather, but Illinois is in action. Let’s take a look at it.

Illinois at #5 Cincinnati Saturday, November 28^th, 12:00 (ABC)

Why would you want to watch this game?

Does Illinois have any magic in them this year? They’ve been known in the past to come from nowhere and pick up some big wins. Nothing the Big Ten had to offer Illinois this year would be as big as knocking off the Beatcats in Cincinnati.

For Cincinnati, this could be a trap game. Illinois isn’t that tough but they have a big match at #9 Pitt next week that may just have them a little less than fully focused.

That’s all but the end for the Big Ten season. Illinois and Wisconsin have taken the bold step of playing games beyond the conference schedule, but the other nine teams are waiting for bowl selections or are done for the year. There weren’t too many surprises this week, but few loose ends were sewn up.

I’ve got a few thoughts about it all…eleven to be precise.

1. Ohio State: The throw-back uniforms looked good, but didn’t help your performance.

I liked the old uniform. Of course, I’m the type that tends to think simple is better – not that their current uniforms aren’t simple.

The rivalry game against Michigan lacked a lot of luster in more ways than one, though. It’s been well documented for a couple of years now that the game just doesn’t mean as much as it used to. That’s thanks, of course, to Michigan’s collapse. This game used to decide the conference championship, and often who would get a shot at the national title.

The last couple of years, though, Michigan hasn’t even been bowl eligible, let alone conference title eligible. The game has been more of a layup before bowl selections for Ohio State than a real rivalry.

Welcome to Rivalry Week! This is the biggest week of the entire season. Bowl berths are on the line as the most hated conference rivals clash to determine the final pecking order going into the post season.

Since this is Rivalry Week in the Big Ten, I think it calls for a little change of format. 

Minnesota at #13 Iowa Saturday, November 21^st, 12:00 (ESPN)

What’s at stake: Floyd of Rosedale

Floyd is a bronze pig fashioned after a live pig wagered between Minnesota Governor Floyd Olsen and Iowa Governor Clyde Herring in 1935. Racial tensions were high that year as Iowa fielded one of the few black collegiate football players in the nation, Ozzie Simmons. The situation had escalated to the point that the two governors feared that violence might erupt at the game. The wager was made between the two to help diffuse the situation and return fans’ attention to the football game, rather than the color of Iowa’s halfback’s skin. “Rosedale” comes from Rosedale Farms near Ft. Dodge, Iowa, where Governor Herring got the prized hog he delivered to Olsen’s office upon Iowa’s defeat. The two schools have been playing for Floyd of Rosedale ever since. In 2008, Rivals.com named Floyd of Rosedale the top rivalry trophy in college football.