BCS Reaction: Week 2

I'm a little shocked over the BCS rankings this week. Quick points:

- Florida is still ripe for the picking at that #1 spot. Sure, the Gators won this week against Mississippi State in a more convincing fashion that Alabama's high-drama blocked field goal finish against Tennessee, but something about the Gators just isn't right. Tim Tebow hasn't been Tim Tebow, and having MLB Brandon Spikes out seems to really hurt this defense.

- Why Cincinnati is not getting more love baffles me. I know they play in the Big East and that it's not perceived as strong a conference as the Big 10 or the Big XII, but they are the best team in Ohio and have been going through their schedule without missing a beat, including last week when their backup QB still tore apart South Florida.

- Texas continues to be the favorite to go to the national championship game against the winner of the Alabama-Florida matchup. QB Colt McCoy bounced back in a big way after struggling against Oklahoma and put up a great game against Missouri. This team looks ready to prove that they belonged in the game last year, and they will have every opportunity to get into this year's game if they can run the table.

- Iowa has a legitimate shot at sneaking into the BCS Championship Game if they can win the rest of their games on the schedule. Fortunately for them, three of the four at at home, but their toughest test by far is away at Ohio State. If they win that game, they will undoubtedly win the Big 10 and be poised to participate in the national championship game.

- Don't look now, but as I said last week USC is climbing up closer to national championship contention. They are 5th in this week's BCS rankings (up from 7th last week) and if they run the table they could be the 1-loss team that makes it into the BCS championship game.

- As painful as that Miami loss to Clemson was, there is no way they should have fallen from 10th all the way to 19th. That team has some quality wins (Oklahoma, a ranked FSU team, Georgia Tech) and should undoubtedly be no lower than 15th. If I'm a Canes fan, I am furious at this week's rankings.

First BCS Rankings: Reaction

So the first BCS rankings were released last Sunday. You can see them here. A few notes:

- Was there any doubt that an undefeated Florida team was going to be 1st? I mean seriously; the team throttled Oklahoma in the national championship last year, hasn't lost a game this year (albeit they have looked somewhat ho-hum in doing so), and their quarterback Tim Tebow is a god amongst men. Hell, I want to be like Tim Tebow. No surprise here.

- I will say this about Alabama - if they keep playing like they have been all year, they will win the national championship this year. Florida, despite being #1, has looked unimpressive in doing so, and Alabama has just looked unbelievably good in defeating sound opponents. If quarterback Greg McElroy can become an effective weapon in the passing game, I predict an Alabama-Texas BCS Championship game.

- Boise State is high for me. I know, I know, they have some great wins, including against an Oregon team that looks very dangerous, but a WAC team at 4th in the BCS when other teams like Cincinnati and Iowa are there just doesn't make sense to me.

- Don't sleep on the Trojans. USC plays in an underrated Pac-10 and has an outside chance of shocking everyone and making it to the BCS championship game. They're sitting pretty at 7th in the first BCS rankings.

- Since I'm admittedly an ACC homer, I'll say this about Miami: if they can win the rest of their games (completely likely given the soft schedule ahead) they will be in a BCS bowl. If Georgia Tech clinches the Coastal Division (like I think they will), then the ACC could have two BCS teams this year. How's that for surprising?

ACC: Week 1 Worries

So in a previous post I talked about how the ACC needed to play better against BCS competition if they wanted to gain the respect of the nation.

That worked out well.

The ACC went 0-4 against out-of-conference BCS foes, and lost to TWO separate FCS schools...all in Week 1. That is absolutely pitiful. It's a wonder that the ACC was even considered to be a dark horse for the third-best BCS conference behind the SEC and the Big XII. I'll be honest, I definitely bought into the hype that the ACC was a legitimately good football conference with some good teams who had a shot at making some noise on the national stage this year. And they still might; Virginia Tech only lost by 10 to Alabama, though it became increasingly apparent towards the end of the game that the Tide was simply a better football team, and contenders Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and the winner of FSU-Miami will still be regarded as good teams after posting Week 1 victories.

But the fact remains that the ACC needs a lot of help if they are ever going to be a great football conference. You simply cannot have teams that lose to William & Mary AND Richmond in the same week while also getting manhandled by Cal and out-slopped by South Carolina (yes I'm looking at you, Virginia, Dook, Maryland and NC State). Here's the Week 2 ACC slate:

Clemson @ Georgia Tech
UNC @ UConn
Stanford @ Wake Forest
Dook @ Army
Marshall @ Virginia Tech
Kent State @ Boston College
TCU @ Virginia
Jacksonville State @ Florida State
James Madison @ Maryland
Murray State @ NC State

The ACC plays two games against OOC BCS teams (UNC vs. UConn; Stanford vs. Wake Forest) while Virginia battles a very good TCU team at home. If the ACC can go 2-1 or even 3-0 against these teams in Week 2, it could be a nice bounce back from the Week 1 debacle. Worst case scenario: we may see teams like Army, Kent State, and James Madison who have no business beating BCS opponents notch one in the win column.

Which would undoubtedly notch another one in the loss column for the ACC's credibility as a big-time college football conference.

Reaction to NC State-South Carolina

As an ACC football fan (more specifically a UNC fan) I found tonight's game to be bittersweet. Bitter because an ACC team who was projected to compete for their division lost to a bottom-tier SEC team and failed to score a touchdown, but sweet because it was NC State. However, I think the fact that I'm more upset that the ACC lost is the more important point here. If the ACC is EVER going to be considered on par with the SEC, the Big XII, or even the Big Ten and the Pac-10 they are going to have to start winning games like this - and convincingly.

Here's the ACC schedule for Week 1:

Jacksonville State @ Georgia Tech
Northeastern @ Boston College
Baylor @ Wake Forest
Citadel @ North Carolina
Middle Tennessee State @ Clemson
William & Mary @ Virginia
Richmond @ Dook (yes, that's the correct spelling)
Alabama @ Virginia Tech (in Atlanta, GA)
Maryland @ California
Miami @ Florida State

In that schedule, three teams are playing BCS schools outside of the ACC - Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Maryland. VT is not favored against Alabama (and I'd be willing to bet that the Hokies will lose that game) and Maryland is not favored against Cal (and Maryland will likely lose that game as well). Wake and Baylor is the only game that would likely be a toss-up in my opinion.

Basically - the ACC is having a hard time gaining national respect, and with a schedule like that (as well as outcomes like the NC State-South Carolina game tonight) they will continue to have a hard time showing the country that they belong as an elite BCS conference.

My Take: NFL or NCAA?

Having been actively involved in college and professional athletics over the course of the past three and a half years, I've had a chance to see both sides of this argument. Each of the levels have their advantages; in college, the game seems more fun and is definitely a more emotional experience, while in the pros there is definitely a feeling that the players are some of the best athletes in the world. It's a very tough call, but I'm going to have to go with the NFL.

Look, college football is great. You can't beat some of the rivalries that just permeate through some fan bases - Florida-Georgia, Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn...these guys just HATE each other. Not to mention that anyone can pretty much beat anyone on any given Saturday. But you can't beat the NFL when it comes down to it. You have 16 games to prove your point, then you go to the PLAYOFFS (hint, hint, BCS Committee) in a sudden-death scenario where you have a chance to go to the Super Bowl, the biggest football game in the world. Hard to top that.

Hopefully this year is great for both college football and the NFL (and it is definitely shaping up to be a classic year), and there will be a ton of memorable moments.