Let’s start with the fact that Texas was exposed defensively by Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night. Then, on Saturday night, the Longhorns needed help from the Big 12 brass and officiating crews to escape having their offense TORE UP by the Husker Defense and in particular Ndamukong Suh.
The Horns should have never been given that second back. I completely agree with the assessment of Don Borst and you can read his article here: http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/10481260/Texas-shouldn't-have-gotten-a-'second'-chanceMack Brown has been campaigning since last season for his ‘Horns to be in the NC game and he managed to sell well enough to get it to happen.
What bothers me the most is that BCS supporters, or even just those who accept the system, give Texas the nod based on the ridiculous notion that because they are in the Big 12 they are better than TCU, or Cincinnati, or Boise State. The circular logic at work there makes me want to hurl. If you watched TCU play this year, you know just how fast, skilled, and explosive they are.
I personally think that TCU is the best team in the country and I have watched multiple games of all the undefeated teams. That having been said, if I just argue that TCU should be playing Alabama, then I am no better than the fraudulent BCS. No, what should be so simple to do, but hasn’t been done, is give these teams a chance to play each other on the field to determine the champion. Even an 8-team playoff, using the 4 major bowls (Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta) as the opening round games would answer all our questions. (If you want to hear my simple, easy, equitable playoff format, just let me know) But no, we are stuck with a team in the Championship game that really doesn’t deserve it and 4 other irrelevant games. Lastly, I want to speak directly to the point of the Fiesta Bowl. Clearly, they are taking one for the BCS team. Matching TCU against Boise State and couching it in terms of “We allowed in 2 Non-AQ teams, see we take care of them, so the system works” is crap so deep and so thick it is corrupt and should be illegal.
These teams should have been given a chance to match up against AQ teams to show they belong. Instead, they have been relegated to play each other which answers nothing and purposefully so. Can you imagine the BCS trying to keep their sham going if TCU and Boise State beat Florida/Ga. Tech/Cincinnati or Iowa? They wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Thus, the Tostitos Non-AQ Fiesta Bowl.Well, with the exception of the greatest game of the season, The Army – Navy game, the regular season is complete. We will post our Final Top 25 after the BS National Championship Farce on Jan. 7th. However, we are going to hopefully have Bowl Game preview blogs for you over the coming weeks!
Week 15 HelmetNation Top 25
1) Alabama – I was honestly surprised by how good Alabama looked. They were the complete team on the field Saturday. Up next: vs. # 7 Texas in the BCS National Championship game, Thurs. Jan. 7
2) TCU – Season complete. This team should be playing for a National Championship. They are fast, mean, and have skill all over the place. If you don’t think they could whoop Texas, you aren’t paying attention. They got royally screwed by the BCS matching them up with Boise State. It is an absolute slap in the face to all Non-AQ teams. Up next: vs. #4 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, Mon. Jan. 4
3) Cincinnati – This offense can score with anyone. Marty Gilyard is the heart and soul of this team. I think they could outscore the Longhorns on a neutral field. They also would have been a better choice to play Alabama. Up next: vs. #5 Florida in the Sugar Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
4) Boise St. – Another team that could outscore Texas. They have more athletes than you realize with great speed. Kellen Moore gets better every week and he is only a sophomore. They should have been given a chance to play a BCS conference team, but were made irrelevant by the BCS by pairing them up with TCU. Up next: vs. #2 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, Mon. Jan. 4
5) Florida – For a team that returned 20 of 22 starters this year, it was one of the two that was gone that seems to have made the biggest difference. Not having Percy Harvin really hurt the Gators against Alabama. It was not the storybook ending Tebow had hoped for. Up next: vs. #3 Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
6) Oregon – The Civil War sure lived up to its hype! What an outstanding game to watch. The Ducks are fast and Masoli and James are dangerous. Now you add Blount back in the mix for a changeup and they just get better. They may have lost a couple of games, but they would take Texas behind the woodshed on a neutral field. Up next: vs. #15 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
7) Texas – If you have watched Texas in their last two games, you saw their defense exposed by A&M and their offense shredded by Nebraska. They played in a mediocre (at best) Big 12. Luckily Big 12 Conference big-wigs wanted a team in the National Championship more than extra BCS money and got them their truly undeserved victory over the Huskers. Mack Brown sounds like a used car salesman trying to pump his Horns as the best matchup for Alabama and somebody needs to adjust Colt McCoy’s internal clock. This team isn’t that good and doesn’t deserve a shot at the National Championship. Up next: vs. #1 Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game, Thurs. Jan. 7
8) Virginia Tech – Stumbled a few times this year but Ryan Williams is a beast with a bright future. Up next: vs. Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, Thurs. Dec. 31
9) Georgia Tech – Held off a spunky Clemson team to win the ACC Championship. It bugs me everyone calls their offense the spread option. It is a triple option offense and I LOVE the Triple option. It is so hard for people to prepare for this offense and no one has shut it down yet since it got to Tech. Up next: vs. #18 Iowa in the Orange Bowl, Tues. Jan. 5
10) LSU – This is a pretty good Tiger team that gets overlooked. Lost close to both Florida and Alabama and on a coaching screw-up against Ole Miss. Up next: vs. #20 Penn State in the Capital One Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
11) Oregon State – The Beavers game the Ducks all they could handle. The Rodgers brothers were outstanding. They play with speed and will blow up BYU’s average defense. Up next: vs. #16 BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl, Tues. Dec. 22
12) Nebraska – Robbed of the Big 12 Championship against Texas. They shredded the Longhorn offense. Sacked Colt McCoy 9 times. Ndamukong Suh had 12 tackles, 7 tfl’s, and 4.5 sacks. He is the best player at any position in college football and should win the Heisman. Definitely exposed the Longhorns for Alabama. But let’s be realistic. Terrance ‘Mount’ Cody, couldn’t hold Suh’s jockstrap. He’s “Fat Bastard” in a football uniform and he won’t disrupt Texas like Suh did. Huskers should be playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Up next: vs. #23 Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, Wed. Dec. 30
13) Stanford – Gerhart and the Cardinal may struggle without QB Luck if he can’t go for the bowl game. The Sooners D is still tough and will make Toby work for every yard. Up next: vs. Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl, Thurs. Dec. 31
14) Pittsburgh – Played their hearts out against Cincinnati. If they don’t muff the PAT snap, who knows what happens in OT. Dion Lewis is the man and will be fun to watch the next couple of years. Up next: vs. North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Sat. Dec. 26
15) Ohio State – The Big 10 should really try to make themselves more relevant by playing games the weekend of Thanksgiving and after. Terrelle Pryor is going to get a look at an offense that would have used his skill set a whole lot better. Up next: vs. #6 Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
16) Brigham Young – Hopefully Max Hall has turned his personal venom elsewhere. They are going to need it to contend with the speed and aggression of Oregon State. Up next: vs. #11 Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl, Tues. Dec. 22
17) Utah – The Utes will need to rebound from the tough loss to BYU to keep their bowl win streak alive against a bipolar California team that just got waxed by Washington. Up next: vs. California in the Poinsettia Bowl, Wed. Dec. 23
18) Iowa – The Hawkeyes are going to need more than luck and they won’t be able to rely on a late game comeback to beat Georgia Tech. They will have the added benefit of being a bit healthier by the time the game comes around. Up next: vs. #9 Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl, Tues. Jan. 5
19) Miami – The Hurricanes weren’t quite as “back” as the talking heads were thinking they were at the beginning of the season. Still, superior speed should help them easily run past the lunkering Badgers. Up next: vs. #24 Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl, Tues. Dec. 29
20) Penn State – Thankfully, the Nittany Lions did not get the BCS bid. Not that Iowa was a great choice, but the Hawkeyes did beat Penn State. Up next: vs. #10 LSU in the Capital One Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
21) Oklahoma State – Finished the season by getting embarrassed by Oklahoma. Hopefully, they will have some swagger back for the bowl game. Up next: vs. Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl, Sat. Jan. 2
22) West Virginia – Beat Pitt and a good Rutgers team in the last two games. Noel Devine is a great RB and fun to watch. Up next: vs. Florida State in the Gator Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
23) Arizona – Pulled off the upset by beating USC at their place. Stoops should be proud that he has the Wildcats at only 4 losses in a regular season. It only took him 6 years. Up next: vs. #12 Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl, Wed. Dec. 30
24) Wisconsin – Threw around their size and weight advantage against Hawaii to finish the season. Up next: vs. #19 Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl, Tues. Dec. 29
25) East Carolina – Despite having Case Keenum throw for over 500 yards against them, the Pirates upset Houston to win the Conference USA Championship. Up next: vs. Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl, Sat. Jan. 2
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