Open Forum

What topics should be on the table this week, here at CFR?

What's your reaction to all the goings-on this weekend?

Has USC shown enough to suggest they be in the BCS Championship Game against Ohio State? 

I'll be out a bit more but should settle in Monday evening to get some work in on here, have a better week than last week.

I spent Saturday hanging out with Heisman Pundit, CFBPundit and Solon, among others, so that was great fun to be around a different set of the Three Wise Men.  My thanks to Solon for indulging me in conversation from time-to-time.  He's got a good view on things in the college football world and we're not in all that much of disagreement despite the arguments here over the years.

Comments

[Cody]

USC has earned their chance to play Ohio State. I firmly believe that. However, I think this year has evidenced the ills that you think a playoff will bring. Remember this team up until the Oregon State loss? They were not a championship-caliber team. Since then, they have looked like the uber-talented squad they ought to be. Based on your view of the sanctity of college football (one that I share, honestly), this team getting a title shot is a travesty.

[Mike]

"Has USC shown enough to suggest they be in the BCS Championship Game against Ohio State?"

They've certainly shown more then either Michigan or Florida, with quality wins over Nebraska, Notre Dame, Cal, and Arkansas.

Yeah, they laid an egg for one game, but of all the one-loss teams, USC is clearly the best and the most deserving of a spot in the national championship game.

[Ltrain]

Not so clear cut as you think. I agree that USC appears to be playing the best football, as of right now that Nebraska win, along with the style points, is what pushes USC ahead - Notre Dame, Cal, and Arkansas would not be better, (nay, less impressive) than UF's - LSU, Tennessee, and Arkansas (for argument's sake) wins. UF doesn't have a Nebraska equivalent, but their one-loss is a "better" one loss (for brevity sake). Arkansas will be a tall order for UF in any event, so it may be a UMich / USC argument, but UCLA is not wholly incapable of an upset (or are they - they are better than Oregon State, and Booty isn't above crucial mistakes...I'd love to hear what some of you folks with more Pac-10 miles under your belts think). Should be fun.

[Ira B]

The WIN/WIN College Football Championship Tournament: It is here ! If this is out there, I have never heard it. Any rational adult knows we do not have a Div I College Championship Tournament (like EVERY other level of EVERY college sport) for one reason only: Bowl Sponsors and their relationships with the NCAA and its member institutions. Period. Not too much time away from class (see Div I-A, Div II, Div III, College Basketball, etc). The reason is the Presidents simply cannot muster the courage to pull away from the Bowl Sponsors...until now...the answer is here. The WIN/WIN answer: Keep the Bowl Sponsors AND inplement a championship tournament !! It is so simple...Take the top 8 teams (I guess via BCS) and have a tournament...but...each game is still sponsored by a bowl sponsor. The Chik-Fil-A Peach Bowl Quarterfinals, the Doritos Fiesta Bowl Semi-Finals, and so on...think about it. Now, instead of a company paying millions of dollars for "just" a bolw game...the bowl game now has double the meaning--and the top 7 bowls just GAINED in significance and ROI because they are part of the tournament. How much more is the sponsorship worth if it is the Doritos National Championship ?!?!? Rotate the bowls, same as we have been doing. The ONLY casualty of this is that in the 7 bowls it takes to have an 8 team tournament, you would have the 8 teams playing instead of 14. Who cares ? This would eliminate 6 teams from bowls with 6 wins ? Seriously...THIS IS THE BERSHAD PLAN...and unless someone has already introduced it and explained why it won't work, I think it will....Pass this on to everyone, including the media...and let's see if we can get some support for having an on-field championship for the most hig-profile college sport there is...See you at the Home Depot National Championship !!

[LD]

LTrain: As both teams are playing right now, I think it's probably a little arguable that UF's win over Georgia is close to Nebraska.

Here's how I'd rank USC, Florida and Michigan's schedules, lined up by wins

Best win: Notre Dame...LSU...........Wisconsin
Next best: Arkansas.....Arkansas*.....Notre Dame
Next best: Cal.............Tennessee.....Penn State
Next best: Nebraska.....Georgia.......Central Michigan
Next best: Oregon.......Kentucky......Minnesota
Next best: Ariz. State..S. Carolina...Iowa
Next best: UCLA*........FSU...........Mich. State
Next best: Arizona......Alabama.......Indiana
Next best: Wash. St.....Southern Miss.Vanderbilt
Next best: Washington...Vanderbilt....Ball State
Next best: Stanford.....UCF...........Northwestern
Next best:..............West.Carolina.............

Loss:......Oregon St....Auburn........Ohio State

Asterisks assume a win. I think when you look at it that way, USC has a pretty clear edge over Michigan, but a somewhat slighter edge over Florida. My personal view is that LSU and Tennessee are a little better than Notre Dame and Cal. I'd guess Nebraska, ASU and Oregon are a little tougher than Georgia, USC and Kentucky, but not by leaps and bounds. I'd guess Alabama and Southern Miss pretty close to par on WSU and Arizona, but the bottom of USC's schedule is better than UCF, Vandy and WCU. I think in terms of wins, Florida has an edge over Michigan. Of course, Michigan has the best loss, with Florida next, and then USC.

If forced to make a choice, disregarding "style points" (and let's remember that all three of these teams played underwhelmingly in wins in the middle of the season), I'd guess SC has a small edge over Florida, but both SC and Florida,sed on the full resume should have a slight edge over Michigan.

[greg6363]

Coaching moves coming fast and furious. Shula out in Tuscaloosa, Kutter shown the door in Tempe, Amato let go in Raleigh. Dantonio moves from Cincinnati to East Lansing, Chizik leaves Austin to take the reins in Ames.

[Mark]

Yeah -- the coaching carosel is in full swing, that is definitely a worthy topic of conversation -- especially since there's really only 2 games of note before the bowl season -- USC/UCLA and UF-Arkansas. The shuffle of who goes where, especially with high profile gigs like Alabama and Miami, and attractive 2nd tier options like ASU or NC State...should be fun. I'm just hoping my Devils manage to get a quality guy.

[cardattack]

Topic for the week should be Notre Dame qualifying for a BCS bowl! They could play the bottom 12 teams in football every year and be gauranteed a BCS bowl. All they have to do is win 9 games and finish in the top 14 of the BCS poll to be eligible for an at-large bid. What a joke!