Monday, November 20, 2006

Badgers get the BCS boot

If reports in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel are true, the Badgers could end up accepting a bid to the Capital One Bowl as early as today. That would represent a return to a bowl they were at last year, against a good SEC foe such as Florida, Arkansas or (most likely) LSU. The Badgers, because of a respectable loss to Michigan at Ann Arbor, are on the outside looking in, even though they have not lost another game this season.

The BCS is set up to reward the big conferences, but only up to a point. If a conference has 3 top programs, as the Big 10 does this year, only two can go. Meanwhile, a team like Boise State, which beats up on similarly sized schools on their odd blue field, might get a bid. It doesn't seem right.

The good news for the Badgers is that, if they win their Capital One Bowl game against a strong opponent, should have a chance for a Top 10 or even Top 5 finish in the final standings. But the problem remains - the Badgers won't really know whether this 11-1 team is a great one, or merely one that profited from a favorable schedule. It would take a playoff for that to happen, but there's no evidence that will take place any time soon.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Don't worry about the Badgers. A bowl victory against a quality SEC opponent will get them ranked higher than a BCS victory over a fluke BCS team like Boise State. A top 5 finish is well within reach.

The odds are that Boise State will get rolled and will be exposed for the cupcake scheduling team that they are. Arguably their most difficult game was against a middle of the road Pac 10 Team in Oregon State. Ironically enough, the Badgers were orginally scheduled to play Oregon State this year, but OSU bowed out of the Home & Home series.