thought you may find this intersesting from ask cfn on july 22, 2005 link: http://www.collegefootballsnews.com "When asked about the "New BCS" system in last week's question you said it was no different and all that jazz, but you also said that if a team (ANY TEAM) wins the BCS championship game then they are the National Champions??? Right??? Then why the hell are USC supposedly going for a 3-peat?? They didn't win it in '03, LSU did. I know USC won the AP poll, but that's not THE recognized championship anymore with the BCS and all. I know it's a huge media debacle with a 3-peat and how hard it is, but come on. – CE A: The answer that’ll hopefully save my inbox from USC fans: Because the AP poll was part of the BCS formula in 2003. The AP poll mattered then, but now it’s not part of the system. The real answer: Technically, USC isn’t going for a three-peat. I don’t like it, but the BCS national champion is the national champion. That’s the measuring stick. What if the Colley Matrix computer formula had Utah ranked number one at the end of last year? Would Utah then be a national champion? The computer formulas are as much a part of the BCS as the AP poll was. Should Auburn be able to say it’s the defending national champion because some newspaper declared it the champion? I know, the AP poll has been around forever and is a respected poll, but it’s not the determinant of a college football national champion; the winner of the BCS title game is. "
While over in L.A., I didn't meet one person who did not respect LSU and what we could accomplish this year. I hung out with some pretty hard corps USC fans, and all of them gave us love. The majority of them believe it will come down to our two teams this year. I was prepared to give them hell about their weak conference, but, they beat me to it. More than once I heard someone say that they were a sure thing for the Rose Bowl due to the weak conference they play in. Of course, I had to agree with them. Over all it was a good visit. I also spent a week in Columbus Ohio. State fans seem to think that they stand a chance this year. I was forced to disagree with this one. They play TX in the second game and may be without a starting QB. Regardless, they do not have the depth to make a title run, much less a Big 10 championship. I had to give the Big 10 to Michigan, talk about pissing some people off. I was impressed by the atmosphere up in columbus, reminded me a little of BR. Just a little mind you.
Good reply from cfn. LSU is the true national champion for 2003, as is USC for 2004. I still like Saban's answers all season long (2003) about LSU's ranking and the BCS. He respected the BCS, and if LSU didn't earn its way into the game by the rules everyone accepted at the start of the season, that was that. They should have been a more mature club and beat Florida. So happens they got into the big game, what with ND's loss at the end of the year. I don't really have too much against USC. I try to be reasonable about this stuff. But for those guys over at USC to claim they won the national championship is crybaby crap! Their coach should be a real man about it like Saban was, and you earn it on the field, or DON'T ASK SOMEBODY TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. :angryfire USC's behavior was immature, lacked respect for the game, was selfish, self centered and small minded. Try to steal verbally what you failed to win on the field by the rules we all agreed to at the start of the season. Just how big is your inferiority complex? LSU is the real national champs for 2003, end of discussion. And for Auburn last year, I feel for you, I think you would have given USC a better game than OU did, but you weren't there, and you didn't win the national championship. USC did. I would have loved to see USC vs. Auburn.
Yeah, it's like the twilight zone. I don't know how to respond to people singing our praises. I'm sure I'll get used to it though. I got deep into LSU during the Archer years and a lot of this is still a little new to me.
My roommate is a Michigan fan and he says he had to tone it down big time whenever they played OSU in Columbus, as in sometimes he was afraid to wear Michigan apparel to the games, fearing something may happen. Apparently the rivalry is that big that that scenario is an unfortunate reality. I guess thats how the visitors feel when they come to Baton Rouge! You said it. The national title should be determined on the field. It shouldn't be based on how many writers Pete Carroll gives hummers to during the season.
