I agree. The goal of preseason is to be ranked in the top 10. You chances of solidifying yourself in BCS bowls are easier to accomplish when you start the season in the top 10 as oppossed to starting 16th or higher--'cause when you're ranked in the "teens", you need a lot of teams in front of you to lose, get upset, or both. Good, solid ranking at us at #9.
Agree. We should call it the Texas rule. They have been borderline BCS bowl bound the last 2 years and BARELY made it last year in which their high pre-season ranking probably saved them while Cal's low ranking killed them
Cal's low pre-season ranking was only part of the story. They ended up at #5 in the BCS pre-bowl rankings. I hate to say it, but the conference tie-ins are still determining who ends up in the 3rd and 4th best bowl games. BCS # 4 ranked Texas had no business playing BCS #13 ranked Michigan when there were about 4 other out of conference teams that were ranked higher and readily available. And the Pittsburgh - Utah matchup was just plain ugly. Pittsburgh had a BCS rank of # 21 going into the Fiesta Bowl while Utah was at #6. Pittsburgh wasn't even close to being a top 10 team.
