College Football News crying 'We didn't know'

http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2003/Tuesday_Question/Tuesday_Question.htm

At the end of the article, the last guy is saying there wouldn't have been nearly as much fuss if USC 'knew they needed help to get in.' WHAT?!!

We knew that USC needed help last week, and we are only fans. Sounds like someone didn't do there homework. YOu get payed to cover college football, you should have realized that USC's lead over LSU was not insirmountable even with a USC win. Can't believe they are going to say that 'We didn't know they needed help.'

 

The frickin' headline on ESPN.com last Friday/Saturday was about the impact of the Syracuse-ND game on the BCS picture. Did people just not pay attention to what was going on or did they just not care? I think USC just ignored the talk because they were #2, and, historically, if you're #2 and you don't lose, you don't move down. Well, that's in the human polls, but not in the BCS system that has been in place for several years now. Even had anyone given a crap, what could they have done about the outcome of the Syracuse-ND game or the Hawaii-Boise St. game (or, for that matter, the Bama-Hawaii game, the UF-FSU game or the La. Tech-Rice game -- all games that hurt LSU the weekend before)? Does this guy honestly think that had USC people actually paid attention to what was going on beyond the San Fernando Valley and realized the impact they would now be silent about the BCS issue and accept the outcome? This may be the most assinine thing I've read about the whole BCS brouhaha.

 

Here's the email I just sent this guy:
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

First off, I'd like to say I enjoy collegefootballnews.com as they have been one of the few places that has given LSU its due throughout the season.

In your column about BCS changes, you state a few things I'd like to address. Before I do that however, I would like to state that I also would like to see the BCS done away with. Here are the points:

1) You say that there should be a three year time window for Strength of Schedule. You have a point if you say, "There's no way to know a team is going to have that bad of a season." That is true. But why should a team be rewarded for beating a 5-7 team? Notre Dame was supposed to be good, but in reality, they weren't. USC is not a better team for beating a 5-7 team, even if they were a preseason Top 25 team. No, USC didn't duck anybody, but there OOC schedule was still not that good.

2) You state that we should have 'known that USC needed help.' Well, we did. Anyone who didn't know this didn't do there homework. Everyone was so busy proclaiming a USC-Oklahoma Sugar Bowl to realize that Notre Dame-Syracuse and Hawaii-Boise State meant something.

As FANS - someone who isn't paid for this kind of research - we knew that LSU would be in with a Notre Dame loss and a Hawaii loss. Proof:

http://www.tigerforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9493&highlight=definitive

If the national media didn't know this, it's only because they didn't want to see it. I was offended at the lack of BCS education with the announcers of the USC-Oregon State game and the LSU-Georgia game. They both claimed a USC win would get them to the Sugar Bowl. In closing, before you complain about 'not knowing' something, do your homework.

Sincerely,

Clovis Mello

 

Everyone seems to be saying how important the ND/Syr and BSt/Haw games were. These games were no more important than any other game that impacted SOS. I hate that these games are being scapegoated. They went to the final numbers, but were really only a small piece of the SOS pie.

 

You're right, but they were the last ones. So THEY were the ones that hadn't happened yet and could still go in favor of any team. That's why they were so 'important.'

But to your point, SportsCenter on Monday Night did a Top 10 with games that would have changed the SOS. They had La Tech's comeback against Michigan State. They had Boston College's field goal against Notre Dame. They had Georgia's win over Tennessee.

Not seen: Florida State's win over Florida... hmm.... It couldn't possibly go both ways could it?

 

or Texas Tech's last minute TD vs. Ole Miss

or Miami's comeback win over Florida

and many, many more...

 

Right

 

You are sort of right. But since the previous games turned out like they did, it made these games have more importantance. Had Alabama beaten Hawai'i and a couple other games go our way the ND v Syracuse wouldn't have had the impact. The circumstances leading up to that week is what made that game very important.

 

Hey everyone, I was impressed and I got a quick reply from this guy. Here it is:

------------------------------------------------

The whole point is that the BCS officials--Mike Tranghese or
SOMEONE--should
have made an official, formal, public, easy-to-understand ANNOUNCEMENT
about
the scenarios.

This is and should have been common sense, but it was NOT a media
shortcoming. It was a shortcoming of the BCS and the way it is
administered,
governed and publicized. The people who supervise this system did not
provide appropriate quality control.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Brad Edwards and Jerry Palm, while noting
the
possibility of LSU getting in, did not exactly act or write in ways
that
suggested LSU was in the driver's seat. Given that Syracuse and Boise
State
were favorites, they should have said as much, but they themselves did
not.

Edwards, after Nov. 29's games, when LSU lost every key game, said the
Tigers were in big, big trouble. How come everything suddenly switched?

Yes, the BCS should be done away with.

Thanks,
Matt

 

The guy has a point, it wasn't official . . . but it was pretty solid information to work with. And we knew all about it going into the UGA game, just from reading threads at this board, by people doing the math for no other reason than they wanted to know.
The writers/voters are paid to know this stuff.

I think what he really meant to say was that the media wanted SC in the game, and felt they deserved it. When they saw it wasn't going SC's way, they bashed the system, not SC's schedule. Sorry to add the SC rant, but I think if it was the Tigers left out, there would be no national outrage or debate.