In BCS it’s all about the company you keep
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Mother always warned about getting in with the wrong crowd. It would just bring you down, she said.
Whether it was choosing high school friends or college football non-conference opponents, mother always knew best.
For example, Texas endured much angst and anxiety in November when it dropped behind Oklahoma in the BCS standings even though the Longhorns had beaten the Sooners – and on a neutral field. One of the primary reasons Oklahoma climbed ahead in the BCS standings, and thus won the Big 12 championship and played for the national crown, was the difference in non-conference scheduling. The Sooners had victories over TCU and Cincinnati, both of whom were in the BCS top 15 at the end of the season; Texas’ most impressive non-conference victory was either Rice or Arkansas.
Although strength of schedule isn’t an official factor in compiling the BCS rankings, voters in human polls certainly pay attention and each of the six computers used in the standings has a SOS component.
rivals.com
1/14/09
