Like any right-minded College Football fan out there I would obviously like the Championship to be settled on the field in a Playoff system. But unfortunately we have to play with the cards we were dealt and this year’s season is yet another year of BCS football travesty.

            RESUMES RESUMES RESUMES!!! This is the way we have to judge teams, when ranking them when there is no playoff system to crown a True Champion. This is not a pre season poll where you just vote for the team with the most talent. Analysis of these top teams in necessary to decide on a champion, and this takes a deep looking into because the answers aren’t right on the table and as obvious as many may think.

            When analyzing these contenders the key factors in ranking them is not only the obvious elements like wins, losses, talent, and performance, but strength of schedule, home and road results, and the quality of their wins and losses. And yes there is such thing as a quality loss for all of you out there who don’t think so, especially in a league that is set up this way, so deal with it. A home loss is much worse then a road loss. A loss to a middle of the pack or unranked team is much worse then losing to a top 5 team. But in no way does a loss in week 1 count as less of a loss, then a loss in week 12 to me. Something I have never understood. Putting all this into play here are my final rankings.

                                                My Final Top 10

10. TCU (11-2)

            The Horned Frogs put together an excellent under the radar season. They had 5 key games on the schedule including their bowl game that provide clear criteria of where they rank in the country.

Vs Stanford                 31-14

At  #2 Oklahoma        10-35

Vs  #9 BYU                32-7

At   #8 Utah                10-13

Bowl  #9 Boise St        17-16

            Not only did they impress in these 5 tough matchups, but they also took care of business in style against the rest of their schedule. In their 8 other victories only 1 of them was by less then 23 points. The only thing that holds me back from putting them higher in the rankings is that missing big win vs a big name team, as shallow as that may sound.

 9. OHIO ST (10-3)

            The Buckeyes had a more then solid season despite the false high expectations in the preseason. They managed to work in freshmen quarterback Terrelle Pryor without giving up that Top 10 status in the end of the story.

                        At  #1 USC                  3-35

                        At  #18 Wisconsin       20-17

                        At  #20 Michigan St     45-7

                        Vs  #3 Penn St             6-13

                        At  #24 Northwestern   45-10

                        Vs    Michigan                42-7

                        Bowl    #3 Texas                 21-24

            Getting spanked in USC early in the year was definitely embarrassing, but Tressel always has control of his team, and they did a great job recovering for the rest of the regular season. They had another tough big publicized loss at home vs Paterno’s Penn St team, but a really strong showing in the Fiesta Bowl vs a much stronger Texas team really impressed me. Tressel got the most out of this team in my opinion and a year of experience for Pryor will do nothing but benefit Ohio St in the years to come. And of course you can never forget the fact they beat Michigan.

 8. PENN ST (11-2)

            The Nittany Lions had an outstanding year, spending the majority of the season in Championship contention. Joe Pa continues to add to his legacy as Penn St arrived back on the National Stage by winning the less respected Big 10.

                        Vs  Oregon St              45-14

                        At  Wisconsin              48-7

                        At   #9 Ohio St              13-6

                        At    Iowa                       23-24

                        Vs   #15 Michigan St     49-18

                        Bowl  #5 USC                24-38

            An enormous win at Ohio St is what really legitimized Penn St on the national scene, but a slip up in Iowa cost them a shot at the title in a tough Big 10 game. They were extremely overmatched in the Rose Bowl vs USC.

 7. TEXAS TECH (11-2)

            The Red Raiders and their Cinderella story lasted longer then anyone predicted, as they went to the third weekend in November undefeated. A huge miracle ending vs Texas was the best finish of the NCAA Football season and legitimized Texas Tech’s resume.

                        Vs Nebraska                 37-31 ot

                        At  #23 Kansas             63-21

                        Vs  #1  Texas                39-33

                        Vs  #9  Oklahoma St     56-20

                        At  #5  Oklahoma           21-65

                        Bowl  #25 Ole Miss       34-47

            A follow up spanking of Oklahoma St continued the growing respect for the Red Raiders, but the biggest challenge was on the road vs the Sooners where they were completely out of their element. This loss had most followers of the game lose a lot of respect for this team immediately when it came to National Championship contention debates. This loss snowballed for Texas Tech as the disappointment was clearly still in the heads of the Red Raiders when they played their bowl game vs Ole Miss.

 6. ALABAMA (12-2)

            The Crimson Tide had a tremendous season, despite the disappointing 2 consecutive losses to end it. They spent the bulk of the end of the regular season as the #1 team in the nation with head coach Nick Saban leading the way. The fact that Saban was able to turn this program into a National Champion contender instantly shows how great of a college coach he is. Once he gets a team full of his guys, and more Nick Saban SEC speed, they are sure to be regular contenders every season.

                        N  #9 Clemson                  34-10

                        At  #3 Georgia                  41-30

                        Vs  Ole Miss                      24-20

                        At  #16  LSU                     27-21 ot

                        SEC C  #4 Florida                20-31

                        Bowl   #6 Utah                    17-31

            Huge unexpected wins against Clemson and Georgia set the tide for Bama, but the postseason collapses pushes them to the 6 spot. The Andre Smith absence was clearly a factor vs Utah in the bowl game, but would it really have mattered enough to make up for the difference in heart that was shown in that game.

 5. USC (12-1)

            The Trojans once again had all the tremendous talent you could wish for on an NCAA roster. They proved when they play their A game they can beat any team in the country, BUT their big slip up at Oregon St and lack of a real supreme tough game on the schedule dismisses them from the National Championship discussion.

                        Vs  #5 Ohio St                    35-3

                        At      Oregon St                  21-27

                        Vs  #23 Oregon                   44-10

                        Vs  #21 California               17-3

                        Bowl   #8 Penn St                38-24

            One thing I do respect a lot about the USC team though is the pro style offense they run. It fits my interest to watch a team play real football rather then gimmicks or a repeated system over and over. Back to the rankings though, and USC fits in perfectly at #5. Most will think they should be higher but the resume doesn’t support them, bottom line.

 4. OKLAHOMA (12-2)

            The Sooners probably will be disappointed seeing their final rank be around the #4 spot on most polls, but besides losing in the BCS Championship game they will walk away from this season with their heads held high. With Heisman Trophy Winner Sam Bradford, and a Big 12 Title added to the trophy case, they had a fantastic season.

                        Vs  Cincinnati                    52-26

                        Vs  #24 TCU                      35-10

                        N    #5 Texas                       35-45

                        Vs   #16 Kansas                  45-31

                        Vs  Nebraska                     62-28

                        Vs  #2 Texas Tech             65-21

                        At  #12 Oklahoma St           61-41

                        B12 C    #20 Mizzou            62-21

                        BCS C      #2 Florida            14-24

            Yes, Bob Stoops has continued to disappoint in all of his big games since his title, but they still are the runner up of the season and had some of the best statistics offensively that we will ever see.

            There is no better way to complete a BCS ran College Football season then with complete chaos and no clear champion. And not by coincidence that is exactly how I end mine, as I have a 3-way tie for the National Champion.

1.      UTAH (13-0)

The Utes have the ultimate argument on their side, and its in plain black and white, they are the ONLY undefeated College Football team in the nation.

            At Michigan                         25-23

            Vs Oregon St                        31-28

            Vs   #12 TCU                       13-10

            Vs  #14 BYU                        48-24

            Bowl  #4 Alabama                 31-17

They impressed us all with their Sugar Bowl performance vs Bama, with their heart and preparation it looked as if they could have played anyone in the nation on that night. They had two nice victories vs middle of the pack BCS conference teams, one of which beat USC.

Utah proved they definitely aren’t undefeated just because they played a lesser schedule as they beat Alabama worse then the Gators did. That zero in the loss column solidifies their argument when its all said and done.

1.      FLORIDA (13-1)

The Gators best argument for the rights to the National Championship is they won the Championship Game, no matter how flawed the system is. They may have had a early hiccup vs Ole Miss, but they recovered just like team leader Tim Tebow promised.

            Vs  Ole Miss                         30-31

            Vs  #4 LSU                           51-21

            Vs  #6 Georgia                     49-10

            Vs  #25 South Carolina         56-6

            At  #20 Florida St                 45-15

            SEC C  #1 Alabama               31-20

            BCS C   #1 Oklahoma            24-14

The fact that the Gators went on to defeat conference foes LSU and Georgia by such margins, made most forget about the Ole Miss HOME loss. The postseason wins vs Alabama and Oklahoma both ranked #1 at the moment in polls, clearly makes any argument without the Gators as partial champions unacceptable. But the I do feel that the Gators could have put the nail in the coffin to be lone champions if they really came out and impressed vs the Sooners. If they were able to put it to Oklahoma, the critics would most likely to ignore a lot of these arguments that I have presented for the other teams. But they didn’t.

1.      TEXAS (12-1)

The Longhorns argument needs to be made, as they have been the overlooked team in the National Championship discussion all season. The team that got the raw deal all season is the Texas Longhorns. There is no if ands or buts about that. Robbing them of a Big 12 Conference Championship appearance basiclly cost them any shot they had at all heralded accomplishments. Bye Bye National Title Game hopes. Bye Bye Colt McCoy Heisman Trophy votes and bye bye public perception and support. The only loss Texas received was on the road vs an undefeated team that was ranked in the top 3 for a bulk of the year. It was also on a miracle touchdown as time expired (things that need to be recognized).

            N #1 Oklahoma                  45-35

            Vs  #11 Mizzou                  56-31

            Vs  #6 Oklahoma St            28-24

            At  #7 Texas Tech                33-39

            At  Kansas                           35-7

            Bowl  #10 Ohio St                24-21

Yes, I have supported Texas all season as I labeled them what I thought was the best team in the nation for the majority of the season. And when they had the opportunity to make a statement in the Fiesta Bowl they didn’t make the most of it, but when putting more thought into, they also played an extremely well coached Ohio St team on a neutral site. This team had 6 weeks to prepare for Texas, and Texas not bringing their A game was still good enough to win the game when it counted.

So sorry for the let down guys, but as long as the BCS is deciding things, these are the Championship results that are to be expected.

Peter Lomuscio