OU Lost!

[JLyons]

As an LSU fan, I have to say we should have played against USC. My opinion is if you don't win your division, you shouldn't play for the national championship. So it shouldn't have been OU in New Orleans, it should have been USC.

As far as saying who is the best. You really can't say until the 2 teams match up.

I would love for LSU & USC to play against each other. Some day....

[GPhiBLtColonel]

.......To all of y'all who say the LSU is the "ONLY" national champ, well there are a whole bunch of folks who voted in both polls who disagree with you -- and I think there may have been even more than three in the BCS poll who would have voted for USC had they not been bound to rubber stampt the BCS bowl results. So since the BCS system eschews a final, once and for all playoff like we all would have love to have seen (and we all know should have been played in the sugar bowl) and since the BCS system failed to deduct points in their wacko computer program for teams that did not win their conference, that is why in 2003
there are co-champs -- USC AND LSU!

....so there!

[ThetaLove]

I agree with you that some changes need to be made. No doubt about it. It just really stinks that some media people can't accept the fact that LSU won the national championship game.

Below are the final computer rankings for the 2003 season:

LSU wins 6 of 7 computer polls, most by SIGNIFICANT margins over USC. Only the NYTimes poll gave USC the #1 spot, by a VERY SLIGHT margin.

LSU finishes 13th in the nation in SOS, ahead of OU who finishes 14th and USC finished 20th. LSU was mere fractions away from actually finishing 10th. Remove the Western Illinois game, which should have never been scheduled, and LSU finishes 8th.

Computer poll results:

Kevin Massey
1 LSU.........5.060
2 USC.........4.756
3 Ohio St.....4.604
4 Georgia.....4.572
5 Miami OH....4.550

Jeff Sagarin
1 LSU..........98.21
2 USC..........95.56
3 Georgia......92.01
4 Miami OH.....91.89
5 Miami FL.....91.21

NY Times
1 USC...........1.000
2 LSU...........0.996
3 Maryland......0.934
4 Ohio St.......0.927
5 Miami.........0.909
(Note: Maryland #3......hmmmmmm....makes you wonder about this poll)

Billingsley
1 LSU.........309.977
2 USC.........308.769
3 Oklahoma....295.654
4 Miami FL....291.686
5 Ohio St.....290.926
(Note: LSU started the season 30 points behind USC in the first polling for Billingsley)

Anderson-Hester
1 LSU........0.792
2 USC........0.774
3 Miami OH...0.758
4 Oklahoma...0.746
5 Ohio St....0.744

Peter Wolfe
1 LSU........7.634
2 USC........7.252
3 Miami OH...6.910
4 Georgia....6.904
5 Oklahoma...6.766

Colley Matrix
1 LSU.......0.93172
2 USC.......0.91873
3 OHIO ST...0.87783
4 Oklahoma..0.87058
5 Miami FL..0.84364

As you can see, there is as much distance between LSU and USC as there is between USC and the 3rd place team in Massey, Sagarin, Anderson-Hester and Peter Wolfe. These polls are handing No. 1 to LSU without a doubt. Billingsley is only close because teams are not considered even going into the season, he uses a preseason ranking and USC had a 30 point margin on LSU to start off with. Colley also gives LSU some breathing room ahead of USC. What can you say about the NY Times? Maryland No. 3 says it all.

[aopirose]

I swore that I wasn’t going to go there but since I have bought my ticket, I might as well. This is my final comment on the subject. LSU is the National Champion. LSU is not the co-Champion but THE Champion. Period. Why? Well, let me tell you. USC did not win or even play in the Championship game. Stop trying to claim something that is not yours.

In 1998, six conferences, including the PAC 10, and Notre Dame along with Sugar, Orange, Rose and Fiesta Bowls formed the BCS. It was agreed upon by all involved that the team that won the designated bowl game would be the National Champion. The 2003 Season National Championship game was played in the Sugar Bowl. LSU and Oklahoma played in the Sugar Bowl. LSU won the Sugar Bowl; therefore, LSU is the National Champion.

Is the BCS perfect system? No but it is the system in place now and these are the results. People like Keith Jackson and Terry Bowden who kept repeating incessantly during the Rose Bowl that “this is the REAL Championship game” need to get a clue and map. They talked about “computer error” well let’s talk about media bias. How can they or any journalist print or talk about USC being the national champion before the last bowl game had been played? Yet, it was done. Several AP writers proclaimed that they had already cast their vote for USC long before the Sugar Bowl game clock even started. That’s certainly fairer then a computer program, right?

As they and several others have prattled on about things just not being right, I am reminded of the 2000 election. Zealous Democrats bemoaned that GW isn’t the real president and that he stole the election. I am a Democrat and I voted for Al Gore but I know that the presidency is not won by popular vote and neither is the national championship. GW is in the White House and LSU has the crystal football.

[PiEp299]

The Stats:

Here's how they stacked up before the bowls:
- National ranking in schedule strength: 1. Oklahoma (11th); 2. LSU(29th); 3. USC (37th).
- Games against the BCS top 25: 1. LSU (4); 2. OU (3); 3. USC (1).
- Wins against the BCS top 25: 1. LSU (3); 2. OU (2); 3. USC (1).
- Games against teams with five or more losses: 1. LSU (7); 2. OU (8);3. USC (11).
- Points scored: 1. OU (587); 2. USC (506); 3. LSU (454).
- Points against: 1. LSU (140); 2. OU (193); 3. USC (225).
- Margin of victory: 1. OU (35.16 points); 2. LSU (24.15); 3. USC (23.42).
- Total offense: 1. OU (461.38 yards per game); 2. USC (450.67); 3. LSU(426.54).
- Total defense: 1. OU (255.62 yards per game); 2. LSU (259.54); 3. USC(337.75).
- Scoring defense: 1. LSU (10.77 points per game); 2. OU (14.85); 3. USC(18.75).
- Pass defense: 1. OU (145.92 yards per game); 2. LSU (191.38); 3. USC(276.67).
- Margin of defeat: 1. USC (3 points); 2. LSU (12); 3. OU (28).
- LSU lost at home to Florida, 19-7. Florida (15th in BCS, 17th in
polls)finished 8-4 against the nation's fifth-toughest schedule. The Gators beat the BCS's No. 2 and No. 12 and lost to No. 7, No. 8, No. 9 and No.19.
- Oklahoma lost on a neutral field to Kansas State, 35-7. Kansas State(10th in BCS, top 10 in both polls) finished 11-3 against the nation's10th-toughest schedule. The Wildcats beat the BCS's No. 1 and No. 20teams and lost to No. 6 and No. 21.
- USC lost at Cal, 34-31, in three overtimes. Cal (unranked in BCS and both polls) finished 7-6 against a far weaker schedule than either Kansas State or Florida. The Bears defeated the BCS's No. 3 and lost to No. 10.

- Note that USC received an early bump in the polls by beating a
far-overranked Auburn team 23-0 in the season opener.
- Note also the overlooked fact that the only reason the BCS came down to the now-infamous Boise State-Hawaii contest is because the system penalized LSU for beating a top 10 team twice (Georgia), eliminating the Tigers' quality win component.
- Note also the fact that USC is ranked No. 1 now for no other reason than this: THE TROJANS LOST FIRST. Had either OU or LSU (or both) lost before USC, there is zero debate about USC's merits as a national champion. The season would have progressed and USC would be ranked somewhere in the
top three, and perhaps playing for the championship - but NOT simply having it handed to them for the timeliness of their defeat.
- Now note that the Trojans beat their first top 10 BCS team in the Rose Bowl. That opponent was Michigan, a team with nothing but pride on the line that had won its own "championship" a month earlier when it beat Ohio State. The Wolverines' prize was the trip to Southern California, and it was painfully evident that they didn't show up to play against USC in Pasadena (see dropped passes/interceptions, missed tackles,
etc.). Easier stated: It's not a national championship game unless both teams have the title on the line. Period.

Bottom line: USC has had a great season, better than most, but not better than LSU or Oklahoma. The system may be imperfect, and screams louder than ever for a playoff, but the system was created in part to eliminate human voting bias and match up the two most deserving teams in a national championship. Oklahoma and LSU are those two teams, and the winner of the Nokia Sugar Bowl deserves the national championship, in full. That being LSU.

[DeltaSigStan]

Though I think Cornheiser says some of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard a sportswriter say, I will have to agree on his method of changing the BCS:

1) If you end the regular season (start the bowl season) as #1 in the polls you HAVE to be in the Nat. Champ. Game.

2) If you didn't win your conference, you CAN'T be in the Nat. Champ. game. How can you be the best team in the country and not the best in your conference?

[PiEp299]

That's fine until the following scenario happens.

#1 finishes with no losses (obvious championship game berth)

#2 finishes with 1 loss, in conference title game.

#3 finishes with 2 losses in conference, but wins conference title anyway.

Then #1 should play #3 and #2 get left out?

Also what if #3 and #4 have 2 losses each but win their respective conferences...who goes to the title game then?

[Tom Earp]

Actually, who cares

Footbrawll season is over, it is all imperfect for a Major decision unless the Whoopty Doos Play each other to see who is the top dog. Untill then, it is a towel thrown up in the air for the ones whom want to have a crying rag!

Decisions made by and voted on by a minority do not make it solid as granett. But, it is the best that We supposedly have at the moment!

So knock out Confrence Champions on playoffs and go with the best record for the year!

What happened to the Big Bowls of Yore, Cotton, Rose, Sugar, Gator.

Hell I wonder when it will have the Toilet Bowl, damn, there are a Kazillion Bowls now! Mineral Bowl for Jr. Colleges in Excelsor Springs , Mo! OKAY, but not for the Major Bowls!

Remember, the TV Media is a Very Big Part of all of the Huppla now!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by Tom Earp
Actually, who cares

Footbrawll season is over...Remember, the TV Media is a Very Big Part of all of the Huppla now!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Yup. Happy to be past the "ABC Sports BCS Bowl Week."

[ThetaLove]

If you don't care, you don't have to waste your time reading the posts. It's as simple as that.


PiEp299 and DeltaSigStan, I see what both of ya'll are saying. There are so many what ifs. I don't have any resolutions to the problems of the BCS but I really hope it all gets cleared up. It isn't fair to the players at all. Both USC and LSU.


GEAUX TIGERS!

[Kevin]

Originally posted by DeltaSigStan
Though I think Cornheiser says some of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard a sportswriter say, I will have to agree on his method of changing the BCS:

1) If you end the regular season (start the bowl season) as #1 in the polls you HAVE to be in the Nat. Champ. Game.

2) If you didn't win your conference, you CAN'T be in the Nat. Champ. game. How can you be the best team in the country and not the best in your conference?

Fortunately, it's not all about the egos of the know-it-all sportswriters being massaged. I'm just as good a judge as many of these folks about football. They have clear regional bias and are in many ways flawed.

The computer polls that actually look at who you beat and who you beat beats make better judges of who is #1 than any human polls. The coach's poll is a joke. How many college football games do you think they watch on Saturdays when they are playing? How many of them know much about any team that they aren't playing? They'd make good judges of talent, I just don't think they have the time to take this seriously.

The bottom line is that the PAC-10, Big XII, Big X, SEC, etc. agreed to a system to choose the national champion. The human polls ARE a part of it. The computer polls this time did a good thing by not punishing a team for when its loss occured.

If you watched the Sugar Bowl, OU did not suck. LSU was just that good!

I was in New Orleans (couldn't afford the ticket) for that game. I also want to say how cool most of the LSU fans were to us. We were actually able to party with a few of 'em after the game. They're my new favorite in the SEC next to 'Bama.

(the "tiger bait" thing got pretty old though)

[JLyons]

Not to stir up any crap but thought I'd share this quote with you.

"USC is National Champions like Al Gore is President of the United States." - LSU Chancellor Mark Emmert

[DeltaSigStan]

Originally posted by ktsnake
Fortunately, it's not all about the egos of the know-it-all sportswriters being massaged. I'm just as good a judge as many of these folks about football. They have clear regional bias and are in many ways flawed.

Hey, like I said, I think Cornheiser is a moron.

Besides, EVERYONE has a little homer in them.

[Kevin]

Originally posted by DeltaSigStan
Hey, like I said, I think Cornheiser is a moron.

Besides, EVERYONE has a little homer in them.

Everyone except computers. Which IMO makes them a better judge of who's earned a ranking than sportswriters or coaches.

3 things:

First,

I'm amazed by the number of females posting on this thread. No comment.

Secondly,

I'm pretty sure it's Kornheiser. I think you only spell it with a "C" if you're in Nebraska.

Lastly,

If you're like me and despise the BCS, the WORSE thing you can do is make a big stink about what happened this year. Right now, the fact that the game's been over for a week and it's still hotly debated is exactly what those BCS folks want. It keeps college football in the spotlight.

Kitso
KS 361

PS Please stop all the, "bring it on LSU/USC, we'll play next year to see who the real champ is" talk. College teams are different from year to year, much more than pro teams. Any game won next year(ASSUMING that the AD's of the 2 schools could pull enough strings to set up such a game in 7 months) has no bearing on what happened this year.