Another year, another BCS controversy, the fifth in this decade's seven seasons.
Florida or Michigan? Michigan or Florida? This debate ranks up there with Auburn-Oklahoma, LSU-Southern Cal, Nebraska-Oregon and Miami-Florida State.
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If BCS heads hurt, take solace. It could have been worse.
What if OU was in the mix? What if the Gordon Riese Gang had not bushwhacked the Schooner on the Oregon Trail?
Rewrite this Duck Soup recipe to end in celebration, not outrage, and the Big 12 champ Sooners would be 12-1 instead of 11-2.
Texas would be the lone blemish on OU's ledger.
OU would join 12-1 Florida, 11-1 Louisville and 11-1 Wisconsin as America's lone one-loss teams.
Would the Sooners shove their way into this debate? Could they have kept Florida out of the Big Bowl?
No. Even at 12-1, the Sooners would not have the case of Michigan or Florida.
Such declaration hurts the tale of the great Autzen Stadium heist.
But truth is truth. The loss at Oregon is not keeping the Sooners from playing Ohio State for the national enchilada.
Florida and Michigan have much stronger cases than would a 12-1 Oklahoma. The reason? Largely the Big 12. Your favorite league emits a foul and unpleasant odor this 2006 season.
The BCS computers do not like the Big 12 this year, and there's no reason why they should.
Let's list the Big 12's marquee non-conference wins.
1. Kansas over South Florida. Uh, need we continue? What's next? Texas Tech over UTEP? Oklahoma over Washington? Kansas State over Marshall? This list lost steam and fast.
Because this whole premise is what if, then OU at Oregon would become an easy No. 1 as the Big 12's prime achievement.
But the reality is ugh. We entered this season belittling the Big East. We should exit belittling the Big 12.
Most Big 12 schools (not OU) dumbed down their schedules. That's good for won-loss records and terrible for status. The BCS computers aren't fooled by in-bred success.
The Big 12's weak 2006 would drag down a 12-1 Oklahoma, just as it drags down an 11-2 Oklahoma, which is 10th in the BCS rankings despite being ranked eighth in both polls. The Sooners are 16th in the computer average.
No matter what Riese is guilty of, costing the Sooners a national-title shot is not one of them.
As for the BCS decision to send Florida to play Ohio State, good job.
A minimum requirement for playing in the Big Bowl should be conference supremacy.
If you don't win your conference, you shouldn't get the chance to win the nation. This isn't baseball. No wild cards allowed.
Florida won the SEC. Michigan failed to win the Big Ten.
The SEC was tougher than the Big Ten. Florida triumphed over the likes of LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia. That trumps the Big Ten.
Plus, Michigan had its bats. The Wolverines' 42-39 loss to Ohio State was a game for the ages, and yes, it's bad luck that Michigan had to play in Columbus the year both popped out great squads.
But Michigan got its shot. Now it's Florida's turn.
And not even the Gordon Riese Gang could have changed that.
Officials review a call in the second half during the OU-Oregon game Sept. 16. Oregon defeated Oklahoma 34-33 with a controversial officiating call. But that call was not a factor in keeping the Sooners out of the national championship picture. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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