BCS Update: The World's Gone Mad

Well, USC fell one spot without losing. But, they were in a bye week, and Michigan defeated a good Iowa team. It makes a heck of a lot more sense than Auburn falling on spot after winning and getting hurdled by an idle Louisville team.

No, the rest of the Louisville team is just better than we thought.

You can't be serious. You're knocking the strength of the SEC while praising the Big East? Because of West Virginia, Rutgers and Louisville? None of them have defeated anyone yet! We went through this earlier in the year with Pittsburgh, too. WVU has played the 89th toughest schedule in the country. Louisville has played the 70th. Rutgers has played the 97th. The average strength of schedule played by Big East teams is 66. The reason the conference looks so good is because the teams at the top aren't playing anyone even remotely good.

Who has Texas played? i mean they can barely beat unranked teams and got their doors blown off against OSU. I would say the Big East is one of the stronger conferences this year. Remember how great Georgia was and how they were going to dismantle WV inthe Sugar Bowl? Remember WV going into an extremely hostile environment and beating the bulldogs? Big East Football has a great conference including some top teams in the nation. WV, Lousiville, Rutgers.

The three as of yet undefeated teams in the big east will get strength of schedule bumps once they are finished playing each other (as will the potentially one-loss USC-Notre Dame winner and Michigan-Ohio State loser) Texas has some tough opponents left too (A&M and the B12 title game), so they should get a similar bump

LOL...Who has Texas played? Oklahoma, Nebraska and Ohio State. All three of those are definitely better than anyone WVU has played, and they're all arguably better than anyone Louisville has played (depending on how good you think Miami is). I'm not trying to say the Big 12 is better than the Big East (you'll notice I only criticized you for saying the SEC is weak), I'm just saying that if you're going to get into an argument about SOS, the Big East will lose EVERY TIME.

By the way, my SOS talk isn't just me shooting off at the mouth. I've given you numbers. Look at Jeff Sagarin's power rankings. The Big East has played a weak schedule, PERIOD. You want to dis the teams Texas has played, but I've actually got numbers to back what I'm saying. What have you got?

I also wonder who the unranked TEAMS are that Texas is barely beating. Yeah, they barely beat Nebraska, who JUST got knocked out of the rankings after losing this weekend. But Nebraska is always a tough team to play in Lincoln, even in down years. They barely beat Texas Tech, which only had one loss at home to that point. You say barely beating unranked teams as if they're playing a bunch of scabs and just scraping by. Aside from their last two games (which were both road games they were playing with numerous players missing from their defense due to injury), every one of their wins this year has been by double digits.

WVU hasn't played a team that is even close to being ranked, and Lousiville's biggest win is against a 5-3 Miami team that is also not close to being ranked. Once here by another AF (I don't know if it was you) Rutgers was praised, even though they had close wins over UConn and South Florida, of all teams. I'll say it one more time - if you're trying to argue the strength of the Big East by disparaging the strength of schedule of other teams in other conferences, you're going to lose. They haven't played anyone.

The SEC is the most competitive, balanced conference in the coutry. SEC teams also have the best combined out-of-conference record or any conference. Don't knock anything without stats to back it up.

I understand strength of shedule giving a team a boost, but that's a heck of a boost. I've never seen a team jump that high just because their opponents had some good wins in a weekend.

Well, to be honest, you're viewing this with shaded glasses. Of all Texas' wins this season, only one had a win last week, Oklahmoma beat a falling Missouri team. A big win for them (Nebraska) lost, and the only beat an average T Tech team by 4 points. Couple that with the performance of Louisville opponents, and you should defeinitely be able to see the shift in the polls. Auburn lost a lot of computer points because suddenly Arkansas doesn't look that good because of the USC loss, and Auburns opponenets only had a few wins. These things will figure themselves out

I would love to see WV or Louisville play Texas.

I'm not denying a bias, but I don't think this has to do with shaded glasses. Teams don't jump three spots without playing a game without more than one team ahead of them losing.

And I would also like to see WVU or Louisville play Texas. I'd like to see what they could do against a real defense.

Yeah, barely scraping by UConn has me sold on Jersey's talent.

please name some of New Jersey's All-Time talent? There are COUNTIES in Western PA that have produced dozens of more players than ALL of NJ...

Mr. Stiles- I highly doubt pennsylvania could hold a candle to new jersey in football. That's why Penn State/Pitt recruits heavily in New Jersey. Don't be delusional like you are in baseball.

Wow, NJ as the 9th most populated state, one would imagine it could compete with the 7th and 8th most populated states in the realm of football talent. Those two states, Pennsylvania and Ohio, have more football talent in one city than all of jersey has had in its existance. How many Division I teams are even in New Jersey? I bet Hamilton County Ohio has more. There's a reason Ohio took on the country this year in the Kirk Herbstreit Challenge and beat many of the best teams from various states. You must be crazy. And Penn St and Pitt recruiting out of them certainly isn't that impressive, seeing from the bevy of draft picks they've put out in the past few years. What about the 8 or so D1 teams in Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky, and Michigan (strangehold on many Cincy teams). Shut up about something you know nothing about

Easy clam strips- What are you talking or should i say rambling about? First off, try reading a paper and understand how our population is divided between states. Secondly, read a paper or two on top football schools in the country and where colleges go recruiting. One of the best schools for football is Don Bosco. Just looked at Penn State recruits...8 of them from New Jersey. You know nothing about New Jersey football.

Hey Jersey boy, you're clearly driving in too many circles...Let me rattle off some players from PA - Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas all from 20 miles of each... Oh, yeah... the FIRST pro football game ever played? IN Pennsylvania

and that's just QB's, by the way

Wow, 8 recruits from New Jersey on one team not even ranked. Does that mean I can claim Ohio is sweet because Minnesota has 17 Ohio players on its roster? The 90+ Ohio players on the Buckeyes roster speaks a little louder. Clouded you say? What about 11 on the Michigan roster (0 New Jersey kids). Oh, broaden the spectrum, okay, 14 on WVU roster vs. 2 from New Jersey, not to mention the countless PA kids. Oh, the top 3 teams isn't enough, fine then, there are more Ohio players on Lousiville. Thats the top 5 teams in the country currently. Auburn has more Ohio players. Florida has 1 from each, however Ohio lays claim to DeShawnn Wynn. This continues on throughout college football, I just don't feel like counting any farther.

I don't know about by far the best. California is definitely in the mix, too. Those are the big 3 of football. A ton of baseball talent comes out of those three states, too.

California is not that great though when you factor in size. THey are a huge state and are not producing players at the same rate as Texas, Florida, Alabama.

now look at the ALL-TIME player list

You put up an All-Time PA team against an All-Time NJ team and I'll give you 2 TDs in the spread - NO CONTEST...NONE

Adjusting for SIZE?? Try adjusting for POPULATION

That's what I did do, size of population.

just give up, football STARTED in Pennsylvania. The best players EVER came from Pennsylvania. New Jersey may produce better players today than ever because of landfill side effects, but All-Time legends speak for themselves... PLEASE look it up, name me the BEST ever NJ football players and we can squash that list without even looking anything up...

He can't 'chair up... he's breathed too much smog from being stuck in traffic!!!

New Jersey also has a team ranked at #14 in the USAToday high school poll. Aww, wait, there are two Ohio teams ranked higher, and one ranked right behind. Damn, Jersey must suck

TRY LOOKING IT UP AGAIN, DON BOSCO RANKED #1. JERSEY STYLE!!!

You're an idiot

http://www.u...-super25.htm

Don Boscoe is 19th

I'm the last person to correct on statistics and facts

I've spent some time in New Jersey, there are more landfills per square mile there than ANYWHERE in the world... New Jersey isn't even a real state... it's SMALLER than the COUNTY I live in, Maricopa County...

relax we are all americans. it is a small state that is right outside of the biggest city in the world. and because of that, we have some of the most wealthy counties in the country. look it up, don't know where you have been in New Jersey except for the airport. haha. and you will also notice how many rich and famous choose to live in new jersey. i trust you can look that up as well. that being said, we are way off the original debate which was that TODAY New Jersey produces a lot of quality high school football players that are heavily recruited around the nation.

I know of more rich and famous people that LEAVE New Jersey than go TO NJ... like your precious son, Tom Maypother... I mean Cruise!!! HA HA HA!!!

{{New Jersey Resident}}

'Chair up AF!

Here's a list of the 10 best things to do in New Jersey:

.

ive lost all respect for you mr. stiles

OK, but why did you have any for me to begin with?? I still love you Pean! (yeah, I said love) It's not your fault your sisters all have big hair!!

hey i didn't say it was much!

That's more like it!!! =)

The Sopranos are from Jersey. They got that going for them.

Do you have a tattoo of jersey too on your calf, maybe even with a star where your hometown is? What about a nice blowout of greasey hair?

what does greasy hair mean? don't get it.

Italian thing

Hello!!! I am from Southeastern Pennsylvania... lived there my first 27 years on this planet... I too have fished in New Jersey, spent many drunken weeks "down the shore" so, good job calling me a left coast this and that...

Unlike you, I have been to 44 of the 50 United States, meaning, I am well travelled and have learned that there IS a world out there beyong suburbia... As for you living in "one of he richest counties" what does that have to do with you? You should see more of the world, you might not want to come back to NJ...

I for instance, would rather be near Yellowstone Park right now!

By the way, all your "rich county residents" are snowbirds that have nicer homes in Scottsdale, Arizona (where Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Tiger Woods own homes) and they're calling me at work all day, bitching about the weather, the traffic and people's attitudes back east...

By the way, A-Rod was at the Gold's Gym (where my wife used to work) across the street from my work yesterday... I wonder why he's not hanging out near New York? Couldn't be the people? or the weather? or that rich people flock to Scottsdale?

Fighting Anon with Anon... Anon #4 REALLY knows his stuff... and sounds intelligently handsome, too!

or new yorkers HATE a-rod?

maybe he's tired of paying more for goods and services... AND an 8% tax

Look, I like travelling. I was in PA just a month ago, was in NYC in April... I like the places, but all it takes is one or two yappers that blah blah blah about how great everything is in THEIR town, yet they've never left the area... HOW do you know how great it is there? Because 10 million stupid people can't be wrong?

I'm not saying do this or that, but open your eyes, everything that ends up on the island, comes from some place else!!! More people LEAVE New Jersey than GO to New Jersey, what does THAT tell you?

So your city/metropolis area has the most ______fill in the blank, SO WHAT? HOW does that make YOU any better?

And WHAT does this have to do with the BCS?

Holy caps lock Batman!

An interesting study was done by the Wharton school a few weeks ago in an attempt to find the best football state. Number of division 1 signed athletes over the number of male students, per capita income, nfl players, percentage of pro fans, percentage of college fans, etc was taken into account. Mississippi ranked 1st. Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, Alabama, Texas, Virginia, South Carolina, Kansas and Florida rounded out the top 10, in that order.

And WHERE is the Wharton School of Business? Oh yeah, Pennsylvania... My point was there are more top tier Hall of Fame football players from PA than any other state. I'm not bragging, it's just a known fact.

We still don't know that. This is like all the BYU fans that were complaining about BYU getting left out of the BCS after their 11-0 start in 2001. It didn't matter that the best team they'd defeated was Southern Miss. It wasn't until they got annihilated by Hawaii in the last game of the season that BYU fans saw the light. I'm not saying that will necessarily happen to Rutgers, but I think you're a little too excited about a team whose strength of schedule ranks behind a handfull of 1-AA schools.

So one recruiting prepatory school in the top 100, your list not mine. Lets check the rest, nope, thats it, one team from New Jersey, in the whole top 100, in the 9th most populated state. By my count there are 7 teams from Ohio. Wonder where the better football is played with more players. Thanks for proving my point.

That list now has them at 17th. JERSEY STYLE! What a moron.

I believe counting Hall of Famers from a particular State would show MORE relevancy than current players... Hall of Famers tend to be better quality afterall... right?looky here, 26 HOFers from PA, 21 from Ohio and FIVE from NJ... O!F - Franco Harris, that's it!

Might I add, 24 from Texas. And a few names you might recognize - Sammy Baugh, Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Gene Upshaw, Mike Singletary...one of our boys even has an AWARD named after him (Doak Walker).

Not to mention that the one that has Boscoe, inexplicablly dropped the best team in Illinois (I went to a rival high school, and know first hand how good they are) 52 spots for beating a team 46-6 in the playoffs.

you must enjoy rooting for your High School team... I assume by your mentality that you have made it to high school by now (maybe on the 2nd or 3rd attempt?)

Where's PA high schools manny?? not even in top 20!!! haha. that is rich.

Yeah, and I'm not in High School OR PA, so what?

the argument was about states producing quality football talent. Quality H.S. talent should lend way to Superior pro talent and the superior pros go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame... WHERE is NJ at now??

You can live now and cheer now, but you can't deny the past; as a Yankee fan, I thought you had that detail ingrained...

Sounds like you FELL off the wagon... actual proof

bruce springsteen

ahhh... Glory Days.

Wait, that song was about a "speedball thrower", not a football player!

The Boss, Franco Harris... and.... .... ....

(I won't hold my breath)

I don't recognize that guy... I don't hate NJ, I ust prefer many, many other states more

so WHO is on the horizon - PA has marginable/lock HoFers in Marvin Harrison, Eddie George, Curtis Martin, Jason Taylor, Rich Gannon and Larry Johnson

New Jersey? Wayne Chebret? Ron Dayne? WHO???

please, put the crack down, it skews your arguing potential... just make fun of me for not being a Yankee fan, you actually make MORE sense doing that...

The only list I could find that loaded correctly was from 2001. It is possible, would take some serious counting though. And do you measure birthstate, or state attended high school, or what. Its an interesting idea though

11,353,140 Ohio 2000 population, 8,414,350 New Jersey 2000 population. That means that New Jersey has 74.1% of Ohio's population, and only 55% of its NFL players. Not quite on par, not even close.

check this guy out...I remember him as a star QB from South River, NJ high school. He broke a record every game. chekc the link http://en.wi...oe_Theismann

Anon #6- don't bother arguing with ManWags. He only listens to himself. Yes, you are correct, Joe T. was from South River as well as Drew Pearson who played for the Dallas Cowboys. A little know wide receiver. haha.

neither of whom are PRO HoFers, by the way

true but you have to admit they were very good players and came from the same nj high school.

I think Rutgers will get absolutely owned. I've watched them twice this year, maybe three times. And every time I've seen them, I've been completely unimpressed. Oh, they have flashes, but I've seen many mistakes that would not hold up against a schedule with tougher opponents than they ones they've played. They're a decent team, but right now they are entirely the beneficiaries of one of the easiest schedules in the country, just like BYU was in 2001. Even though it would do wonders for my team for Rutgers to win, I think that team is a scarecrow waiting to be scattered by the wind of Lousiville.

Two words... Brian Brohm. Yah, the Cards are going to take it hard to the Scarlet Knights.

okay- you have your opinion. i think the scarlet knights are gonna win. i think rice/leonard are going to run all over them. up and down the field. don't think these cards are gonna come into the banks of the ole raritan and beat us. not going to happen. cards are just not that good. west virginia would kick the crap out of louisville if played again.

I'm not saying that Rice and Leonard won't run up and down the field on the Cardinals. But, I've seen nothing from the Rutgers defense to make me think they'll be able to stop the Cardinals offense. I think it will be a high-scoring game, but ultimately not that close. You can only run for so long before you find yourself washed out by their passing attack. I also have to keep laughing at the terminology you keep using. You called Rutgers a powerhouse. You are now saying you don't come on the banks of the ole raritan and beat Rutgers. That is laughably bold talk for the fan of a team that's been down since...well, pretty much the inception of its football program.

Sorry, that was me.

It's like bashing the Yankees while touting the Rangers or some other sorry team who has no history of performing. For some reason, it's OK for Texas, Notre Dame and all of the big universities to get millions of booster bucks from their fans and TV packages and use that to fund stadiums, equipment and other aspects of their program, thereby further enabling recruitment campaigns. And this is OK while other schools are not afforded equitable funding. Yet when the Yanks decide to spend some of the money that they earn, it is a catostrophe that is tarnishing the foundation of the game. Bullshit.

It would be great to see Rutgers or Louisville remain atop the rankings. Like the gentlemen said previously, with Miami and the other FL schools wallowing, this could be a new order in which the Big East emerges. Unless Schiano goes packing for the U or Penn State, that is.

Please don't compare professional sports to collegiate athletics. The Yankees are also paid to play. The Yankees don't carry a full course load. The Yankees aren't subsidized by the federal government. Y'all continue to look like fools. Give it up.