Wow

There's very few other appropriate responses, than Wow. When I put concocted my VT into the National Championship game scenario, I could never have predicted I was a Tennessee TD away from its fruition.

First, LSU plays a mediocre game against Tennessee, but holds on for the win, securing the SEC title. In a conference which is universally regarded as the toughest, the Tigers lost 2 games, both in triple overtime. A home loss to unranked Arkansas on the last day of the regular season is a very tough pill to swallow, but clearly the voters found a way.

Second, West Virginia lays one of the biggest eggs in college football history. Of all the losses by top ranked team to unranked teams in 2007, this one has to be the biggest choke job. With a BCS title shot in their future, and nothing but a 4-win, Dave Wannestedt led Pittsburgh team at home left in their way, the Mountaineers score just 7 points and lose 13-7 to Pitt. I read earlier that even had WV pulled that game out in the final seconds, many voters would likely have ousted them from the #2 spot. To play that poorly with so much at stake against a flat out bad football team at home, is the ultimate choke job. Kudos to Pitt and the worst head football coach in America for pulling the upset, but the Mountaineers won't soon forget this missed opportunity.

In the final game, Mizzou gets blown out by Oklahoma. Not a shocker here, Oklahoma is more balanced, better coached and more experienced. Mizzou put up a good fight for a half, but the Sooners are just simply the superior team. It would have been a great story to see the Tigers play for the title, but the conference title game came back to bite them in the ass. There's been a lot of talk about giving teams the option to decline a bid to the conference championship, a move that would benefit a team like Mizzou when an extra can only hurt them. I'm not a proponent of this, as I am a fan of the Conference Championships, but I think all leagues should be required to have them. Further, I think Chase Daniel lost his Heisman chances last night, as he didn't play well enough in a must win. It's down to Tebow and McFadden, and regrettably, I'd have to give the nod to Tebow.

This left the BCS in complete disarray, leaving 7 teams with a legitimate argument to play for the National Title.

1-loss teams.

Ohio State- the only conference champion with 1 loss. OSU won a soft Big 10, and played an even softer out of conference schedule. However, the Buckeyes get the de-facto auto bid, despite losing to unranked Illinois and only beating 1 team that finished in the top 25.

Kansas- the only other major conference team with only 1 loss. KU played a schedule ranked 106/119, and its most impressive with came over #24 Kansas State. The Jayhawks failed to win their conference, or even play for their conference title.

2-loss teams

LSU- champions of the best conference in the nation. Both losses came in triple overtime, but the home loss to unranked Arkansas on the last day of the season is tough.

Oklahoma- Big XII champs, and beat the #1 team in the country by 21 points (Just ask Bob Stoops, he'll tell you). But two losses to unranked teams really killed them.

Virginia Tech- going into the day, VT was the next highest conference champion. Further, VT did not lose to an unranked team, and both losses were to the #2 team in the country at the time. Further, VT actually ended up with the toughest strength of schedule of the teams left (4/119). However, a 41 point loss to fellow 2-loss LSU is the argument killer.

Georgia- the next highest ranked team, and one of the hottest teams in the nation. But the Bulldogs, like Jayhawks, failed to even qualify for the conference title game.

USC- many, including myself, feel the Trojans are actually the best team in the country. Both losses came without starter John David Booty, and the team has played extremely well of late. However, any team that loses to Stanford has a tough case to make.

To me, you have to win your conference if you want to play for the national title. The current system is admittedly flawed, but it's what we have to work with right now. The system only allows for 2 teams to play for the title, and as such, both teams should have to be conference champions.

This eliminates Kansas and UGA.

After that it becomes difficult, but to me, it came down to who won the toughest conference. The answer to that is LSU, and I believe that's why the voters put them in at #2. Oklahoma also leapfrogged many teams, going from #9 to #3. Interestingly enough, has VT been ranked #3/#4, they might have edged out LSU in the BCS. Due to their strength of schedule, VT was the #1 team in the land according to the computers, and had the human polls been kinder, the Hokies might have sneaked in.

Nonetheless, if you have to only give two teams a chance, I believe the two most deserving teams got in. I'm glad Hawaii gets a chance to play in a BCS game, and I'm outraged that the Orange Bowl picked Kansas over Mizzou. If this year in college football doesn't push the stubborn powers at be toward a playoff, nothing will. Just for fun, imagine this playoff after 2007.

6 conference champions get in, 2 at large (Georgia and Hawaii). Using the BCS to determine seedings, these would be the match-ups.

#1 Ohio State vs #8 Hawaii
#2 LSU vs #7 West Virginia
#3 Virginia Tech vs #6 USC
#4 Oklahoma vs #5 Georgia

Now tell me that wouldn't be fun...