There COULD be an Alabama-Florida rematch for national title
Don’t look now folks but we COULD have a rematch of the SEC championship game for the BCS national title.
I know I’ve said for weeks that this cannot happen, that the voters in the human polls would not allow a team that loses on championship Saturday to turn right around and play for the national title a month later. But now we are looking at the real numbers and the numbers do not lie.
Florida and Alabama are 1-2 in the latest BCS Standings. They are tied for the No. 1 spot in the computers. Look at the gap in the total rating between No. 2 Alabama (.9513) and No. 4 TCU (.8689) and No. 5 Cincinnati (.8547). Alabama has almost a full one-tenth of a point over TCU and Cincinnati. In this system that is huge! TCU (12-0) is done for the season and Cincinnati (11-0) plays a Pittsburgh team (9-2) that lost last week to West Virginia.
What does this mean? It means that if Texas loses to Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game, the SEC championship game loser, if it is a really tight game, has a real chance to finish No. 2 in the final BCS Standings. That’s because the computers will still love them because their only loss this season was to a team ranked in the top two.
It will all come down to the human voters and how far they drop the SEC championship game loser. If the loser of that game only drops to No. 3 or No. 4 in the human polls, then it can finish No. 2 in the BCS standings because of the computers. So it could be that a 12-0 TCU, a 12-0 Cincinnati and a 13-0 Boise State get squeezed out.
Remember this: The voters in the human polls realized in 2006 that their votes set up the BCS championship matchup. That’s why they moved No. 4 Florida ahead of No. 3 Michigan in their final polls. Michigan had had its shot and lost to No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 USC had lost.
This also has a chance to be a repeat of 2003 when Southern California finished No. 1 in both human polls and did not get into the BCS championship game. If Texas loses on Saturday, then TCU or Cincinnati could finish No. 2 in the human polls but get left out of the big game in favor of a one-loss team from the SEC.
If Texas takes care of Nebraska on Saturday we will not have this argument. But if Texas loses, look out. If Florida and Alabama have a rematch for the national championship, those who want to blow up the BCS system will have a lot more ammunition that the system unfairly favors the elites of college football.
And boy, will that be a fun argument.
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306 comments Add your comment
mj
November 30th, 2009
12:09 pm
Interesting that some think it is a double standard for the slime and the Gators to have a rematch even though Michigan and OSU didnt, but two big ten teams can techically go undefeated every year and be 1 and 2, with NO championship game. They need to ban Championship games or force each conference to have one, period. Bama and the Gators are the best 2 teams in the Nation, this will be justice for Auburn not getting in 2004? when they were 13-0 including 9-0 vs SEC teams compared to a weak OU team and a USC team that was overrated. The SEC is the best conference, but I would love to see the SEC Destroy USC and others, the beating the Big Ten gets old…we need to play good competition…OURSELVES!
Jeff
November 30th, 2009
12:10 pm
All this talk about Alabama and Florida. Dont forget about the Yellow jackets. When we beat Clemsux and win the ACC, we should be given consideration
F-105 Thunderchief
November 30th, 2009
12:12 pm
My first thought was, the system doesn’t unfairly favor the big guys. But, then I remembered that Utah beat Alabama last year. Hmmm. Yeah, it would be a good debate.
Dooley's Cardiologist
November 30th, 2009
12:18 pm
First, no way this happens. Texas will NOT lose to Nebraska, so it will be the winner of the SEC vs. Texas….Second, I was just checking out SI and I didn’t realize that other than UF and Bama, the SEC is miserable. What happened, I mean the West at least has LSU kinda hanging on. But, the East is pitiful. They better hope neither of them have an off year…I am sure I am late in realizing it, but I just checked into today. didn’t realize there was a combined record of 64-49. Third, you looked snazzy all gussied up on CBS the other day Tony. Was that suit Armani??
N.GA.DAWG
November 30th, 2009
12:20 pm
just remember bama was not sec champs either.
Vince Dooley
November 30th, 2009
12:21 pm
In my opinion, if you can’t win your conference, you don’t deserve to play for the Nat. Title.
GeoffDawg
November 30th, 2009
12:22 pm
Dooley’s Cardiologist – you’re right in that the middle of the SEC was extremely competitive this year and the records reflect that. Tell me though, how did the ACC do against SEC competition when the opponents weren’t named Vanderbilt or Miss St?
bamafan
November 30th, 2009
12:33 pm
I dare say that the Miss State team that beat the snot out of Ole Miss on Saturday could have beaten every team in the ACC on Saturday.
As for rematch – should Bama beat FLA in the SEC game, the last thing we want is to have to do it again. I suspect FLA feels the same way.
Should Bama lose, we will simply root for FLA against Texas or whoever in the NC game. It is all very nice that the SEC game plays such an important role in determining the national title, and it is all very nice that the two best teams will be playing Saturday, but a rematch will only help the loser.
As for the UGA-GaTech game, did anyone else find the 3 GaTech passes to the endzone at the end of the game to be strange??
ratherBgambling
November 30th, 2009
12:36 pm
No rematch
Best matchup on Saturday: Joe Haden v Julio Jones
jim
November 30th, 2009
12:38 pm
Last week Tony, you talked about how Ga.Tech will “roll” on GA. Awfully quiet about that bone head column. No acknowledgement that you were wrong? Did’nt think so.
DawginLex
November 30th, 2009
12:40 pm
Have not changed my preseason pick:
Texas over florida for the title
Got 12?
November 30th, 2009
12:42 pm
Just when the Tech fans were starting to build confidence and feel good about themselves, the pups go and mess it all up. Dadgummit! (as Bowden would say)
Billy G
November 30th, 2009
12:44 pm
I find it interesting that each of the top 3 teams has only played one opponent in the top 20. Everyone harps on the “weak” schedules of the TCU’s and Boise States, but think it is okay to schedule teams like FIU, UT-Chattanooga, and Charleston Southern for the top ranked teams in the SEC. So, since Florida, Alabama, and Texas struggled against non-ranked teams in their conference, are the pollsters wrong for not having more of the SEC and Big 12 7 – 5 teams in the polls, or are the top 3 not as strong as they are thought to be?
Got 12?
November 30th, 2009
12:53 pm
Billy G,
Bama has played:
#7 Va Tech
#9 LSU
#20 Ole Miss
#22 S. Car
And will play #1 Florida and #2 Texas to finish the year.
gator gator
November 30th, 2009
12:53 pm
Anyone notice Tony’s hair color on CBS.
Dooley's Cardiologist
November 30th, 2009
12:53 pm
Bamafan
They were beyond strange. If Tech runs the ball there, they win the game. I don’t understand the play calling during that series. Also, Tech scored early and often against Miss St. earlier this year (albeit Tech’s defense was awful, but what else is new). I think that Ole’ Miss showed their true colors the other night. They have had moments of greatness, like many other SEC teams, but are brought back down to earth quickly. The SEC is like a swimming pool. UF and Bama are on inner tubes floating at the top, and the rest are drowning in a “pool of mediocrity.”
Tech is soft
November 30th, 2009
12:54 pm
I run this state.
bamafan
November 30th, 2009
1:01 pm
If there was ever a time for the triple option to blast for 40 yards on three plays, it was at the end of the game. The first pass Tech tried was the best, but the other two were very low percentage passes. With UGA in the “prevent” defense (at Bama, we call it “prevent victory”), Tech could have made the yardage with underneath passing in addition to pure triple option. The final pass dropped by Tech was going to gain 15 yards – why it wasn’t thrown earlier instead of 4th down beats the heck out of me.
Billy G – lay off the weak non-conference schedule crap. Yes, it is embarrassing but BAMA played home and home with UCLA in 2000 and 2001, home and home with Oklahoma in 2002 and 2003, and opened with #8 Clemson last year, in addition to the ranked opponents in 2009 listed by Got12 above. In 2010 and 2011, Bama plays Penn State home and home.
N.GA.DAWG
November 30th, 2009
1:04 pm
bama will not win!! it’s gonna be 08 all over again.
Nachos
November 30th, 2009
1:10 pm
N.GA.DAWG your are wrong sir. Florida offense has lost some firepower compared to last year. Bama’s defense is much better than last year. McElroy can win a game if needed. Richardson can easily spell Ingram if needed.
Jeff
November 30th, 2009
1:26 pm
M you are an idiot….why cant you man up and admit your team was beat cut and dry. looking to clemson? what a joke…bigger fish to fry? you’re lame dude
Gen Neyland
November 30th, 2009
1:37 pm
DawginLex : As far as I know, you, me and Mark Bradley are the only ones that made that call preseason…
Nick
November 30th, 2009
1:40 pm
HELL NO! One of these two teams will not win their conference. Therefore they are supposedly not eligible for National Title game. i.e. 2007
Need I say more?
Gator bait
November 30th, 2009
1:42 pm
our 5 star recruits won us 7 games, what’s to replace? Now I can strut around and be king of the inbreds. I can laugh and mock 20 yr old GT players while I bask in my 7 donuts that I ate today. You know, I never got to play h.s. ball they made me the water boy but my 790 SAT scores got me in the most pretigious university in the state. I never have to even bend over and touch my toes even though my blood pressure and cholesterol are thru the roof. That is ok, I will just continue to eat all the bacon and sausage bisquits with gravy cause I am D A W G fan. I might be able to get a job at the post office although they seem to be more impressed with the foregin citizens lately than my UGA degree. Do they not know I am a D A W G fan? Just because I have a 40 lb extra weight on my stomach and a bald head with a gray beard, just like junkyardman I am a D A W G fan, women will love me. One day, I will ride a scooter around Walmart cause I never did exercise and blame everyone else for my poor physical health cause I’m a D A W G fan.
Homer Rice
November 30th, 2009
1:46 pm
The Dawgs gotta wrench the Tech QB’s leg in the pile to win. Real classy!
KR
November 30th, 2009
1:49 pm
bamafan: yes, I thought it was very strange. I really thought GT was going to march down the field, score and get by UGA. (Which of course, they didn’t.) I’m not sure what Paul Johnson was thinking, but he needs to make sure he never thinks like that again.
I had similar thoughts about Gus Malzahn’s play calling for the last 1:24 of the Auburn vs. Alabama game. For a team that has been known all season for a fast style of play, how is it that they could only get off a few plays in that time? Hopefully Gene Chizik has a long talk with him about that…
DawgVoiceofReason
November 30th, 2009
1:57 pm
Panda,
That’s one TENTH, not one hundredth. Tony spelled it out. Can’t you read?
EricADawgFAN
November 30th, 2009
2:04 pm
This is Bama’s year. Florida will not beat Bama in the SEC Championship game. Mark my words….. Bama wins the National Championship this year. With the Firing of Martinez and others,(Hopefully) Richt will win the SEC Championship next year with this good current freshman class they have and have done so well against Georgia Tech….
EricADawgFAN
November 30th, 2009
2:06 pm
Vince Dooley States:
In my opinion, if you can’t win your conference, you don’t deserve to play for the Nat. Title.
Greetings Vince Dooley,
Well what do you think about the Big 10 and PAC 10? They don’t even play for a Conference Championship.
Dawg Fud
November 30th, 2009
2:07 pm
m,
enjoy the next year you little pansy
Urban Meyer
November 30th, 2009
2:09 pm
Tony, do not worry about the comments from the fallen ones in Athens.
Being called classless by a poodle fan is like being called ugly by a frog.
Ga boy
November 30th, 2009
2:17 pm
Get a real job SEC boy- there is no way we will have a rematch- nor should we. A one loss team does not deserve to play in the HC game this year. The SEC is very weak this year with only 2 very good teams and lots of mediocre teams
RK
November 30th, 2009
2:21 pm
doggs you were very lucky. the scoreboard was about to change to 31-24 except your willie psyched baybay out on that 4th down dropped pass.
RK
November 30th, 2009
2:22 pm
even your players couldn’t believe what happened.
Clemson2333
November 30th, 2009
2:23 pm
I find it hilarious the people stating that you should just send UGA and USC to the ACC championship game. Rivalry games have NOTHING to do with the conference or honestly even the talent on the field. They are always different, and to take them as anything more than a rivalry game is stupid. So where were you people when Clemson beat USC 6 out of the last 7 years now. Interesting. Ya Woooo SEC they had one good season with two rivalry wins.. I don’t give a damn because us and GA Tech have a chance at a BCS game. Bout you UGA and USC….. bahhaha try and make fun of the ACC all you want. You will be sitting at home on Saturday trying to make your teams seem better then the ACC while we are chearing like hell for our teams to win and goto the ORANGE BOWL! Suck it
RK
November 30th, 2009
2:23 pm
so stop drooling in your porridge over the escape from BD.
Top Dawg
November 30th, 2009
2:31 pm
Does anybody know who won between UGA and Tech Saturday night?
Top Dawg
November 30th, 2009
2:37 pm
I hate to write the obvious, but this year has settled it that A. J. Green is better than Julio Jones. Last year, the Bammers all whined that A. J.’s numbers were better only because he had Matthew Stafford throwing to him. Well, look again boys, because he’s still better than Julio, even with Joe Cox at the helm.
Debate’s over.
KR
November 30th, 2009
2:38 pm
Gee Clemson2333, when Auburn and Alabama tee it up, it usually has everything to do with rivalry, talent AND the SEC Western division standings. No excuses, Alabama was the better team this year.
Truth is your conference’s two division champions were out coached and outplayed by middle of the pack, 7-5 SEC teams. At least GT had a chance of winning their game, while Clemson’s game was over about 1/2 way through the third quarter. How do you think you’d do lining up against the two SEC division champions?
Dubbs
November 30th, 2009
2:39 pm
Tech to roll over Georgia? Glad I did not bet on it and happier you are not my financial advisor.
Got 12?
November 30th, 2009
2:39 pm
Clemson2333,
You are correct. As a matter of fact, rivalry games are not even real games and should not count against the loser’s record.
From all appearances, if UGA and S.Carolina were in the ACC, they’d be playing in Tampa this Saturday.
DawgVoiceofReason
November 30th, 2009
2:43 pm
mj,
You said, “They need to ban Championship games or force each conference to have one, period.”
I agree that every conference playing in the BCS needs to have a conference championship game. As it stands now, it makes for a very unlevel playing field, so to speak, between conferences that have them and those that don’t. I recognize that there are plusses and minuses, depending on the circumstances, but every team needs to have the same conditions for reaching the BCS championship. For example, some years if your team needs a push, winning an extra championship game is a plus. Other years it means your team might suffer injuries that other teams don’t risk, as another example.
Also, the powers that be need to address what Tony is talking about, that a team could lose it’s conference game and still make the BCS championship. In Georgia’s case a couple of years ago, somehow the voters snubbed the Dawgs by voting them down in the rankings at the end of the regular season, even though playing for or winning a conference championship is NOT a requirement anywhere in the rules. The voters in that case were simply hypocritical. Oklahoma a few years before that had gotten in after getting blown out in their championship.
The real issue is that a playoff is clearly needed. Most fans recognize and want that. Only defenders of the current bowl system are resisting the obvious. What I don’t understand is why those resistors don’t recognize that you could easily have the best of both worlds – keep the bowl system and use the big 4 bowls as part of an 8 team playoff. Using 8 teams would guarantee inclusion of all of the teams that are worthy of competing for a championship and would still allow the bowls their major role and turn in the spotlight. To the critics, we’re not trying to solve the problem of which of the also-rans deserves the number 8 spot; we’re just trying to have the championship won on the field by teams that are deserving.
gdawginkalamazoo
November 30th, 2009
2:44 pm
Tony, can you post a link to your Tech-UGA game from Saturday? That was H I L A R I O U S man.
Tony, if you recall you must win your conference in order to play for the BCS title. That’s the rule. At least its the rule applied to UGA back in 2007. It was the rule applied to Michigan as you mentioned. I say TCU gets the bump up. Everybody seems high on them right now. I doubt Cincy can get the votes their defense is weak.
gdawginkalamazoo
November 30th, 2009
2:45 pm
Tony, that would be to your prediction on Tech-UGA game.
buzznsc
November 30th, 2009
2:49 pm
GEORGIA STILL SUCKS….ONCE FOOTBALL SEASON IS OVER YOUR STUPID FANS WILL HIBERNATE BECAUSE YOUR BASKETBALL PROGRAM IS A JOKE!!! LOSING TO WOFFORD?
BANDITDAWGG
November 30th, 2009
2:57 pm
Dont worry about a repeat because the gators roll the tide buy 2 touchdowns.Book it Dano.
m is short for mullet
November 30th, 2009
2:57 pm
Clemson2333 your team sucked, GT sucked, both of you were looking ahead and all you can say is rivalry games don’t mean anything???? You did not watch either game because a win meant something to the players on the field rather than the lame a&& post of yours.
22 wins in a row
November 30th, 2009
2:57 pm
Bama is in for a shock on Saturday. Can Bama score more than 20 to win the game? Nope, Gators will score more than 20 and will get the W. Go Gators!!!!!
go to www.altshirt.org
November 30th, 2009
3:02 pm
Its that time of year when college football fans not only support thier favorite team, but every team in thier conference… and with that I say GO SEC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gdawginkalamazoo
November 30th, 2009
3:04 pm
buzznsc, what a bitter bee you are. UGA ACC Champs 2009. Got the rings on order pal.