(02-22-2012 12:01 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(02-22-2012 11:25 AM)GO Coogs GO!!! Wrote:  Texas was just an example in response to an earlier comment. It is a greater problem across CFB.

You are correct it is not limited to Texas. Apologies if that seemed to be saying Texas was the only one doing it.

Schools like Texas (not just Texas) tend to avoid schools that would be a challenge (outside of the AQ's). My point still stands to that effect.

Until there is some sort of playoff it is all about perception and other than the possibility that a team could pull an Appalation State there is no reason for schools like Texas to avoid competitive teams outside the umbrella of the BCS. God forbid if that does happen. But what makes (or at least had) CFB fun? Rivalries, games we should not have lost, bitterness in general. If you play the boys club and a bunch of patsy's then you are less or a program for it in my opinion.

Yes yes BYU is not in an AQ but Texas and Co. have been courting them (along with the Big East) for some time now. Texas never put them on the schedule when they were in the WAC or MWC. Now that they are independent some of the sting of a potential loss has worn off.

Perception is reality to them (the voters and schools like Texas).

I think we agree on this, but my view of it is "Hate the game, don't hate the player." Texas and other power conference schools are making logical scheduling decisions based on the current system. If they don't get any credit for beating a C-USA school that's actually competitive but would get docked big-time for losing to such C-USA school, then if you're in the position of, say, the Texas AD, it IS stupid to play them. That's not being "scared" - that's just being smart when you see what gets you to the national championship game. Today's system provides an incentive to a school like Texas to have a "high/low" scheduling approach: play one or two teams that you get a ton of credit for beating (and won't get killed for if you lose to them) and then two other patsies at home that you're guaranteed to crush. Whether it's fair or not, the voters give more credit to one big marquee non-conference win (even if the other 2 or 3 non-conference games were against absolute patsies) than 3 or 4 not-really-marquee wins against more competitive teams. The power schools are simply responding to that (and the voters are really just reflecting the public - they generally think beating a marquee team is more important, too).

Houston has been ranked over the past couple years, so how would Texas get "docked" if they lost to them? Same goes for Cincy and Ohio State. In fact, OSU didn't approach UC about canceling the 2012 game in PBS until it was clear that we'd soon be a top-25 fixture.