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Here's an article in support of Ball State and other non-BCS programs going to a BCS bowl this season. Read and laugh at what happened in the press box at the North Carolina-Maryland game.


ACC: You’re not worthy
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports
5 hours, 51 minutes ago

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Someone is going to have a beef. A good one.

Whether it’s Utah or Ball State, TCU or Brigham Young, there’s going to be a group of football players from a non-BCS conference watching the Orange Bowl from their couch on New Year’s Day, steaming mad that an ACC team is there instead of their own.

They’ll be right, of course.

The ACC school that receives the league’s automatic berth in the Orange Bowl won’t deserve it. Not after a season in which the conference’s image has taken a hit thanks to a roster of run-of-the-mill teams, all of whom would lose – or at least struggle mightily – against the aforementioned schools from the MAC and Mountain West.

The perfect example of the ACC’s mediocrity occurred Saturday, when 17th-ranked North Carolina became the latest league squad to wet itself when a victory would’ve all but clinched the Tar Heels a spot in the league title game Dec. 6 in Tampa, Fla.

Instead, Butch Davis’ team failed to score a second-half touchdown and missed a 28-yard field goal in a 17-15 road loss to Maryland.

“There are a lot of kids in our locker room right now that are hurting,” Davis said, “but there is still a lot to play for.”

Of course there is. You never know which team will be the next to choke.

Virginia Tech did it Thursday night, when it all but eliminated itself from the conference title race by losing 16-14 to Miami. Virginia has lost two straight after starting 3-1 in league play. Wake Forest sat atop the conference’s Coastal Division before falling to last-place North Carolina State on Saturday. Later, No. 20 Florida State failed at home against Boston College.

Now Maryland may be the next in line to gag.

Will the Terrapins win their last two and secure a spot in the Dec. 6 title game? Or will they ruin their chances with a home loss to Florida State next week in a contest that Ralph Friedgen labeled “one of the biggest games we’ve [ever] had here.”

“Most of the other conferences, you already know who’s going to be in their championship game,” Maryland receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey said. “With the ACC, you don’t know who’s going to win. One week it’s one team, the next week it’s another. The ACC is exciting right now. It’s the best thing to watch on television.”

Speak for yourself, Darrius.

Saturday’s North Carolina-Maryland game might have been one of the least-exciting two-point games in recent history. Overthrown passes, errant snaps and dropped interceptions were among the foibles. Byrd Stadium had the energy of a Tupperware party as Maryland went seven consecutive possessions without a score until kicking the game-winning field goal with 1:42 remaining.

Even those in the press box couldn’t help but chuckle at the buffoonery. When someone clapped after a Maryland first down, the in-house public address announcer stressed that there was to be “no cheering in the press box.”

“How about booing?” one reporter asked. “Can we boo?”

“What about snoring?” another one asked. “Is that allowed?”

It might not be at Maryland – but it should be at the Orange Bowl, which could turn rotten if the ACC representative ends up playing a team from the Big 12.

Last year’s game saw Virginia Tech lose to a pedestrian Kansas squad that’s since been exposed thanks to a tougher schedule. But this year the opponent could end up being Texas Tech, Texas or Oklahoma. That, folks, could be ugly.

Not that an ACC guy would ever admit it.

“I don’t think the league is down,” Maryland defensive tackle Mack Frost said. “I feel we’re as good as any league out there … the SEC, the Big Ten or whoever.

“It’s just that we have more parity, more teams that can beat each other. Most people don’t understand that. They just look at how we don’t have any teams in the top 10. But it’s hard to get in the top 10 in this league because there are so many people that can beat each other.”

Actually, it’s tough to even get into the rankings. North Carolina and Florida State were the conference’s only ranked teams in last week’s Associated Press poll. Both will likely fall out this week, with Maryland standing a decent chance to break in.

The Terrapins boast the ACC’s signature win of the season – a Sept. 13 victory over Cal. But, true to ACC form, Maryland has also lost to Middle Tennessee State.

“There are a lot of schools,” Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin said after Saturday’s game, “that would love to be 7-3 right now.”

And most of them probably would be if they played in the ACC.

Jason King is a college football and basketball writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jason a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
You could pretty much say the same thing about the BE.
I thought we had already established that Rivals is full of morons?

Look who's #2 in the Sagarin Rankings by conference:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbc08.htm

Over 75% of the ACC has had head coach changes in the last 4 years. And it's paying off. There are no more doormats in the conference. It will be interesting to see how GT, UNC, and Miami progress. All three teams are overwhelmingly Fr and So. GT is, to the best of my knowledge, the youngest team that has been ranked this year. Tech plays 20 true Fr or RS Fr. We're on the way back.

The only bad thing is that the divisions are horribly unbalanced. Just about as bad as the Big 12 is not balanced.

Coastal: UNC, GT, Miami, VT, UVA, Dook (don't laugh, they don't suck anymore)
Those first three teams will be a nighmare to play in another year or two. Beamer must be blessed by the Pope given how many games he wins where his team has been completely outplayed. Cutcliffe took Dook from doormat to possibly bowling in one season. They beat Vandy. They were a precious few from beating Northwestern. The lone suck is Groh up at Virginia. He'll be the next coach to go.

Atlantic: WF, NCST, BC, FSU, UMD, Clemson
Fridge can never find a good QB in Maryland. NCST is woeful. WF is coming back down to Earth. FSU isn't even close to how they were in the 90's. Clemson will need time to de-Tommy their program.
If you're looking somebody to whine, moan, groan, and piss about ... look no further than the Big East.
The one thing the ACC has going for itself is that it has a CONTRACT with the Orange Bowl.

No matter how much they may suck they have that contract to guarantee an invite.
georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:I thought we had already established that Rivals is full of morons?

Look who's #2 in the Sagarin Rankings by conference:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbc08.htm

Over 75% of the ACC has had head coach changes in the last 4 years. And it's paying off. There are no more doormats in the conference. It will be interesting to see how GT, UNC, and Miami progress. All three teams are overwhelmingly Fr and So. GT is, to the best of my knowledge, the youngest team that has been ranked this year. Tech plays 20 true Fr or RS Fr. We're on the way back.

The only bad thing is that the divisions are horribly unbalanced. Just about as bad as the Big 12 is not balanced.

Coastal: UNC, GT, Miami, VT, UVA, Dook (don't laugh, they don't suck anymore)
Those first three teams will be a nighmare to play in another year or two. Beamer must be blessed by the Pope given how many games he wins where his team has been completely outplayed. Cutcliffe took Dook from doormat to possibly bowling in one season. They beat Vandy. They were a precious few from beating Northwestern. The lone suck is Groh up at Virginia. He'll be the next coach to go.

Atlantic: WF, NCST, BC, FSU, UMD, Clemson
Fridge can never find a good QB in Maryland. NCST is woeful. WF is coming back down to Earth. FSU isn't even close to how they were in the 90's. Clemson will need time to de-Tommy their program.

GTS, you make several points about how the ACC will improve over the next few years, and you may be right; the league probably will get better. The writer of this article, however, is not talking about future seasons; he's talking about THIS season. RIGHT NOW, the highest-ranked ACC and Big East teams in the BCS standings trail the leaders in the MAC, MWC, and WAC. If the season ended today (November 16th), do you really believe it would be fair to send the ACC and Big East champions to BCS bowls and leave out one or two of the three higher ranked non-BCS league champions? I don't see how that could possibly be fair.
UCFGoldenKnights#1 Wrote:GTS, you make several points about how the ACC will improve over the next few years, and you may be right; the league probably will get better. The writer of this article, however, is not talking about future seasons; he's talking about THIS season. RIGHT NOW, the highest-ranked ACC and Big East teams in the BCS standings trail the leaders in the MAC, MWC, and WAC. If the season ended today (November 16th), do you really believe it would be fair to send the ACC and Big East champions to BCS bowls and leave out one or two of the three higher ranked non-BCS league champions? I don't see how that could possibly be fair.

That's because the dolts in the media equate one or two elite teams and then a bunch of mediocre/doormats as a great conference. The SEC has lived off that crap endlessly. They field one really good team from the East Division .... one really good team from the West Division ... and suddenly they're the juggernaut conference. Bama struggled most of the night to beat Mississippi State at home. The same MSU team that Georgia Tech blasted 38-7 with a backup true freshman QB playing his first game EVER.

Do you really think the leaders of the MAC, MWC, or WAC would be ranked right now playing the ACC? I heard this same crap with Tulsa. Then when Tulsa had to actually play somebody (Arkiesaw) they got blasted. The worst thing that could happen for the non-BCS teams is for somebody who is a product of a weak schedule to show up to their BCS bowl and get blasted.

Utah only beat the worst Michigan team EVER by 3. They beat a decent TCU team by the same margin.

Boise State beat a decent Oregon team, adjusting to a new QB, by 5. They haven't and won't play another good team all year.

The only ranked team BYU played (TCU) blew them out. They beat perhaps the worst Washington team EVER by one point with the help of the refs on a bogus celebration penalty.

Ball State hasn't and likely won't play a ranked team all year. The toughest team they played has been NAVY.

You guys are flirting with disaster here. It won't take many more Hawaii mass destruction blowouts to destroy the credibility of all non-BCS leagues.

I want a playoff ... but the BCS is better than what we had previously. And to really show their worthiness, non-BCS schools need to schedule at least one premiere BCS team.
georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:
UCFGoldenKnights#1 Wrote:GTS, you make several points about how the ACC will improve over the next few years, and you may be right; the league probably will get better. The writer of this article, however, is not talking about future seasons; he's talking about THIS season. RIGHT NOW, the highest-ranked ACC and Big East teams in the BCS standings trail the leaders in the MAC, MWC, and WAC. If the season ended today (November 16th), do you really believe it would be fair to send the ACC and Big East champions to BCS bowls and leave out one or two of the three higher ranked non-BCS league champions? I don't see how that could possibly be fair.

That's because the dolts in the media equate one or two elite teams and then a bunch of mediocre/doormats as a great conference. The SEC has lived off that crap endlessly. They field one really good team from the East Division .... one really good team from the West Division ... and suddenly they're the juggernaut conference. Bama struggled most of the night to beat Mississippi State at home. The same MSU team that Georgia Tech blasted 38-7 with a backup true freshman QB playing his first game EVER.

Do you really think the leaders of the MAC, MWC, or WAC would be ranked right now playing the ACC? I heard this same crap with Tulsa. Then when Tulsa had to actually play somebody (Arkiesaw) they got blasted. The worst thing that could happen for the non-BCS teams is for somebody who is a product of a weak schedule to show up to their BCS bowl and get blasted.

Utah only beat the worst Michigan team EVER by 3. They beat a decent TCU team by the same margin.

Boise State beat a decent Oregon team, adjusting to a new QB, by 5. They haven't and won't play another good team all year.

The only ranked team BYU played (TCU) blew them out. They beat perhaps the worst Washington team EVER by one point with the help of the refs on a bogus celebration penalty.

Ball State hasn't and likely won't play a ranked team all year. The toughest team they played has been NAVY.

You guys are flirting with disaster here. It won't take many more Hawaii mass destruction blowouts to destroy the credibility of all non-BCS leagues.

I want a playoff ... but the BCS is better than what we had previously. And to really show their worthiness, non-BCS schools need to schedule at least one premiere BCS team.
That's typical BCS fan talk. You get those premiere BCS teams to go on the road and play a Ball State or Central Michigan and then I might listen to the argument. We shouldn't have to go on the road all the time. Until then, it's crap.

And don't the lower-level non-BCS schools do enough for the BCS schools by going in and being a sacrificial lamb, so some of the top BCS teams don't have to play anyone of note out of conference?
georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:
UCFGoldenKnights#1 Wrote:GTS, you make several points about how the ACC will improve over the next few years, and you may be right; the league probably will get better. The writer of this article, however, is not talking about future seasons; he's talking about THIS season. RIGHT NOW, the highest-ranked ACC and Big East teams in the BCS standings trail the leaders in the MAC, MWC, and WAC. If the season ended today (November 16th), do you really believe it would be fair to send the ACC and Big East champions to BCS bowls and leave out one or two of the three higher ranked non-BCS league champions? I don't see how that could possibly be fair.

That's because the dolts in the media equate one or two elite teams and then a bunch of mediocre/doormats as a great conference. The SEC has lived off that crap endlessly. They field one really good team from the East Division .... one really good team from the West Division ... and suddenly they're the juggernaut conference. Bama struggled most of the night to beat Mississippi State at home. The same MSU team that Georgia Tech blasted 38-7 with a backup true freshman QB playing his first game EVER.

Do you really think the leaders of the MAC, MWC, or WAC would be ranked right now playing the ACC? I heard this same crap with Tulsa. Then when Tulsa had to actually play somebody (Arkiesaw) they got blasted. The worst thing that could happen for the non-BCS teams is for somebody who is a product of a weak schedule to show up to their BCS bowl and get blasted.

Utah only beat the worst Michigan team EVER by 3. They beat a decent TCU team by the same margin.

Boise State beat a decent Oregon team, adjusting to a new QB, by 5. They haven't and won't play another good team all year.

The only ranked team BYU played (TCU) blew them out. They beat perhaps the worst Washington team EVER by one point with the help of the refs on a bogus celebration penalty.

Ball State hasn't and likely won't play a ranked team all year. The toughest team they played has been NAVY.

You guys are flirting with disaster here. It won't take many more Hawaii mass destruction blowouts to destroy the credibility of all non-BCS leagues.

I want a playoff ... but the BCS is better than what we had previously. And to really show their worthiness, non-BCS schools need to schedule at least one premiere BCS team.

Ball State has upcoming games against WMU and CMU. Both teams are getting votes in the polls and are ranked 29th and 30th, just outside of the top 25.

The problem with the ACC and the BE is there are no top teams in those conferences. There's a bunch of above average teams beating up on each other. Whichever team comes out of both conferences on top is probably going to lose in their respective BCS bowls. Plus, with the ACC's past history of success (or should i say lack of; 2-10 in BCS and NC games) in BCS games they certainly don't deserve an automatic bid just because they are "BCS". I hope for the sake of non-BCS teams that they get matched up with the ACC or BE team because most teams would get blasted by Texas, Texas Tech, USC, Alabama, or Florida.

Also, bringing up Tulsa as justification for not giving an extra bid to a non-BCS teams is a bad argument. Ball State, Boise State, and Utah are all much better teams. Tulsa played the weakest schedule of all the top non-BCS teams and CUSA is a weak conference this year.
Here we go with the inevitable "HAWAII got whipped" argument against nonBCS schools playing in the big bowl games. Why do such pundits choose to ignore the wins earned by Utah & Boise State in the other two games? That makes it: nonBCS 2 BCS 1. I'd say Massive U has to thump the rest of us at least two or three more times in a row before such reasoning could be considered as valid.

Besides, how many times within the past several years has the Bowl Championship team DESTROYED its BCS buddy in the big game? ¿Comprende?
MikeSpicer Wrote:That's typical BCS fan talk. You get those premiere BCS teams to go on the road and play a Ball State or Central Michigan and then I might listen to the argument. We shouldn't have to go on the road all the time. Until then, it's crap.

And don't the lower-level non-BCS schools do enough for the BCS schools by going in and being a sacrificial lamb, so some of the top BCS teams don't have to play anyone of note out of conference?

That's naive. For a BCS team to come to your house there has to be an incentive for them. That means either a 2 for 1, or you're in prime recruiting territory, or you're paying the other program big bucks, or have a reputation as a quality program. What is the motivation for, say, Georgia Tech to play at Ball State? It's too far for a significant number of fans to travel. GT doesn't recruit much -- if at all -- up there. If GT wins, everybody says so what. If GT loses, it's a huge huge deal. What does GT have to gain from this? Answer: Nothing.

And the "sacrificial lambs" as you call them are collecting north of $500,000 for showing up and taking a L. Even if they're a real doormat with no history.
Okie Chippewa Wrote:Here we go with the inevitable "HAWAII got whipped" argument against nonBCS schools playing in the big bowl games. Why do such pundits choose to ignore the wins earned by Utah & Boise State in the other two games? That makes it: nonBCS 2 BCS 1. I'd say Massive U has to thump the rest of us at least two or three more times in a row before such reasoning could be considered as valid.

Besides, how many times within the past several years has the Bowl Championship team DESTROYED its BCS buddy in the big game? ¿Comprende?

Utah beat a GOD AWFUL Pittsburgh team. That year the Big East co-champs (Syracuse) also got blasted something like 54-6 by ACC #6 Georgia Tech in the Champs Sports Bowl. Pitt was unquestionably the worst BCS team that year. By MILES.

Boise State had a great gameplan and they pulled out several risky plays. They are to be commended. But you can't feel great about Boise State's odds if that game is played multiple times. They got the breaks on risky plays when they needed them. But that's far removed from a dominating performance where one team is clearly superior. That's more inline with Frank Beamer's ability to somehow win when his team has been whipped in every phase of the game. And you can only get away with that so many times (as witnessed this season).
epasnoopy Wrote:Ball State has upcoming games against WMU and CMU. Both teams are getting votes in the polls and are ranked 29th and 30th, just outside of the top 25.

The problem with the ACC and the BE is there are no top teams in those conferences. There's a bunch of above average teams beating up on each other. Whichever team comes out of both conferences on top is probably going to lose in their respective BCS bowls. Plus, with the ACC's past history of success (or should i say lack of; 2-10 in BCS and NC games) in BCS games they certainly don't deserve an automatic bid just because they are "BCS". I hope for the sake of non-BCS teams that they get matched up with the ACC or BE team because most teams would get blasted by Texas, Texas Tech, USC, Alabama, or Florida.

Also, bringing up Tulsa as justification for not giving an extra bid to a non-BCS teams is a bad argument. Ball State, Boise State, and Utah are all much better teams. Tulsa played the weakest schedule of all the top non-BCS teams and CUSA is a weak conference this year.

Depends on who finally emerges from the ACC. If it's UVA, VT, or UMD ... I'd pick Utah and possibly Boise State. I wouldn't pick Ball State except MAYBE over schizo UMD and UVA. If it's GT, UNC, Miami, or FSU ... I'd take the ACC over all non-BCS comers. Particularly GT. When we're healthy, we're pretty scary. The time between now and the bowls would allow GT to finally get healthy. (We're missing everybody on the OL but the center ... our top two DBs ... our QB is gimpy ... our 2nd string B-back ... our 2nd best WR ...)

Regarding the Big East ... I don't like any of the potential BE teams to beat Utah. I would favor a few over Boise State. I would favor many over Ball State.
georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:And to really show their worthiness, non-BCS schools need to schedule at least one premiere BCS team.

And that's Ball State's fault? Ball State just picks up the phone and calls Florida State or Missouri and schedules a game? No, they wouldn't play Ball State after they played impressively against Michigan and Nebraska recently. I don't know how Ball State would perform against one of the top 10 teams, maybe they'd get creamed. But there weren't any programs dangling a $900K check in front of Ball State this season, which is why they played WKU & Navy.

So what are the BCS elites afraid of, they are very cautious when scheduling paydays and want a locked victory.

If Ball State goes undefeated, they deserve a shot at the BCS. They won't get it mind you, but they deserve it.
GTS,
For one, I am a MAC fan who tends to side with the BCS teams, so I am usually on your side. And as an aside, your rant on Reggie Ball a few years back after the bowl game (in SF?) is one of the best things I have read on this site.

However, you can't have it both ways. Yes, Utah drilled a terrible Pitt team. But Hawaii lost to possibly the best team in the country in its backyard. Many pundits thought Georgia was better at the end of the year than LSU last year.

The best part of this is we will get to see the ACC against the non-BCS because if things stay the way they are now the bowls will be:

Title game: Big 12 champ vs. SEC champ
Rose Bowl: Penn St vs. Oregon St.
Fiesta Bowl: Texas (#1 at-large) vs. USC (#3 at-large)
Sugar Bowl: SEC loser (#2 at-large) vs. Big East champion
Orange Bowl: ACC champion vs. highest Non-BCS, likely Utah

The only way Utah, Boise State or Ball State could play above the Orange Bowl is if the Fiesta takes it over USC or Ohio State if Oregon State loses one of its last two, or if the Sugar wants it over the unworthy Big East champion. Both are slim to none chances.
georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:But you can't feel great about Boise State's odds if that game is played multiple times. They got the breaks on risky plays when they needed them. But that's far removed from a dominating performance where one team is clearly superior.

Actually, I would. Oklahoma was pretty lucky just to get back into that game.
Q: Who played The Citadel, South Carolina State, Western Carolina, Chattanooga, Delaware, Rhode Island, William & Mary, Furman, McNeese St, Charleston Southern, Jacksonville St, Gardner-Webb, Richmond and James Madison this year?

A: The same conference who had THREE of its teams play TWO FCS teams this year. And why did they play those games? Because they refused to leave their comfy confines, like the majority of FBS teams not in the Pacific 10.

Addendum: Everyone remembers the trick plays Boise State used to beat Oklahoma, but few remember that BSU lead almost the entire game WITHOUT a single trick play. It was only after they fell behind in the last minute and in the OT did the Broncos deceive the Sooners.
OZoner Wrote:
georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:But you can't feel great about Boise State's odds if that game is played multiple times. They got the breaks on risky plays when they needed them. But that's far removed from a dominating performance where one team is clearly superior.

Actually, I would. Oklahoma was pretty lucky just to get back into that game.

Actually, Oklahoma is most likely playing in the NC game if not for errant officiating that cost them a regular season game. The refs incorrectly called an onside kick and Oregon used it to score their winning TD against Oklahoma.
epasnoopy Wrote:
OZoner Wrote:
georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:But you can't feel great about Boise State's odds if that game is played multiple times. They got the breaks on risky plays when they needed them. But that's far removed from a dominating performance where one team is clearly superior.

Actually, I would. Oklahoma was pretty lucky just to get back into that game.

Actually, Oklahoma is most likely playing in the NC game if not for errant officiating that cost them a regular season game. The refs incorrectly called an onside kick and Oregon used it to score their winning TD against Oklahoma.

And Boise State defeated that caliber of team.
Okie Chippewa Wrote:Q: Who played The Citadel, South Carolina State, Western Carolina, Chattanooga, Delaware, Rhode Island, William & Mary, Furman, McNeese St, Charleston Southern, Jacksonville St, Gardner-Webb, Richmond and James Madison this year?

A: The same conference who had THREE of its teams play TWO FCS teams this year. And why did they play those games? Because they refused to leave their comfy confines, like the majority of FBS teams not in the Pacific 10.

Addendum: Everyone remembers the trick plays Boise State used to beat Oklahoma, but few remember that BSU lead almost the entire game WITHOUT a single trick play. It was only after they fell behind in the last minute and in the OT did the Broncos deceive the Sooners.


That's a two way street. Speaking for GT ... we had two I-AA teams because Army backed out of our return trip @ Army this year at the last minute. Cupcakes from I-AA are often the result when people back out of contracts. However, most BCS teams want a I-AA cupcake to open the season. You improve the most between week one and week two. A tune up freebie, if you will. And it counts towards bowl eligibility (lol!). What ... do you expect people to NOT take advantage of that??
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