http://espn.go.com/college-football/stor...e-football

I have no statistical evidence to support this, but here's guessing that more has been written about Northern Illinois football in the past 24 hours than in the previous 24 years.

I'm thrilled that the Huskies will play Florida State in the Discover Orange Bowl for three reasons:

1. Everybody loves an underdog, and the little fellas from DeKalb against big, mean Florida State is the ultimate underdog story. Jordan Lynch and the Huskies won't apologize for being BCS busters.
2. Please explain to me what Northern Illinois did wrong. It won 12 games. It won the MAC. It featured one of the most fun-to-watch players in the country, quarterback Jordan Lynch. Plus, there's no evidence that it hacked into the computer systems of the six BCS formulas. It didn't bribe poll voters. So instead of telling the Huskies to get lost, maybe it's time to offer them a cold Frostie and a seat at the table.

3. NIU's selection as a BCS bowl team proves what I've been saying since I had hair: The BCS system isn't a system at all, but a beater car that keeps getting new coats of paint. It looks OK but can't make it down the block without the engine block falling off.

I'm not outraged that Northern is a BCS bowl team. I'm actually happy for the Huskies. I mean, if a five-loss Wisconsin team can play in the Rose Bowl presented by Vizio and Louisville (of the dreadful Big East) can play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, what's so horrible about NIU in the Orange?

Oh, I know: FSU is going to crush the Huskies? Really? We know this for sure how?

By the way, Louisville is more of an odds 'dog to Florida in the Sugar than NIU is to FSU. And even if the Seminoles do win convincingly -- let's say, by 21 points -- that would be the same margin that Alabama beat LSU in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game last season. Or if the Huskies keep the margin of defeat to fewer than 37 points, they'll have fared better than ACC power team Clemson did in its 70-33 blowout loss to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl last season.

So quit worrying about how NIU will hold up against Florida State. Remember, FSU is the same team that lost to NC State earlier this season and imploded in the loss to Florida. So the Noles aren't invincible.

14. Bowl bashing -- part II

Anyway, this isn't about Northern Illinois. This is about the knuckleheadedness of the BCS.

How many times have we heard from BCS supporters that -- all together now -- the BCS gets it right?

OK, sure, the BCS got it right with No. 1 Notre Dame versus No. 2 Alabama in the Discover BCS National Championship Game. Then again, how was the BCS going to get that wrong? It was a no-brainer.

But no Georgia in a BCS bowl?

No Oklahoma in a BCS bowl?

No LSU in a BCS bowl?

It isn't NIU's fault it got in ahead of those teams. People complained about access issues relative to non-automatic qualifiers, and this was the solution: Make it possible for, say, a 12-1 MAC team to reach a BCS bowl and, as an unintended consequence, squeeze out a higher-ranked LSU team and, in OU's case, a Big 12 co-champion and, in Georgia's case, an SEC Eastern Division title winner.

But if you want the best teams in the best games, Georgia ought to be in a BCS bowl. Even Nick Saban, whose Bama team beat the Bulldogs (barely) in the SEC championship game, said so.

Oklahoma ought to be in one. It lost to Kansas State and Notre Dame. But the Sooners are out and Louisville, Wisconsin and NIU are in?

LSU ought to be in one. It lost to No. 2 Bama and No. 3 Florida by a combined 12 points.

This is the BCS world we live in. In 2014 the world will spin out of orbit, crash into other planets and be replaced by a four-team playoff and new mechanisms.

Will it be perfect? Of course not. Will it be better than this mess? Georgia, OU and LSU will take their chances.

By kickoff NIU may have become America's team.

The conference that can't count should be embarrassed having the 5 loss Whiskey team in the Rose Bowl.

Good, fact-based logical article. Thanks for posting.