Undefeated After Week 11

The Hoosiers didn't lose this weekend. However, two previously undefeated teams did -- #4 Stanford and #5 Boise State.


This raises an interesting possibility. If LSU loses in the SEC Championship game and Oklahoma State loses to Oklahoma in Bedlam, both of those teams would end with one loss. And let's say the following one-loss teams win out: Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, Clemson or Virginia Tech (they would meet in the ACC Championship game, so only one can win out), Stanford, and Boise State. If Houston wins out, unfortunately, they probably wouldn't get a shot at the BCS title game, even though that seems like a bullshit result. If you're the only undefeated team in the FBS, you should automatically play in the BCS title game, no matter what conference you're in.


Anyway, in the scenario above, you would have eight one-loss teams: LSU, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, Boise State, Stanford, and either Clemson or Virginia Tech would end the season with one loss. Oklahoma State's only loss would be to Oklahoma, Alabama's only loss would be to LSU, Oregon's only loss would be to LSU, and Stanford's only loss would be to Oregon. And if LSU loses to Arkansas, then Arkansas would be another one-loss team thrown into the mix, with their only loss being to Alabama, and then LSU's only loss would be to Arkansas.


Who would play in the BCS title game? I suppose BCS supporters would say that this is exactly why the BCS was created – to pit the two best teams against each other even when there are others with identical records. On the other hand, not all of these one-loss teams would make a BCS bowl. With the Big Ten champ, Big East champ, and Houston (assuming it wins out) taking up a spot each, that leaves seven spots for eight (or nine) one-loss teams. Of course, Boise State is likely the odd team out, since they don't play in a BCS conference.


This is exactly the type of scenario playoff proponents hope for, since it makes their case for a D-1A playoff that much stronger. Here is a playoff system several of us came up with a few weeks ago while dominating trivia at Rocks. I'm sure we're not the first people to come up with something like this.
-8 teams make the playoffs, whether those 8 are chosen by BCS rankings or by a selection committee. It would be the winners of the 6 so-called "BCS conferences" (maybe minus the Big East), with 2 at-large teams that can come from any conference. Any non-BCS-conference that finishes undefeated would get an at-large berth, assuming there are not more than two. If there are more than two, then the BCS rankings or selection committee would determine which two get the two at-large spots.
-The quarterfinal games would be played at the four BCS sites: Pasadena, Glendale, New Orleans, and Miami. Like the NCAA tournament, the top seeds would play closer to home, to the extent that is possible.
-The quarterfinal games would be played either one week or two weeks after the conference championship games (so the second or third weekend of December).
-The semis and championship game would all be held at the same stadium, and the location would rotate amongst the BCS sites. The semis would be held the first Saturday in January, and the championship game would be held the second Saturday in January. I don't care if that bumps up against NFL playoffs.
-The rest of the non-BCS bowls remain the same. They would matter just as much as they do now, and that way teams that don't have a realistic shot of making the playoffs and teams from smaller conferences can still go to a bowl game.


Here is a breakdown of the undefeated teams and each team's remaining games (rankings are BCS rankings):


#1 LSU (10-0)
11/19 – at Mississippi (2-8)
11/25 – #6 Arkansas (9-1)
12/3 – SEC Championship game (TBD)


Remaining opponents' combined record: 11-9 (.550)


#2 Oklahoma State (10-0)
11/18 – at Iowa State (5-4)
12/3 - #5 Oklahoma (8-1)


Remaining opponents' combined record: 13-5 (.722)


#11 Houston (10-0)
11/19 – SMU (6-4)
11/25 – at Tulsa (7-3)
12/3 – Conference USA Championship game (TBD)


Remaining opponents' combined record: 13-7 (.650)