With top two teams running away in BCS, big games lose luster

08:15 PM CST on Friday, November 18, 2005

The Bowl Championship Series has its pluses and minuses. But it's clear this season that because of the BCS, rivalry weekend doesn't grab my attention the way it should.

Southern Cal and Texas are so far ahead of everyone in the BCS standings that it makes a lot of the other games – including some of the best rivalries in college football – practically meaningless.

This should be the one weekend where fans chain themselves to the couch. Instead, we're waiting to see if USC wins its final two games and whether Texas can beat Texas A&M next Friday in its regular-season finale.

Maybe USC and Texas should play at 9 a.m. every Saturday. That way, we'll know early on if the other games matter.

There are a handful of border wars and in-state matchups that matter greatly along those borders and in those states. It's just that some of them don't have conference championship implications, much less national ones.

Division I-A coaches declared that Ohio State-Michigan was America's best rivalry in a survey conducted by The News earlier this year. But the Buckeyes and Wolverines meet at The Big House today with possibly nothing more than pride on the line.

That seems almost ludicrous considering this is the series with colorful characters like Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler stalking the sideline, Archie Griffin running over everyone and Desmond Howard striking Heisman poses in the end zone.

Penn State, however, can clinch the Big Ten championship and a berth in a BCS bowl with a win today against Michigan State.

Alabama and Auburn meet in the Iron Bowl, but that may be more for in-state pride because LSU is in the driver's seat in the SEC West. LSU shouldn't have much trouble with Mississippi, but that game has some rivalry overtones, too.

Virginia could knock Virginia Tech out of the ACC Coastal Division race with a win today. Virginia Tech and Miami are still tied with a 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference record. But as most remember, the Hurricanes have the tiebreaker advantage courtesy of a 27-7 win over the Hokies two weeks ago.

Oregon could remain in second place in the Pacific-10 race with a win over Oregon State. But there's no use spinning a scenario in which Oregon could jump USC in the league standings.

It's worth keeping track of California and Stanford just to see if any band members have bulked up in the off-season. You never know when a trombone player will be called upon to tackle somebody.

Utah heads down the road to face BYU. But the Mountain West race is over. TCU finished the regular season 10-1.

See the problem here? These games mean a lot to those schools' fans. But unless USC or UT stumble, they mean little else.

You won't get the tired let's-have-a-playoff argument in this space. I like the current structure because it turns every game, every week into a playoff game. Win and move on. Lose and you're out. That's good.

It's just a shame that in this structure, games such as Ohio State-Michigan and Alabama-Auburn are lessened in importance because none of those four teams is near the top two spots in the BCS standings.

We can't ask USC and UT to start dogging it just so they'll fall back to the chase group, though.

Let's hope that next season, several teams will still be gunning for the national title by late November. I'll be chained to my sofa then, too. Maybe then there will be more reasons to stay awake.

E-mail brdavis@dallasnews.com

Coach Bill Callahan's decision to pull the redshirt off quarterback Harrison Beck in the 10th game of the year reeks of desperation. Nebraska was staring at possibly another losing season, and Callahan was on shaky footing already. Even if Zac Taylor is healthy to play Friday, Callahan should start Beck against Colorado. He has to make it up to Beck for ruining the quarterback's season.

Many forget that Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops pulled the redshirt off two players late last season. Cornerback Marcus Walker made his debut in the ninth game of the year, and kicker Garrett Hartley lost his redshirt in the regular-season finale. However, Stoops was fighting to win the national title.

More proof that Steve Spurrier is one of the best college coaches in the country: The Gamecocks are on the verge of their first eight-win season since 2001 with an offense that ranks 105th nationally. The unit averages 24.4 points per game, a rather pedes- trian number consider- ing Spurrier's past. The defense has kept South Carolina in games. Wait until he gets both units clicking together.

Universities go to great lengths to craft their reputations. And that work can go down the drain with one incident. Case in point: Reports this week detailed how Hurricane football players recorded a rap song with derogatory lyrics. School offi- cials said the recording was two years old, but it still damages the perception that "The U" has cleaned up its bad boy image.

Finally, those two Waterford crystal footballs that were stolen from Florida State's athletic building have been recovered. The trophies represent the school's two national titles and are worth an estimated $30,000. Jason Rojas was booked on a felony charge of possessing stolen property. Here's the kicker: Rojas did not have a criminal record, but he graduated from Florida.