This week’s BCS rankings invite, once again, a lot of speculation about doomsday scenarios that threaten to tear the sport apart (or push us once and for all into a playoff). The top two teams are joined by five other undefeated teams, including two from major conferences. TCU vs. Utah in November is the last game on the schedule that pits two undefeated teams against one another, leaving the possibility of having undefeated teams from four major conferences and two from non BCS conferences vying for a trip to Glendale.
It is an unlikely scenario, obviously, but it is worth pointing out that if next year’s realignment were implemented this year, a lot of the problems would be eliminated.
BCS Rankings: How Some Of This Year’s Problems Will Be Fixed By Realignment
Utah doesn’t really have a shot at the national championship right now, playing a Mountain West schedule and without the widespread support of a Boise State, the best they could hope for is a BCS berth. Oregon on the other hand has had to worry about another major conference team usurping it in the standings despite remaining undefeated. Utah is hampered by its conference strength and Oregon is hampered by a lack of a conference championship -- next year’s Pac-12 realignment will eliminate one undefeated and boost the resume of the winner.
In the Big Ten, this is the last year of a possible shared Big Ten championship, and with MSU not playing OSU and having already beaten Wisconsin, it could be shared by four teams this year. A12th Big Ten team and championship game would prevent that, and probably keep a good-but-not-great MSU team from mucking up the whole end of year voting.
Granted this doesn’t do much to help Boise or TCU, but I know a Texas-based conference that is looking to fill a few recent vacancies and get back up to 12 teams.
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