The Oct. 26 PG ballot and other BCS musings

 

One of the questions voters in the Harris poll and coaches’ poll have to ask themselves in the coming week is something new: Just how good is the SEC this year?

We're used to the SEC being the dominant conference in the country year in and year out, but that's not the case this season.

             Only four SEC teams are ranked and no others are even receiving votes in the AP poll. One of the ranked teams, LSU, has given up 50 or more in two its past three games. This is not a banner year for the SEC. Yes, Alabama, Florida and Georgia are legitimate, but that makes for a very top-heavy league.

            Georgia and Florida play this week with the winner likely advancing to the SEC title game to face Alabama. Penn State fans had better be rooting for Florida because Alabama blew out Georgia on its home field earlier this month.

            And speaking of the Penn State rooting cause, the last chance for Texas to lose is this week in Lubbock when the Longhorns travel to take on the undefeated Red Raiders. If Texas gets past this game, it’s clear sailing to an undefeated season. There is no way Missouri or Kansas will pull the upset in the Big 12 title game.

            People keep saying there is now way Alabama and Texas each go unbeaten, but it’s looking more and more likely to me.

 

Here is the Post-Gazette ballot followed by a link for the new top 25

 

1. Texas
   2. Alabama
   3. Penn State
   4. Florida
   5. USC
   6. Georgia
   7. Oklahoma
   8. Texas Tech
   9. Oklahoma State
   10. Ohio State
   11. Boise State
   12. Utah
   13. Missouri
   14. LSU
   15. Ball State
   16. TCU
   17. Minnesota
   18. BYU
   19. Tulsa
   20. Florida State
   21. Troy
   22. Michigan State
   23. Maryland
   24. North Carolina
   25. Notre Dame

 

          New top 25 link

 

Here’s another January scenario that very well could happen. If Penn State loses to Iowa, Indiana or Michigan State and finishes the season with a 7-1 conference record, the Lions are not assured of going to the Rose Bowl despite its head-to-head record with Ohio State. In the event that there is a three-way tie with Penn State, Ohio State and Minnesota with 7-1 records, Minnesota will be the Big Ten representative in the Rose Bowl.

According to the Big Ten tiebreaker, Ohio State would drop out because it had the worst overall record with two losses. Since Minnesota and Penn State did not meet, and no other tiebreaker applies, the conference’s Bowl Championship Series representative would be determined by which team had last won the conference’s automatic BCS berth.

Penn State represented the conference in 2005.

And that’s how the Golden Gophers can get to go to the Golden State.