For all its flaws, BCS walking right path

It's been a bad year for underdogs. The Lakers, Steelers and Yankees sucked the drama out of our pro sports. North Carolina's hoop team spoiled one of the best stories of the year by beating Michigan State ... at Ford Field ... in Detroit ... in the middle of our nation's economic crisis.

TCU coach Gary Patterson: 'We can play with anybody.' (US Presswire)

Playing the part of Scrooge was the man who favors those ugly powder blue sports jackets, America -- Roy Williams.

College football's postseason seems likely to give us more of the same. Unless a plague of Horned Frogs falls from the sky, Alabama or Florida is going to play Texas for the national championship. That would be almighty Texas going after its second title in five years against either the Gator Nation chasing its third title in four years or Ala – by God -- bama, the slacker in the bunch.

The Crimson Tide have won only 24 games the past two seasons and are paying their coach an average of $4 million a year.

All this is going to occur unless Nebraska beats Texas in the Big 12 title game. Like we said, it's been a bad year for underdogs.

But not a hopeless year. Whoever thought we'd be turning to the BCS for clarity and hope? But here we are. The Bowl Championship Series, by dumb luck more than master plan, has worked this season. For the second time in the BCS era, it's possible there could be five undefeated teams at the end of the season (Alabama/Florida, Texas, TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati). For the first time, all of them would be playing in BCS bowls.

Barring upsets, two teams from the so-called non-qualifiers (Boise and TCU) will be part of the BCS for the first time. Boise still has to beat bottom feeder New Mexico State in its regular-season finale.

There will be those who will get greedy and be outraged that TCU or Boise or Cincinnati can't play for a national championship. TCU has the biggest beef based on the eye test. It's clear after watching the Frogs that they are the best of the three.

"We can play with anybody," Frogs coach Gary Patterson said.

We know that. However, that we're even able to contemplate TCU in the mix is a sign of progress. Hold onto your seat cushion but the credit has to go to the BCS. Sure, it was the threat of Congressional intervention in 2003 that got the BCS to loosen its qualification standards. But at least the suits were smart enough to see beyond the legal briefs to their own self preservation.

The move allowed Utah to play and win two BCS bowls. It gave Boise a chance at that upset for the ages over Oklahoma. It gave Hawaii, a program with deplorable facilities, a bowl payout ($18 million) seven times bigger than its budget ($2.2 million).

What the last five years has taught us is that it's going to happen soon. One of these non-BCS teams is going to play in, and win, a national championship game. Boise State probably proved that for the masses by beating the Sooners three years ago.

That opens a whole new argument, whether traditionalists (well, the SEC) could handle Boise, TCU or Cincinnati hanging a national championship banner. That's what you're going to get someday, Billy Bob, even with a playoff.

Meanwhile, baby steps aren't bad. The BCS, in this case, isn't bad. Glacial movement has its merits. With the BCS, there is frequent unfairness and controversy. Without it, TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State probably wouldn't be in our consciousness today.

With it, those schools are assured a BCS spot if all three finish undefeated. That's approximately a $24 million windfall for all five non-BCS conferences. The Big East gets an automatic spot (worth $18.3 million) but it's doubtful Cincinnati would be in the conversation today had the league not expanded.

The prospect that all the deserving teams are being taken care of should spare the BCS, the nation and scores of innocent trees (spared the slaughter for newsprint) of weeklong hand-wringing.

If TCU or Boise miss out on playing for a title it's because each started behind Texas, Alabama and Florida in the polls and never caught up. That's OK. Play well enough, long enough and you'll start the season ahead of the traditional powers. That simple truth hasn't changed in the BCS which, for all its flaws, is largely a product of human whim.

Besides, the BCS promised us a national championship game, not the national championship game. How do you decide what's right this year anyway? With five undefeated teams, a four-team playoff would leave somebody out. And we're years away from even that modest expansion of postseason.

For now, let's celebrate that at least the non-BCS kids are eating at the adult table. On second thought, call them underdogs. That feels a lot better this year.

BCS bowl projections

Oklahoma State's loss to Oklahoma opened up a spot for Boise State in the BCS. Barring upsets, there will be two non-BCS schools in the system for the first time (*-automatic BCS conference champion qualifier).

BCS title game: Florida/Alabama* vs. Texas*
Fiesta Bowl: Iowa/Penn State vs. Boise State/TCU
Rose Bowl: Oregon/Oregon State* vs. Ohio State*
Sugar Bowl: Florida/Alabama loser vs. Cincinnati*
Orange Bowl: Clemson/Georgia Tech* vs. TCU/Boise State