The BCS is now on trial. It simply can't fit three or more teams with one loss into a two-team hole in the Orange Bowl. With less than a month to go before the Orange Bowl is slotted, overcrowding seems the BCS' destiny.

The outrage was palpable Saturday in Miami. The Hurricanes had beaten then-No. 1 Florida State but were two spots behind the Seminoles in the BCS poll going into Saturday.

"BCS: Bull Crap System," read one sign at the Orange Bowl. Once again, sorry parents.

That was before Miami finished smacking around the nation's No. 2 team, Virginia Tech, four weeks after beating the Seminoles.

And when the new BCS poll was released Monday, Miami was still behind Florida State.

An even bigger horror looms for South Florida: The poll could stay that way all the way to Dec. 3, shutting out the Hurricanes from a chance to play for the title in their own metro area.

"We made a statement today in front of a national audience, and hopefully that's enough for whoever is making the decision," Miami receiver Andre King said Saturday. "Enough said."

Not quite, Andre. There is a voice out West that should be just as shrill as yours. If Miami is going to complain about lagging behind Florida State, then what about Washington? The Huskies (8-1) took apart the Hurricanes on Sept. 9.

Washington is three spots behind Miami in the BCS poll and has no shot of playing in the Orange Bowl. How's that for injustice?

But it's hard to argue against Florida State being the best team in the country right now. Papa Bowden didn't let paternal love stand in the way of Orange Bowl lust in running up the score against Clemson.

Florida State is already in a BCS bowl of some sort, having clinched its record ninth ACC title. But in Tallahassee that's mere garnish to the main course. The Seminoles (9-1) are trying for their third consecutive berth in the title game.

They've got a great argument for getting there. Since losing 27-24 at Miami on Oct. 7, Florida State is averaging 53 points and 612 yards a game in four consecutive victories.

"They throw very talented, fresh bodies at you for 60 minutes," Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said after the game. "Ever since the Miami game, that's how they've been playing in every game. They have done it to more people than just us."

Chris Weinke has set school records for passing twice in a month. Bobby Bowden mercifully took him out in the fourth quarter after Weinke had thrown for 521 yards against the Tigers.

You can see it coming. Great teams, great resumes. The difference between the teams might be a hundredth of a point when it all shakes out. That's not football, that's high school algebra gone mad.

If one of the current contenders is left out of the Orange Bowl, the BCS commissioners will have to take a serious look at their creation. This isn't an undefeated Marshall or Tulane we're talking about. This is one of the 800-pound gorillas of the sport being jobbed. In other words, a reversal back to the way things were before the BCS was supposed to clear things up.

Admit it, everyone knew it would to take a giant clot at the top to start a rage against the machines. Never mind that ABC and the conferences are signed on for another six years. Controversy creates doubt and doubt creates lack of faith.

The good: Computer components, taken at face value, are good. They provide an objective, level-headed view of results.

The bad: You wonder how some of these computer experts got the gig. David Rothman had TCU ranked first or second for much of the season. When contacted by the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel on Saturday night, Rothman said he hadn't seen the Miami-Virginia Tech game that would be a key component of his next rankings.

"I just got back from a seminar at UCLA on the impact of revolution on science," Rothman told the paper.

Seems fitting.

The good: The major conference champions and Notre Dame are represented in the BCS.

The bad: The Pac-10 and Big East have been so inconsistent that BCS types added an interesting provision last year. A BCS conference's champion must average at least a top-12 finish in the BCS poll over a four-year period.

While no BCS conference should live in fear of being dropped from the rotation, BCS commissioners reserve that right if a conference does not perform.

File this tidbit away when considering the inequity of the system: No. 1 Oklahoma beat three Top 10 teams in a row last month, all within the Big 12. Florida State has played two Top 10 conference opponents in nine years.

Next to those Sooners, Miami probably has accomplished more than any other team. But the Hurricanes might be looking at the prospect of having to leap over both Florida State and Nebraska. If the Huskers win out they will most likely have beaten No. 1 Oklahoma in a Big 12 title game rematch. How does Miami cope?

Even Florida still has an outside chance at overtaking Miami (7-1). The Gators finish the season against what will likely be three ranked teams. Steve Spurrier could make an eloquent argument for Florida if they win out against South Carolina, Florida State and the SEC West champion in the SEC title game.

That's four teams (at least) battling for what now appears to be one open spot in the Orange Bowl. Oklahoma, Division I-A's only undefeated team, will stay safely at No. 1 if it reaches the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 2.

Win it and the Sooners are in. Lose it and there could be as many as four teams with one loss (Nebraska, Oklahoma, Miami and Florida State or Florida) competing for the two spots.

And just when you thought it was safe for the kids to look.

Game of the year

No doubt, hands down, retire the trophy. Northwestern's 54-51 victory over Michigan on Saturday should be preserved for generations to come.

The teams combined for 1,189 yards and 105 points. Wildcats running back Damian Anderson dropped a sure touchdown pass on fourth down with 90 seconds left that would have given Northwestern the victory. On the ensuing possession, Michigan's Anthony Thomas fumbled with less than a minute to go after getting a first down.

Sam Simmons then caught the game-winning pass with 20 seconds left. Suddenly, Purdue's margin for error in the Big Ten is thin. Northwestern (7-2 overall) is tied with the Boilermakers at 5-1 in the Big Ten. Purdue still owns the Rose Bowl tiebreaker because it beat the Wildcats.

But Purdue cannot slip up in its final two games against at Michigan State and at home against Indiana. Northwestern is at Iowa and at home against Illinois.

Coaching carousel

It was sad to see a good guy like Don Nehlen call it quits at West Virginia after 21 years.

Nehlen, 64, is one victory short of becoming the fifth active coach with 200 in his career. The Mountaineers (4-4) have three games left to get it.

More important for Nehlen will be getting to a bowl in his final season. Nehlen has lost eight consecutive bowl games. West Virginia has to win two of its last three to give Nehlen a chance at some postseason glory.

Now that the shock has worn off, somewhat, at Alabama it's time to start asking who the Tide can get to replace Mike DuBose.

Rumblings out of Team Bowden is that a replacement isn't going to come from that family. Alabama had a chance to hire Bobby in 1986 and fumbled it. Coach-in-exile Terry Bowden would not be accepted in Tuscaloosa after coaching for the enemy, Auburn.

Clemson's Tommy is about to have his salary bumped to more than $1 million per year. Miami's Butch Davis and Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer probably have better chances to win championships in their current jobs.

The mighty Tide might find themselves having to hire a B-list coach that is a top coordinator or head coach at a smaller school. After the treatment handed out to the likes of Bill Curry, Gene Stallings and even DuBose, who needs the aggravation?

"I can tell you from experience that the pressure and the intensity of the scrutiny is incomparable and indescribable," Curry wrote on a website last week. "Unfortunately for the Tide, anyone who would be a viable candidate knows this, and it makes the job less attractive."

Alabama lost its chance at a bowl bid and defending its SEC title in losing to LSU on Saturday.

Quick hits

• Here's guessing that ABC isn't exactly frothing over a possible Oregon State-Northwestern Rose Bowl.
• LSU keeps inching closer to getting to the SEC title game in Nick Saban's first year. The Tigers (6-3 and 4-2 in the SEC West) need help to win the division. If either Alabama or Georgia beat Auburn and LSU wins on the road against Mississippi and Arkansas, the Tigers win the West. The East will be decided Saturday when South Carolina travels to Florida.
• It wouldn't be a football Saturday without another officiating snafu. It seems the SEC crew in the LSU-Alabama game used Tiger Stadium's video board to overturn a call on a fumble. Alabama had been awarded the ball after an LSU fumble. But LSU players urged the crew to watch the replay. They did and finally gave the ball back to LSU.
• The 10th anniversary of the Fifth Down Game turned out to be underwhelming. Missouri quarterback Darius Outlaw was sacked a Big 12-record 11 times in Colorado's 28-18 victory.
• After being away for a few years, it was nice to see the Orange Bowl again. It's still a rickety old dowager but the barn still rocks when it is full for a big game. It makes you wish the Orange Bowl game was still there.