The BCS shakedown

There are officially three weeks of college football remaining in the season, but many teams only have one or two games remaining on its schedules. While all through the season fans and experts alike have been trying to select the best teams in the country, like oil and water, the elite squads are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the competition.

With Miami idle and Ohio State squeaking past Illinois with a 23-16 overtime victory, the Hurricanes and Buckeyes remain on a collision course to collide at the Fiesta Bowl as the only two undefeated teams in the country. While much focus comes to the National Championship match-up, that game composes only one-fourth of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

There are four BCS bowls, the Fiesta, Orange, Sugar, and Rose Bowls that rotate hosting the National Championship game. With the championship game being held at the Fiesta Bowl this year, the other three bowls are relegated to host games that are constructed to represent the third through eighth best teams in the country. Sometimes the system works and sometimes not. The top eight teams are the goal, but bid restraints can sully the objective. Winners of each of the six major conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, Pac-10, and Big East) get an automatic trip to one of the eight bowls with the final two spots going to at-large bids.

There are so many good teams in college football this season, the BCS will probably continue to change until the final bowl released in early December. Assuming Miami and Ohio State can remain undefeated and go to the National Championship game, the race for the other six spots in the BCS could get a little rough.

The only team with a set future is Iowa. After defeating Minnesota 45-21, the Hawkeyes completed their season 11-1 and clinched a share of the Big 10, going 8-0 against conference competition. Because it was underrated at the beginning of the season, Iowa has had to battle its way up the rankings. Even with a Miami or Ohio State loss, the lone blemish on Iowa's record will probably be enough to leave the team out of the championship game. Either way, Iowa clinched either a tie or outright win of the Big 10 crown and a bid to the historically Big 10 vs. Pac 10 Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl will retain its intended shape because Iowa is perfect in Big-10 play. As far as Iowa's Pac-10 opponent, well that is up in the air. Currently Washington State is undefeated in Pac-10 play, but far from clinching the title. USC still has a shot at tying while UCLA needs two victories to even start thinking about a Rose Bowl bid.

With Ohio State or Miami losing and Washington State winning its final two games, the Cougars would most likely get the call to battle for the National Championship. Confused? I wrote this article and I am. Basically, Washington State vs. Iowa is on route to meet in Pasadena. The only problem for the other schools out there with dreams of a BCS bowl, is if Iowa and Ohio State are selected, one BCS at-large bid is gone.

Although Miami is undefeated, the Big East race is far from over. Overall records are tossed out of the window when it comes to winning your conference; it all depends on your win/loss record against division foes. Pittsburgh joins Miami as undefeated in the league and even with two losses, a win against the Hurricanes would probably send the Panthers to a BCS game with the fate of the Canes in the hands of the committee.

This means that even if Miami ends with one loss on the season, it could get left out of the BCS. What a cutthroat system huh? The Big East crown is a two-team race, with a third, Virginia Tech, on the outside looking in. Bottom line, Miami wins last two, Fiesta Bowl here they come. If Pittsburgh wins on Saturday, Panthers are going to some BCS game and Miami waits.

There is only one conference in the land that does not have a confusing scenario. That conference is the ACC. Even with three losses, Florida State controls its own destiny. By winning the rest of its games, the Seminoles will ride to a BCS game. If the 'Noles beat NC State in its final conference game this weekend, Florida State gains the automatic bid.

A loss combined with Maryland winning its final two conference games would send the ACC championship to a tiebreaker. The tiebreaker is as followed: if tied with Florida State, Maryland would have to finish at least five spots ahead of the Seminoles in the final BCS poll. With this unlikely scenario, Florida State is likely to gain the conference's bid and leave the Terrapins pondering about what could have been if they did not drop two early season games to Notre Dame and Florida State.

The final two conference bids come from the Big 12 and SEC conferences. It is nearly impossible to tell who will win those because of the six major conferences; they are the only two that play a championship game. Within the Big 12 and SEC, there are two divisions. The winners of each division play each other in a championship game, with the winner of each gaining the conference bid.

The fact that only one team could go to the BCS from the Big 12 is a shame because the Big 12 is arguably the best football conference in the country. This season has seen teams that are usually mediocre arise to be contenders, while perennial powerhouse Nebraska is barely alive for a normal bowl bid. The race for the automatic bid is down to either Colorado or Kansas State playing Oklahoma. Currently K-State is one game behind Colorado, but the Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in the country. This is a testament to the power of the conference as one of the best teams in the country is only good enough to watch this game from their living rooms.

The SEC East has been determined. The Florida Gators will not be playing in the SEC championship game, but Georgia will be. Due to out-of-conference rivalries, Florida and Georgia are done with their SEC scheduled games. The Bulldogs await either LSU or Auburn. LSU was steamrolled by Alabama last week 31-0 and is actually in second place in the SEC West behind 'Bama. Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, they are still on NCAA probation and cannot win the SEC West. LSU leads Auburn by one game. LSU is not the best team in its division this year, but still will most likely get a shot at Georgia and the BCS bid.

So we have eight spots, and seven have been figured out. If Ohio State and Miami continue their winning ways and go undefeated, who will earn the eighth and final spot in the BCS? Certainly Notre Dame must be considered. The Irish are currently 9-1, but have been shaky the past couple games, collecting their first loss two weeks ago. Notre Dame is independent in football with the lack of conference and automatic bid hurting the Irish's chances at making the BCS. Notre Dame faces Rutgers before concluding its regular season on November 30 against USC. The winner of that game will clear up much of the controversy for the final spot.

If USC concludes its Pac-10 season with a victory and still does not earn the top spot in the league, the Trojans are also in top contention for the final BCS spot. Sitting at seventh, one space ahead of Notre Dame, in both the AP and ESPN polls, USC has the best chance at being the final team selected.

Are all these scenarios confusing? Yes. Could they change after next week's play? Yes. Why did I write this article? Who knows? For the sake of accuracy, Miami and Ohio State better stay undefeated or else this becomes just one big moot point.