Just as Rutgers was knocked off from the list of unbeaten teams today, so too was No. 23 Ohio at the hands of hated rival Miami University, 23-20.
And, with that, the Bobcats’ chances at a BCS appearance have crumbled tragically. A non-BCS program doesn’t technically have to finish undefeated to make a BCS appearance (you’ll read why below), but to lose a game this late in the season is nothing short of a crushing blow to try to make it to one of the five biggest bowls of the year.
Now that Ohio has lost, now that Louisiana Tech has lost, don’t look now, but Boise State is once again in the BCS bowl conversation. The No. 21 Broncos did what they were supposed to do against Wyoming (without suspended coach Dave Christensen), winning 45-14. The Broncos suffered an opening-week loss to Michigan State. Although that loss doesn’t look great now with the Spartans sitting at 5-4, it did happen at the beginning of the season.
And if there’s one thing the BCS has taught all of us, it’s not that you lose, it’s when you lose.
The Broncos have four games left this season against San Diego State, at Hawaii, Colorado State and (uh oh) at Nevada. We all know what happened the last time Boise State visited the greater Reno area.
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Boise would need to finish at least in the top 16 of the final BCS standings to qualify for a BCS bowl; the Broncos are currently No. 21 right now. As a refresher, here are the BCS selection procedures. Italicized below is the applicable process:The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:
A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.With over a month left in the regular season, Boise State has opportunities to move up as long as they continue their Mountain West dominance.