Sugar bowl fiasco...not right!

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by itvnetop

you're right that ND has no scheduling advantages for being an independent- they annually have pretty tough schedules.

but b/c they are ND, they have inherent advantages. they are the only school with an exclusive television contract with a major network. they have support b/c of their fan base. they can afford to be independent b/c of this.

and b/c ND is this powerful, they are considered for BCS bowls with sketchy portfolios. here are ND's wins this season:

Georgia Tech
Penn St.
Purdue
Stanford
UCLA
Navy
North Carolina
Air Force
Army

I'm sorry, I'm not really impressed by any of those wins. UCLA, possibly. In fact, their schedule this season is weaker than in year's past, playing three service academies (all respect due to the armed forces).

10-2 is a solid record, but how does a 2 loss ND get a BCS invitation over a 1 loss Wisconsin (the capital one bowl???)?

If any other major conference school had the same schedule and results as ND this season (with maybe one quality win), they would not be in the sugar bowl. ND gets plenty of advantages because of who they are.

You forgot Mich State. If I remember correctly, Georgia Tech, Purdue and Penn ST were all ranked in the top 25 when ND played them. Throw in Navy (9-3 before bowl game) they might have been in the top 25, and UCLA ended in the top 25 (I think)...they had a tough schedule. Sorry man, maybe ND has had harder schedules, but this season was no cake walk, and most teams have much easier schedules.

I will agree with your Wisconsin assessment, but ND sells, and Wisconsin doesn't, which is why I firmly believe that the NCAA should adopt a playoff system. Money is the deciding factor in too many things for the NCAA...it's wrong.