Posted by PAW on 12/4/06 7:21am
Msg #163708
OT - BCS Results = Florida to meet Ohio State Jan. 8th
Florida, Ohio State to Meet for College Football's Championship
By Erik Matuszewski
Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The University of Florida will play top-ranked Ohio State for college football's national title, while Michigan heads to the Rose Bowl after missing out on a championship rematch with the Buckeyes.
Florida (12-1) moved past Michigan (11-1) by one-hundredth of a point for the No. 2 spot in the final Bowl Championship Series standings behind Ohio State (12-0).
The BCS standings are determined by two polls and six computer rankings, with a perfect score of 1.000. Florida was at .944 and Michigan .934.
``The anticipation bordered on insanity down here,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said yesterday on a media conference call from Gainesville about waiting for the final BCS standings.
The BCS championship game will be played Jan. 8 in Glendale, Arizona, the last of this season's 32 college football bowl games. Michigan will play Southern California (10-2) in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
``There's obviously disappointment,'' Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said on a media conference call. ``Regardless of some of the things that don't go your way, you have to move on. You have to take advantage of the opportunities and the good things. Certainly the Rose Bowl is a good thing.''
Other BCS matchups have Wake Forest (11-2) against Louisville (11-1) in the Orange Bowl, Notre Dame (10-2) against Louisiana State (10-2) in the Sugar Bowl and Boise State (12-0) against Oklahoma (11-2) in the Fiesta Bowl.
USC's Loss is Florida's Gain
USC was ranked second in last week's BCS standings and positioned to play in a third straight championship game before losing to cross-town rival UCLA 13-9 two days ago.
Florida won the Southeastern Conference championship that day with a 38-28 victory over Arkansas. After the win, the Gators jumped past Michigan into second place in both the USA Today Coaches poll and the Harris Interactive poll. The Gators had been ranked fourth behind Ohio State, USC and Michigan.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel didn't vote in the final coaches poll, saying it was a ``conflict of interest'' because the Buckeyes were playing in the championship game.
Florida and Michigan tied for second in the BCS's final computer poll component.
Meyer and Carr both said many voters in the Harris and coaches polls probably moved Florida past Michigan because they didn't want to see a championship rematch between Big Ten conference rivals.
``The system has spoken,'' said Carr, whose team suffered its only defeat two weeks ago at Ohio State, losing 42-39.
Call for Playoff
No other team has stayed within 17 points of the Buckeyes, who have been ranked No. 1 since the preseason and will be seeking their fourth national championship. Ohio State won the 2002 title under Tressel.
While Meyer's Gators will oppose the Buckeyes for the title, Florida's second-year coach remained critical of the BCS and called for a playoff.
``It's an imperfect system,'' he said. ``If you want a true national champion, the only way to do it is on the field.''
The Gators are seeking their first title since 1996, when they beat Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. That game was a rematch of a November regular season meeting won by the Seminoles.
Carr, who was hoping for a similar scenario this season, said a playoff or comparable system would be a welcome alternative.
``We need to develop a way to let the players decide the issues on the field,'' Carr said. ``They play the game.''
BCS coordinator Mike Slive, the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, said college football's championship system will continue to be adjusted.
``What we've got is a really exciting regular season that the BCS actually enhanced by making so many games important,'' Slive said. ``We need to continue over the next few years to look at the post-season to be sure that it works in the way in which we want it to work.''
Wake Forest earned its first trip to a BCS bowl as champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Louisville won the Big East title, Boise State was the Western Athletic Conference champion and Oklahoma captured the Big 12 championship. LSU and Notre Dame were at-large BCS selections.
To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at [e-mail address]
Last Updated: December 4, 2006 00:01 EST
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Reply by PAW on 12/4/06 2:38pm
Msg #163789
No bet, my friend.
Yes, the Gators are going to have their hands full with the Buckeyes. I'm afraid it's going to look like a pro team vs a high school team. But then again, the Gators have shown some great times this past season.
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