Thursday, December 30, 2010

What if...Division 1 Used the BCS?


Counting Our Blessings
If there are not enough reasons to hate the BCS system already, Rush the Court just gave college basketball fans a few more. They replicated the BCS system (human polls + computer rankings) to produce a composite ranking of the Top 25 in college basketball. Then they really get funky, and used that ranking to "assign" bowl-like post season match ups according to the rules developed by the bowl committees that run that racket called the BCS. As of this week Duke and Kansas would play in the Championship Bowl, while Pittsburgh (Fiesta) and Syracuse (Orange) would get the Big East's two BCS Bowl "slots". Too bad, given this week the AP has five Big East teams in their top 10 and six in their top 15, and Pomeroy has two ranked in the top 10 (the same Pitt and Cuse) & five in his top 15. Those other four teams (Connecticut, Villanova, Georgetown and Notre Dame) would end up in lesser bowls (Tires anyone?). The conference is just too good I guess. Rush the Court will update their rankings periodically.

Villanova did not do well because of the "computer" polls. Sagarin ranked the 'Cats #25 (earning them a single point per the BCS-like system employed by Rush the Court), while Pomeroy ranked them #13 (not a killer) and ESPN's InsideRPI (subscription only, sorry), developed by Joe Lunardi, ranked Nova #33 (thanks Joe). Those combined rankings put Villanova at about #18 on the list, the human polls brought the 'Cats up to #10.

The bowl games may give fans at a few lucky schools the chance to take the New Year holiday in a sunnier (and warmer) climate, while watching their favorite team play football, but the rules are biased (as if the Mountain West, WAC and CUSA didn't know) and worst of all, it does not produce an undisputed champion in the NCAA's biggest cash cow.

Rush the Court's version of the BCS

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