What Does Auburn Have to Do?

[billybud]

What in the world does Auburn have to do to be ranked #2?

The Tigers are undefeated and have rushed like crazy on good SEC defenses....Auburn just put up 440 rushing yards on the nation's #3 defense.

I do now believe that we are seeing the carnage of tough schedules kicking in...seven undefeated teams, and three of them are are Boise, TCU, and Utah (it's the schedules, stupid). The BCS teams are playing schedules that make it difficult to go undefeated even if you are very good. Ohio State had their Wisconsin, Oklahoma had their Missouri, Bama had their South Carolina..and on.

But...when a team like Auburn goes undefeated with a schedule much tougher so far then Boise's, why are they not rewarded? Some kind of media conspiracy to have a big Cinderella story NC game? Why would anyone not have Auburn #2 on merit?

Auburn still has Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama left to play...and then, maybe a CCG match. Boise has Idaho, Fresno State, Nevada and Utah State to go.

If Auburn runs the table they are #1 or #2..got to be or this whole thing is just nuts. I guess people are playing the schedule game not merit. The odds on Boise being undefeated are much shorter than Auburn wading SEC games.

[Spence]

The BCS hasn't put anyone in the championship game yet.

[billybud]

Something is bad wrong that Auburn isn't #2. And Boise with only an early win over VT as a showpiece game.

[billybud]

Particularly since Boise eased by VT.

[WoVeU]

I am very surprised they aren't at least #2! But I think some of that good ole SEC lure might actually be hurting them. They don't look the part. I now they aren't much different from Tebow's Florida, but they and Arkansas just look different than the other SEC teams.

If it ain't this I don't know?

[Spence]

And your point is.......? Auburn has beaten some pretty good teams. They have no losses.

[billybud]

Auburn has also played much tougher teams than most...Top 25 SOS. Twice as tough as a team like Boise.

Boise has "away" games at Wyoming, San Jose State, New Mexico State, Idaho, and Nevada. If an SEC team scheduled any four of those teams in OOC, they would be pilloried for setting up a weak schedule. Those away games send shivers down the spine. What a row of murderous teams to face!

[Eric]

I have Auburn at #2 for topping another top 10 team in LSU. But getting all of those schools at home is a major plus. I would put money on Boise State, at home, against all of those teams that Auburn defeated. But I realize that is speculation

The bottom line is, if Auburn runs the table, they are 99.5% probably going to leapfrog Boise State in the standings. And Oregon may not finish undefeated either.

[Eric]

Auburn is #1 anyway in the BCS.

[Eric]

But OOC is irrelevant. It's about the schedule in its entirety.

[silverfox]

Auburn is certainly better than Oregon, imho

[WoVeU]

Auburn is certainly better than Oregon, imho

I don't know about that. I saw the Clemson game, Clemson should have won that game.

Boise State has one thing going for them that Auburn doesn't. They are blowing teams out and that means their 2nd and 3rd teams are getting massive playing time. And that means that all of the players should still have good legs. And when you 2nd and 3rd string have that kind of playing time, practice really means something!

Oregon looks powerful similar to Auburn, but then I have to figure they are right behind Boise St. in getting loads of time of time for the 2nd and 3rd strings. Utah should be similar and TCU should be in between Boise St. and Oregon in that department. (This is why it will be very difficult for anyone to beat Boise St, a game and a week of practice should be about 2 games worth of experience for those boys. And getting to be all those teams bowl game, they are still getting 1 or 2 quarters worth of 110% that team has. This adds up pretty fast.) *I think in the old days when you had Ohio St. and Michigan, Nebraska and Oklahoma blowing teams away that this often lead to who would win those battles between them, the ones who came out and crushed their opponents the fastest got to build a better team and practice squad going into those games.)

[Spence]

There isn't any valued OOC comparison you can do to compare teams, because scheduling is too random. Until scheduling becomes intertwined, there can be no valid comparison between teams. You have to eliminate losses that were due to bad matchups to separate the really strong teams from teams that are good.

[Spence]

Why does it matter? I agree that Auburn is being disrespected now, but it won't matter when it really counts as long as Auburn wins out.

agreed. All they need to do is win.

[silverfox]

Well obviously the BCS agrees with me concerning Auburn being better than Oregon.

I just know Oregon too well. While they are a good solid team but UCLA is no Arkansas. I still say that Oregon State has a good chance to take them out.