Another Crack in System

This week on “Arrested BCS Development”:

* Upstart Utah is 60 minutes from probably becoming the first mid-major to earn a bowl championship series bowl berth.

And Craig Thompson, the Mountain West Conference commissioner who should be proud as a first-time papa about this, is quoted as saying, “I will decline further comment.”

Decline further comment?

This is a coronation, Mr. Thompson, not an investigation.

Unfortunately, the BCS these days can’t even take advantage of its shining moments.

The prospect of Utah’s landing in the Fiesta Bowl -- almost a sure thing should it defeat Brigham Young on Saturday -- should have been trumpeted with horn-toots.

Instead, well, mum’s the word.

When BCS founding fathers decreed that any non-BCS team that ranks No. 6 or better would earn a major-bowl berth, someone failed to thoroughly consider the fine print of a contract that states the champion of the Mountain West is bound to play in the Liberty Bowl.

Give me liberty and give me Utah.

For years, Liberty Bowl Executive Director Steve Ehrhart flaunted this contract in the face of the BCS, with everyone believing he wouldn’t seriously hold anyone to it.

Well, guess what.

The fear now is that while Utah players are celebrating their possible breakthrough trip to the $14-million Fiesta Bowl, Ehrhart will march to mid-field to serve Liberty Bowl papers on the Utes.

There were early indications Fiesta Bowl representatives would not even be welcome at the game -- although they are coming.

Ehrhart has, in the past, bristled at the sight of the Fiesta yellow-jackets at events involving his bowl contenders, although this week he softened a bit and said, “I have an understanding of why they’re there.”

It is not yet clear how this will all shake out.

Would Ehrhart really deny Utah the chance to play in the BCS game?

Ehrhart would not reveal his intentions other than to say, “I am going to show up.”

One BCS source said an agreement probably would be reached so that Ehrhart could magnanimously release Utah for the greater good of college sports.

You can bet compensation will be involved.

The sure-fire way out of this bowl mess is having Western Athletic Conference champion Boise State finish 11-0 and take Utah’s spot in the Liberty Bowl. Boise State, No. 9 in this week’s BCS standings, certainly deserves a higher-profile bowl game than the MPC Computers.

“We want to make it happen, and for all the right reasons,” WAC Commissioner Karl Benson said of releasing Boise State.

Understandably, the WAC would also want to be compensated.

“They’d better make sure financial terms are fair to Boise State and the WAC and the MPC Computers Bowl,” Benson said.

In other BCS news/outbursts:

* Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops suggested this week that ESPN might be biased toward Auburn.

Auburn safety Will Herring called the BCS “a disgrace to sports and a disgrace to college football.”

Louisiana State Coach Nick Saban said the BCS doesn’t work.

And ... the voting coaches in the ESPN/USA TODAY poll announced they would not make their final ballots public -- a result about as predictable as one of those “free” elections held by Saddam Hussein.

If you think BCS officials are distressed by the controversy that cloaks their sport ... you are wrong. To the contrary, officials wrapped up a meeting Sunday in San Diego at which they endorsed the status quo for years to come. The BCS believes it can sell its “double-hosting” model -- two Rose Bowls in the same year, remember? -- to television networks bidding for the next contract.

There will be no playoff, not even a one-gamer after the four major bowls.

Dave Frohnmayer, University of Oregon president and chair of the BCS oversight committee, took time out of his schedule this week to lash out at what he called “haymaker” accusations.

Frohnmayer said no one knows whether changes to the BCS this year will have failed until the end of the season.

Frohnmayer said, “For me or for a player or for a coach or for anyone to speak about the equity of this system this year ... before the season is even over, before conference championships have been held, is a little bit stunning in terms of the assertion that person might want to make.”

Really, except for three times since 2000, when has the BCS failed us?

Frohnmayer also called “absurd” the notion that the BCS scoring formula has fostered an atmosphere in which coaches feel they must run up scores on their opponents to protect their rankings.

Frohnmayer said it was up to the writers and coaches, via the increased power of their poll votes, to police the funny business of final scores.

Why Frohnmayer might be wrong about this:

The BCS theme song in coming weeks ought to be “If I had a hammer” because most of the schools involved in the major bowl chase have a vested interest in taking a mallet to their opponents.

Tweaks in the BCS this year have produced subtleties coaches might not fully understand. In the past, the difference in a poll ranking was worth a full BCS point. This year, the poll component is nuanced and based on total votes cast; meaning you could be a strong No. 2 or a weak No. 2.

So:

* Oklahoma needs to hammer Baylor to protect any chance of keeping its tenuous hold on No. 2.

* No. 3 Auburn needs to hammer Alabama to convince the human polls it is truly the “real” No. 2.

* California needs to hammer Stanford to protect its No. 4 ranking in the BCS standings -- which would assure the Golden Bears an automatic BCS bid.

* No. 5 Texas needs to hammer Texas A&M; on Nov. 26 in an effort to steal the No. 4 spot from Cal -- not likely, but you never know -- which is crucial if Utah gets the other automatic bid.

* Utah needs to hammer BYU to protect its No. 6 BCS standing and a $14-million paycheck for the Mountain West.

Making the Case ...

... against Auburn:

A lot of folks with accents are drawling that Auburn, at 12-0, would deserve a national title shot because the Southeastern Conference is the nation’s toughest conference.

Well, is it?

Not according to most coherent analysis of conference strength.

BCS ratings man Jeff Sagarin ranks the Pacific 10 Conference as the nation’s toughest, followed by the Big 12, Atlantic Coast and SEC.

Peter Wolfe has the ACC first, followed by the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10 and the SEC.

Wes Colley’s Index, based in the South, has the SEC rated sixth.

Here’s what BCS men Anderson-Hester reported this week on their website: With all due respect to the SEC, this year it ranks fifth among the conferences.

SEC fans can argue computers don’t know squat, but these are the same computers that helped get Louisiana State to the Sugar Bowl last year at the expense of No. 1 USC.

Bottom line: Don’t confuse packed stadiums and unparalleled passion with conference strength.

Just because some people say the SEC is the best conference doesn’t make it so.

In fact, this year, the SEC might be only so-so.

Hurry-Up Offense

Farewell toast: John Robinson, coaching his final game Saturday night when Nevada Las Vegas plays at San Diego State, recalled losing his first game at USC, against Missouri, after taking over for John McKay in 1976.

“The headline in the L.A. Times was, ‘How could one man ruin a great program so fast?’ ” Robinson joked. USC won 11 consecutive games after the Missouri loss and, of course, Robinson went on to distinguish himself as one of the sport’s top coaches and quote producers.

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Run for Roses: Michigan clinches a Rose Bowl berth if it beats Ohio State or if Iowa defeats Wisconsin. The only way Wisconsin earns the bid is if it wins and Michigan loses.

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The Fighting Irish, first at something: Notre Dame is having another rough year on the field but remains the most popular college football team, according to a recent Harris poll.

Notre Dame is followed in the survey by Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and Penn State. USC finished seventh. Conspicuously missing in this year’s top 10 are all three Sunshine State powers -- Miami, Florida State and Florida -- and Oklahoma.

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Just asking: Can anyone explain why Arizona State is No. 7 in the computers and No. 20 in the Associated Press? And how is it that Iowa is ranked three spots ahead of Arizona State in the AP when both schools have two losses and Arizona State defeated Iowa, 44-7?

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So much for balance of power: The Big 12 South Division is 15-3 against the Big 12 North.

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Thursday, Friday, Pappy Days: Jeff Tedford can become the first Cal coach in 55 years to win three consecutive games against Stanford in the “Big Game.”

Compare and contrast: In 2001, the Cal defense in Tom Holmoe’s last year gave up averages of 39 points and 446 yards a game.

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OK, the BCS might be right in this case: Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg on Kansas Coach Mark Mangino saying officials wanted Texas to beat Kansas to protect Texas’ chances of making a BCS bowl: “I can categorically say that that is a ridiculous assertion.”