The BCS might not produce the right ending, but it does make for great drama

Unbuckling the mailbag:

Question: There is still a month left in the season but things could get ugly. If Boise State is not in a Bowl Championship Series game (assuming they win out) how can anyone possibly defend the BCS? It will be a complete sham.

Steven Kimes

Answer: Relax, the BCS has everything under control. When has the system ever failed before?

OK, never mind that. The bottom line is that while people like you (and me) are panicking about disaster scenarios, the BCS bigwigs actually have us right where they want us: on the edge of our end-zone seats.

The whole premise of the screwy system is to make every week of the regular season a soap opera: “As the BCS Turns.” In the early days, networks sold commercial time to soap companies during their daytime serial dramas. These days, the networks run advertisements for products you couldn’t even talk about in the 1950s.

The idea is the same, though: Make you tune in the next day.

The fact that the BCS “could” turn out to be a mess is what will keep us watching for the next five weeks.

In fact, this is shaping up to be one of the fairest and most exciting fights in BCS history. The top two teams from the top two conferences are No. 1 and No. 2, followed by three undefeated schools from “non-AQ” conferences: Texas Christian, Boise and Utah. This is actually incredible considering only a few years ago it was deemed impossible by some that one team from outside the power structure could ever compete for the national title. This year we have three.

It is interesting that the attorney general of Utah picked this week to launch an investigation into the BCS, the very week Utah is hosting TCU in a game with a possible national title berth on the line.

There is still a month left in the season and things could get gnarly. But while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is ugly.

Q: Not only is Boise State getting (cheated) out of the championship game, ESPN had a projection the other day with them not even getting a BCS game. And Pittsburgh does?

Richard Turner

Fontana

A: It is possible Boise State could get left out of a BCS game if it doesn’t reach the title game, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If the TCU/Utah winner ends up jumping undefeated Boise State in the rankings, it would be foolish and self-destructive for a major bowl to leave Boise State behind.

If the major bowls want to protect the golden goose they have, and not risk a lawsuit, they had better do the right thing.

The bowls, remember, made good last year by giving Boise State and TCU major bids, pairing the schools against each other in the Fiesta.

Let’s say Oregon and Auburn win out and play for the title and TCU ends up ahead of Boise State in the final standings. TCU would play the Big Ten champion in the Rose Bowl.

That leaves three at-large spots left — undefeated Boise State would deserve one of those.

Q: Boise State No. 1? You must have taken Proposition 19 literally.

Russ Snyder

Long Beach

A: I’m into Boise blue madness … not reefer.

Q: Can you ever remember when one of Notre Dame, Michigan or Texas was not in the top 25? If you toss in not seeing Florida or Penn State up there, it is really a weird season.

Jerry Meerkreebs

Sierra Madre

A: What blows my mind is the proposition (not 19) that Texas Christian, Boise State or Utah can win the national title this year.

Q: You wrote that there will not be a playoff in college football for at least three years. Why is it at least three years away?

Robert Stein

A: ESPN purchased the four-year rights to the BCS last year under the condition that the system would remain intact through the 2013 season. It is highly unlikely any change would come before then.

Q: Can anyone explain 4-4 Cal? 1: Cal hasn’t played a good team at home yet this year. 2: Cal hasn’t had a quarterback to match the quality of the rest of their team since Aaron Rodgers left.

Mike Harvey

Irvine

A: I thought I was supposed to answer the questions.

Q: Couldn’t an 11-1 Stanford team get an invitation to another BCS bowl?

Sean Westgate

A: Yes, Stanford could get edged out of the Rose Bowl at 11-1 but still land in another BCS game, likely the Sugar.

When you look at it, there are probably not going to be that many BCS-eligible teams to choose from at the end of the year. Stanford, at 11-1, would be extremely attractive.

Q: If Ohio State had managed to stay undefeated (and somehow convinced the BCS computers it deserved a title shot), then a Pac-10 team would be playing a non-AQ team instead of a Big Ten team, right?

I want my Rose Bowl back. What the heck, I want the Pac-8 back instead of a Pac-16 or 20.

Allen Krauter

A: I suppose, assuming the Pac-10 champion is not also in the BCS title game. But enough scenarios for now; my brain hurts.

Q: Do you think the current BCS system is softening rivalries?

For example, I don’t like UCLA. For years I wanted to see them lose every game … by 50. Now, I find myself cheering for them because their success outside the Pac-10 is relative to how the Pac-10 is viewed by national media.

Jon Basalone

Brea

A: The BCS does make you do crazy things. I was at a Boise State tailgate before the Oregon State game this year and Broncos fans were cheering wildly for Arkansas, which was leading Alabama. I told the Boise fans, “You know, if Arkansas wins you have to start rooting against the Hogs the second the game is over.”

Alabama rallied to win, but Boise State fans understood exactly what I meant.

Q: Why doesn’t Texas Christian (re)join its Texas “Pardners” in the Big 12?

There’s room for another school and that would take care of its BCS problems.

Jim Harris

Iowa City

A: Think about it: The Big 12 isn’t interested in TCU, but the Big East reportedly is? That makes no sense, but there are no politics in Texas like football politics. Last summer’s near-blockbuster move to take half the Big 12 and create the Pac-16 was scuttled when Texas A&M, likely tired of Texas calling the shots, entertained a last-minute offer to join the SEC.

Why wasn’t TCU included in the Big 12 when the Southwest Conference dissolved in 1994?

The story goes that Texas Gov. Ann Richards insisted that Baylor be included, which left TCU and Southern Methodist out of the mix.

TCU was also in terrible shape back then, in the midst of a decades-long football slump that included scandals and NCAA probation. TCU was orphaned to the Western Athletic Conference before moving to the Mountain West, where it has enjoyed incredible success under Coach Gary Patterson.

The Big 12 is intent for now on staying at 10 teams and playing a round-robin schedule without a championship game.

But these are volatile times in terms of expansion, so nothing would surprise me.

Q: Guessing readers accusing you of being anti-Michigan State are very quiet this week?

Kenneth Brewer

Dallas

A: What is the sound of one cricket’s hand clapping?

Look, it wasn’t anything against Michigan State. It’s just that people who studied their season seriously had to know the Spartans were overrated.

They needed a miracle play to beat Notre Dame in East Lansing, missed Ohio State on the schedule, had to rally back from 17-0 down to beat Northwestern and didn’t leave the state to play a game until Oct. 23.

Coach Mark Dantonio’s heart attack after the Notre Dame win made Michigan State a very easy team to root for, but I absolutely knew the end was coming at Iowa last week.

And it was 30-0 at the half.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com