USC pasted Penn State. Penn State was clearly a quality team, deservedly the Big 10 representative in the Rose Bowl. But USC was also clearly on another level. USC lost a close game on the road. They have as much claim to a title as any one-loss team.
Utah waxed a decidely unimpressive Alabama, in another game that wasn't as close as the score. Unlike the Georgia Bulldogs last year, who took their BCS slight as motivation to destroy a Hawaii team that came in thinking it would prove it belonged in the National Championship, Alabama looked uninspired for most of the game. But Utah helped that impression, as the Utes were clearly better on both sides of the ball. The Utes are undefeated and have proven that it was no fluke.
Two teams have staked their claim to the mythical National Championship. Two more to go. If Texas treats Ohio State the way the last couple of BCS games have treated Ohio State, they will be hard to ignore. Like USC they lost a close game on the road; they will have both knocked off Ohio State. But Texas also beat Oklahoma
And then the winner of the BCS game will have only one loss and another very impressive win to show for it. An Oklahoma victory only enhances Texas' claim - because that tie-breaker was decided head to head. Florida can claim to have come through the hardest road - and Mississippi's beatdown of Texas Tech shows that Florida's one point loss was not so inconceivable.
It's gonna be fun. We're gonna have at least three teams still worth voting for, and maybe four. It's a teachable moment, when the subject is how not to decide a championship. Stay tuned.
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