Can a college football team lose one game and still make it to the BCS championship?

Question

I always see that in the championship both teams are undefeated. If it has happened, why didn't the BCS choose another undefeated team.

Answer 1

This can and has happened. A couple of years ago, LSU played Oklahoma and each had a loss. USC was third and also had a loss. That year, the AP and the BCS declared separate champions.

Answer 2

Even when you factor out strength of schedule college football rankers are SO over board regarding being undefeated that the undefeated teams will rise to the top. And, of course, the teams themselves make every possible effort to accomodate the ratings services.

Every year there will be teams that end up undefeated because of some have some combination of: the team is truly great (USC the last couple years), plays in a weak conference (West Virginia), purposely schedules creampuffs for non-conference games, has a favorable home-road schedule (i.e., plays toughest opponents at home; this is especially true of those teams that manage to play 7 home games a year). Like I said, a weak strength of schedule is balanced out by the desire of the ratings services to see undefeated teams at the top. Only teams that are undefeated but truly inferior (say, by playing in a very weak, non BCS conference and playing a real soft non-conference schedule) will fall below first or second place in the rankings.

It'd be great if one or two losses didn't keep you out of the national championship race. Look at ND: they play at Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, at Michigan State for games 1 - 4. That kind of scheduling almost guarantees a loss in the first four games, and that means half way through the season you're out of contention. Or consider FSU and Miami: after the first game Miami is pretty much out of national championship contention, barring an unusual year in college football.

All this thing about being undefeated is the rating services being lazy, if you ask me. Their pre-season picks are so predictable. Texas is #2/3 preseason? Come on, their whole team from last year (i.e., Vince Young) left. And they still have Mack Brown, that should be good for a sub-top ten rating right there.

Answer 3

Absolutely yes. I think this year it is very likely that at least one or the two teams in the national championship game will have one loss. I agree that West Virginia has a very good chance to have an undefeated season but may not be in the championship game because the schedule is much weaker than several other contenders like Ohio State or even ND (compared to WVU the Irish have a very tough schedule with Penn State, MIchigan and USC).

Answer 4

Absolutely. Especially starting this year, where the teams will play another game (most teams added an easy home game, but its another chance for someone to get hurt), and the games will be shorter because of rule changes (theoretically increases the chance of an upset because the longer the game, the more likely the superior team is to prevail). Two years ago Utah finished undefeated and the best they could do was to play a highly overmatched Pitt team in one of the worst BCS bowl games to date

Answer 5

It's very possible. It really all depends on the rankings. An undefeated team that plays a lower level of competition probably won't be rated as highly as a team that plays a tough schedule but has one loss.

The BCS championship system stinks. Their goal for developing the system was to make money, not necessarily to determine the best team.

Answer 6

The BCS figures in strength of schedule along with many other factors. If a team like West Virginia goes undefeated they could possibly not be in the National Championship because of the weak schedule that they have. That makes it fair to the teams who actually schedule harder opponents.

Answer 7

If no team in a major conference finishes the year undefeated, then yes. After that, they'd use whatever crazy formula the BCS calls for this year, and go down the list of tiebreakers (Strength of schedule, points scored and allowed, etc.)

Though they won't admit it, I think the potential of each team to draw TV viewers and ticket-buying fans enters into it somewhere.If it's down to Notre Dame and West Virginia, guess who's getting left in the cold? Not right, but that's the way it is....

Answer 8

I think that it will only happen if there are no undefeated teams, although when you use the computer poll, anything is possible, if the loss was to close enough to a strong enough opponent

Answer 9

Yes as long as the loss is early (september) in the season. Of course if they are a media darling (Notre Dame, Florida or California Teams) they get an automatic vote irregardless of record.

Answer 10

yea LSU did it 2 years ago