What was the situation at the top of the BCS picture in 04 with Utah?

If BYU goes undefeated and plays in the MNC game, I'll be Jerry Creekster's uncle.

Nobody is saying that as a "normal" circustance. In most years, an undefeated BYU would not come close to the MNC game. This has been an unusual year. What we're saying is that an undefeated BYU this year might have gotten a shot. And the Colley computer poll agrees.

If they upgraded the schedule a little, they'd be in it most years with an undefeated record. The year Utah went undefeated, there were three undefeated BCS schools. On average there is probably one.

Agree on the schedule. But my point is that it would take a unique set of circumstances for a non-BCS to get in to the title game. You clearly need to go undefeated, but you also need the top BCS schools to beat each other up like they have this year.

That's why the "Hawaii model" is misleading. If you had 2 or 3 undefeated BCS teams, and most others were 1 loss ... Hawaii might bot even be top 15 this year, much less 12.

That would be sweet on two levels...

One, my school would win a national championship.

Two, you would be part of my family.

I agree with this. The BCS teams are the bigger names. The problem is that the BCS is driven by tv money and not to find a true champion. If there were 10+ million residents along the Wasatch Front, Utah and BYU would be in a BCS conference.

Three undefeated BCS teams.

And the geniuses that make the call or feed data into the computers picked the least deserving of those 3 to be the team to play USC.

Norman, OK
Lincoln, NE
South Bend, IN


all have metro populations similar to or smaller than SLC, yet house BCS schools and National Champions.

The issue isn't population. It is national appeal.

South Bend is 1 hour drive from Chicago. 3 hours from Detroit and 2 hours from Indianapolis. That's over 10 million people.