Florida is #2 in the USA Today Rankings (note that Oklahoma leaps over Boise State, too):

1. Ohio State (62)

2. Florida

3. Michigan

4. LSU

5. Wisconsin

6. Louisville

7. USC

8. Oklahoma

9. Boise State

10. Auburn

11. Notre Dame

12. West Virginia

13. Arkansas

14. Virginia Tech

15. Wake Forest

16. Texas

Am I allowed to post this stuff here?
If so, here's the AP Poll:

1. Ohio State (65)

2. Florida

3. Michigan

4. LSU

5. Louisville

6. Wisconsin

7. Oklahoma

8. USC

9. Boise State

10. Auburn

11. Notre Dame

12. Arkansas

13. West Virginia

14. Virginia Tech

15. Wake Forest

16. Rutgers

All that's left is the insane math of the computer rankings. When you see the lights dim you'll know they are crunching the final numbers. If Michigan remains #2 in the BCS after the computer rankings come in expect to see people in the streets burning images of the BCS. That would have to be the death nail for the BCS system if that occurs.

One can only hope

Dan Wetzel on Yahoo! predicts Florida will end up #2 in all of the computer polls.
Actually, HE doesn't predict it, but he says BCS expert Jerry Palm, the publisher of CollegeBCS.com, says it's likely for FL to squeak by Michigan in the computers...

I know that many despise the idea, but this continues to prove the need for a playoff system of sorts...

I think the following hypothetical playoff of the Top 16 teams (Texas getting the edge over Rutgers because of lack of Big 12 teams) listed by both polls- and seeding ties broken only for avoiding intra conference rivals too soon in the playoffs- makes for a very intriguing option:

1) Ohio State
16) Texas

9) Boise State
8) Oklahoma

5) Wisconsin
12) Arkansas

12) West Virginia
4) Louisiana State

3) Michigan
14) Virginia Tech

11) Notre Dame
6) Louisville

7) Southern California
10) Auburn

15) Wake Forest
2) Florida


I think the first round matchups would be intriguing and create some interesting second round games.

I mean, why the hell not just end it all and make it happen on the field? It lets a good season by smaller schools (Boise St and nearly Rutgers) sneak into the tournament to prove if they deserve it or not. It lets the decision between Florida and Michigan become less speculation and more of prove it on the field... gives excellent teams (USC, LSU, Lousiville) chances to shake off a rough loss or two....

Oh well- BCS is BCS LOL

I forgot. One more poll to go. The Harris Interactive is still out. It should be coming in during the next couple of hours. The BCS is 1/3 USA Today Coaches Poll, 1/3 Harris Interactive, and 1/3 Computer Rankings.

Computers don't rank anything, computers compute. Formulas determine the ranking. Ranking formulas were already used back in the days when Alan Turing hadn't even thought of the machine named after him.

Whatever. Just quoting what the BCS calls it.

Anyway, we won't be able to know the results of the "whatever you want to call them" until 7PM today.

I guess I'm all alone in wanting to see the Ohio State vs. Michigan rematch. Michigan only lost by a field goal the last time around. It makes me wonder what would happen when the game is on impartial territory.

The truth is that the computer breakdowns between Florida and Michigan will be so close that the use of the human pollers into the rankings will probably be the true decider.

I understand the arguments for both Michigan and Florida to be in the game against Ohio State. Even as a primarily life-long Spartan supporter, I would love to see a Michigan-Ohio State neutral field National Championship. Michigan lost by one fieldgoal to the number one team in the number one team's home field. Florida lost to a good but lower ranked team... My argument would have been the same had USC won their game against USC- they lost to lower ranked teams....

Before the BCS polls, would Boise State been the team to play against Ohio State for the championship?

All signs are pointing to Florida. One of the BCS experts, Jerry Palm, said that even if the two teams are matched evenly in the Computer Rankings (or whatever you call them) Michigan would need a margin of 48 points in the Harris Interactive to beat Florida's ranking in the Coaches poll. He went on to say that both the Harris and the Coaches polls typically match each other so I guess that seals the deal.

Also, the LA Times has officially called it after talking to a BCS source.

Just saw the computer polls and they were dead even - .940 for both Florida and Michigan. The human polls broke the tie. As one of the commentators said, people didn't want to see a rematch of Michigan and Ohio State.

since others have put together their own hypothetical playoffs on this thread, I'll put mine out there. Using the current BCS standings I put together a 24 team playoff with all conference champions getting an automatic bid and 13 at large bids. It is similar to the hoops tourney with its distribution ratio of automatic/at large bids.

Conference Champs(seeding)

Big 10 - Ohio State/1
SEC - Florida/2
Pac 10 - USC/5
Big East - Louisville/6
WAC- Boise State/8
Big XII - Oklahoma/10
ACC - Wake Forest/14
MWC - BYU/20
C-USA - Houston/22
MAC - Central Michigan/23
Sun Belt - Troy/24

At large bids(seeding)

1. Michigan/3
2. LSU/4
3. Wisconsin/7
4. Auburn/9
5. Notre Dame/11
6. Arkansas/12
7. West Virginia/13
8. Virginia Tech/15
9. Rutgers/16
10. Tennessee/17
11. California/18
12. Texas/19
13. Texas A+M/21

hypothetically, this could take too long....but would it? See for yourself:

First/Second Round Matchups(Dec 9/16)

Tennessee(17) v Rutgers(16) - winner plays Ohio State(1)
California(18) v Virginia Tech(15) winner plays Florida(2)
Texas(19) v Wake Forest(14) winner plays Michigan (3)
BYU(20) v West Virginia(13) winner plays LSU (4)
Texas A+M(21) v Arkansas(12) winner plays USC(5)
Houston(22) v Notre Dame(11) winner plays Louisville (6)
Central Michigan(23) v Oklahoma(10) winner plays Wisconsin(7)
Troy(24) v Auburn(9) winner plays Boise State(8)

Quarterfinals Dec 23

Semifinals Dec 30

Final Jan 6, 2007.....two days before the BCS title game.

Crazy idea that actually could work.....

You were not alone. I wanted to see it too. But the pollsters wanted to see the two best teams that didn't play each other. Never mind that one team thrashed Vandy, while the other squeezed by with a TD. Or that one team needed a last second block of a field goal to beat South Carolina.

Some other thoughts.

-- as much as the rematch would have been fun, it's also great to see Lloyd Carr doing his sad sack John Kerry long face imitation this a.m.

-- Urban Meyer is a whiny dour lier-lier-pants-on-fire guy. After halftime of the Gaytors/Rayzors game, was asked as he walked onto the field if he and the team knew about the USC upset.

Anyhoo -- he said "No".

Right, Coach Meyer. In this day and age, with cell phone, blackberries, IMs .... you know since the entire stadium had -- so many Gaytor fans had crowded onto one of the stadium concourses to watch the end of that game that the fire marshalls considered action.

Why not just say, "Yes, we welcome the opportunity, but we're going to focus now on beating Arkansas"

During the BCS selection he was asked about edging out Michigan and how Florida might do against d'OSU. "Had he seen any of their games this season?"

Again, he said "No" -- hadn't done so.

But then next interview -- it became "Sure" -- he, like the rest of the nation, actually had seen the Michigan-d'OSU game.

Get you stories straight next time.

-- Speaking of Urban Meyer, glad to see Notre Dame taking on LSU in New Orleans. Hopefully will end up with its, what?, tenth bowl loss in a row?

-- Texas sure fell out of favor -- heading to the Alamo Bowl. however, they'll probably kill Iowa.

-- [edited to add] oh and btw, for those who wanted Florida rather than the rematch, just remember these scores from 1996 season.

First: Florida State 24 - Florida 21.

Oh, wait, then a rematch -- On January 2, for the national championship! This time Florida 52 - Florida State 20.

Yep, Florida got two bites at the same apple.

It's interesting that people discount the Alamo Bowl. First, it has always provided the highest rated bowl game of the ESPN line-up. Secondly, let's look at the history of the Bowl:
2005 (yea, that's last year's bowl game) - Nebraska 32, Michigan 28 (isn't that the same Michigan some are trying to put in the national championship game?)
2004 (the battle of the OSU's) - Ohio State 33, Oklahoma State 7 (I was there and Oklahoma St. shouldn't have been there)

Sometimes teams feel coming to the Alamo Bowl is a letdown only to find out at halftime they should have been more prepared. For Texas it may be a shocker if they don't bring a game face.

Anyway, it let's me see my Longhorns and not have to travel.

After reading some of the comments from various coaches who voted in the USA Today Coaches Poll it appears one of the things that may have hurt Michigan is the lack of a championship game in the Big 10. In other words, Michigan's fate was sealed at the end of the OSU-Michigan game. They could do nothing but sit and wait the entire thing out.

Hey blue raider,

I'm with you on the playoff system. I am not inclined to make a playoff system using only the BCS top 8 or 16. The BCS is a flawed system and that's why there's a playoff argument against it. If we really want to match up the conferences, why not a 16-team playoff system with the 11 conference champions + 5 at-large bids. Then suck up to the BCS and rank the playoff bids by its standings:

Ohio St
Troy

Boise St
Auburn

LSU
BYU

USC
Wake Forest

Florida
Central Michigan

Wisconsin
Notre Dame

Michigan
Houston

Louisville
Oklahoma

and go from there... spread the money around...

just my opinion.