UPDATE: The matchups are now official. Let me know what you think:
Rose Bowl: Illinois vs. USC
Fiesta Bowl: West Virginia vs. Oklahoma
Sugar Bowl: Hawai'i vs. Georgia
Orange Bowl: Kansas vs. Virginia Tech
National Championship Game: Ohio State at vs. LSU (just joking, sort of)
We are just moments away from the announcement of the teams that will play in the various Bowl Championship Series games next month, including the national championship game. As we wait for the news, let's take a look at the polls as they now stand:
Rank |
AP |
Coaches |
Sagarin |
BCS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ohio State |
Ohio State |
Oklahoma |
Ohio State |
| 2. | LSU |
LSU |
Ohio State |
LSU |
| 3. | Oklahoma |
Oklahoma |
Kansas |
Virginia Tech |
| 4. | Georgia |
Georgia |
Florida |
Oklahoma |
| 5. | Virginia Tech |
Virginia Tech |
Virginia Tech |
Georgia |
| 6. | USC |
USC |
LSU |
Missouri |
| 7. | Missouri |
Missouri |
West Virginia |
USC |
| 8. | Kansas |
Kansas |
USC |
Kansas |
| 9. | Florida |
West Virginia |
Missouri |
West Virginia |
| 10. | Hawai'i |
Hawai'i |
Georgia |
Hawai'i |
I find Sagarin's ranking fascinating. We'll see what kind of an effect it has.
Of note, Hawai'i got a vote in each poll.
In the AP poll, the first-place votes were: Ohio State 50, LSU 11, Oklahoma 1, Georgia 1, Virginia Tech 1, Hawai'i 1..
In the coaches poll, the first-place votes were: Ohio State 46, LSU 11, Oklahoma 2, Hawai'i 1.
If it was up to me, LSU and Hawaii would play for the national title. I think the Warriors deserve a shot, and we all saw what Boise State did last year.
If I had to pick four teams for a playoff, I'd probably go with LSU vs. Hawaii and Ohio State vs. Oklahoma for my semfinals. It punishes Georgia for not winning its division of the SEC, but the Bulldogs had their chance to beat Tennessee and got blown out.
