BCS Crunch-Time

All the games have been played and six teams are certain of their postseason destiny:

ROSE BOWL -- #1 USC vs. #2 Texas
ORANGE BOWL -- Florida State vs Penn State
SUGAR BOWL -- Georgia vs. West Virginia
FIESTA BOWL -- Ohio State vs. (TBD)

That's not a mortal lock on the Orange Bowl, but how could any bowl committee pass up an opportunity for Paterno-Bowden? The wild card factor: where will Notre Dame finish in the BCS rankings? If the Irish rise two spots to #6, highly likely given the fall this weekend of Virginia Tech and LSU, then there is no suspense involved - as a non-BCS conference team, the Irish are assured of the berth.

Let the bitching and moaning commence. But I ask that the "ND Isn't Good, They Just Travel Well" crowd to consider this - who is less worthy, Notre Dame or 4-loss Florida State? Notre Dame or Big East champion West Virginia, which had such powerhouses as Wofford, East Carolina, and Cincinnati on its schedule. Why don't we even compare common opponents for the Irish and Mountaineers - each thumped Pittsburgh, 48-21 and 45-13 respectively, but WVU had a devil of a time beating Mighty Syracuse, 15-7.

Food for thought. BCS selections begin in 15 minutes...