Coach Pete Carroll, his team having dropped from No. 5 to 7 in the latest BCS rankings despite the 56-0 victory against Washington, was asked repeatedly Tuesday during his weekly press conference for his thoughts on the BCS system. He did not shy away from answering.
“I think it stinks,” Carroll said. “I don’t know if we would have been No. 1 had we won all our games. That’s even why presidential candidates want to see playoffs.
“What is the criteria of the process? Is it the team that has the best season? The season that you like the most and feel best about voting for? Or is it the best team at the end of the year, the team that would win a playoff system if you did have it? … All we can do is keep talking about it.”
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- USC football: In Carroll’s words (with commentary)
My Dad once told me not to complain about how the nation is run if I didn’t care to vote.
Pete Carroll refuses to even allow a Coaches’ Poll vote on the USC campus. He doesn’t vote in the BCS process and therefore has no complaint in how it is run.
The coach has an opinion and he feels it stinks just like the rest of us. That 2003 thing will bother him and everyone who cares about Trojan Football.
Pete Carroll is finally saying something I have been saying over the last month. Even had USC beaten Ore State 100 to nothing, it apparently would have meant nothing. They have won five games in a row…….but have dropped two spots in the polls. USC paid the price for their loss. They shouldnt have to pay any longer. The SEC and Big 12 should have to drop in the standings for playing division two teams.
Maybe Pete should cut a check to the BCS while he’s writing ones to the players.
i was at the cal game were they beat usc it was awesome
When the season was about to begin Georgia, Oklahoma, and SC were ranked at the top. They claimed in one article that if these 3 teams won all of their games SC would be out of NC game. That is why the system just flat doesn’t work. The teams hadn’t played a down and the computers are trying to tell you how good your team is. This needs to be scrapped and scrapped soon.
Ironic how coming into the 2008 season the entire media circus praised USC as the best team ever (not just for the season) with one of the most difficult schedules. SC romps Virginia and then Ohio State (which was hyped as one of the best games for 2008). There’s no doubt USC was out-coached against Oregon State. However, since that loss USC has won 5 straight with 3 shutouts against D-I teams, all with 3rd-4th-5th string players for the 2nd half (not just final minutes). USC deserves some respect, not to go from #5 to #7 from such accomplishments. There’s no doubt USC could beat any team (Alabama, Penn St, Texas Tech, etc); they just have to watch out for their weak Pac-10 opponents (Cal & Stanford). Respect?
It just so happens that this year is a freak year in the Big 12 , with three and maybe four (we’ll see how Tex. Tech looks after playing Ok St, and Okla) legitimate Top Ten teams just in the South division. Then throw in two legitimate SEC Top Ten teams with two other above average SEC foes (Ga, LSU) in the conference. So, if you’re an SEC or Big 12 team with one loss, even if to a mediocre school, you can redeem yourself with wins in your two or three games against the other top schools.
USC is no different than FL this year, with FL getting upset by so-so Mississippi, and SC getting tagged by so-so Ore. St. However, FL gets chances to make up for it by playing against LSU and Ga., both teams they did ultimately beat. Unfortunately SC doesn’t have any other medium or highly ranked foes in the Pac-10 this year to beat and redeem themselves. So they’ll be out in the cold.
I tend to think that this year, SC is unfortunately destined to have at least two Big 12 and one SEC team always ahead of them (the names might change, but the positioning won’t) in the polls. It’s just the cold reality of another freaky year in college football.
It also goes to show how one little slip (Ore St.) can cement your fate (no chance at a national championship). Pete Carroll is right to say that the Ore St loss will haunt him.
If you want a true championship series then you will have to have a playoff system, not some qualitative system that is allegedly quantitative being based on the unique criteria of computer generated rankings, coaches votes, news reporters votes, and whatever other components are stirred in the witches brew. Furthermore, the Eastern Bias of the process is skewed. When you have teams like BYU, Boise State that “dont have a strong enough schedule” to be considered with the “big boys” you circle around the nonsense relative to USC and its strength of schedule. When Texas Tech Beat Texas, Texas should have potentially dropped below USC.
The truth is on any given day, any team can toast another team. Therefore if we are so determined to know who is best, then have the gravitas to put in a play off system, let the boys play, and at the end of the year we will know who is king. But then dont forget that for several years we have watched the Colts and Patriots play the real super bowl, only to have the best of the AFL teams continue on in the process to spank the NFL team.
There isnt any process, but one thing is certain. Pete Carroll is the best at recruiting, motivating, coaching and leading. He builds young men in his system, and ironically has a depth chart that excells that of most pro teams proportionally.
Go Trojans
Dr. David H. Swim
DPA USC (so of course I am biased)
ps. Go Boise and Utah state, just so you can screw up the arrogance of the BCS system and ice age football from the east and se conferences.