Auburn, Ala. – Tons of toilet paper still swung in the wind from the tree on Toomer’s Corner here Sunday afternoon. The leftovers from Auburn’s weird “tree-papering” tradition after football victories were oddly symbolic of the Tigers’ chances of rebounding into the Bowl Championship Series title game Jan. 8.
The first BCS rankings came out Sunday with Auburn (6-1) fourth behind No. 1 Ohio State (6-0), No. 2 Southern California (6-0) and No. 3 Michigan (7-0). Auburn is the highest-ranked team in a Southeastern Conference that’s so carnivorous, no unbeatens remain only seven weeks into the season.
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, one of the biggest critics of the BCS, was asked if he could see the system putting a one-loss SEC team ahead of an undefeated team for the national title game.
“No,” said Tuberville, his towel around his neck after a workout. “I don’t think it’ll ever happen. I think people are enamored by not losing, rather than voting on who the best teams are. That’s what I do.”
Mark this as the start of Tuberville’s campaign. His Tigers knocked off Florida, previously ranked No. 2 in The Associated Press media poll, 27-17, on Saturday night and find themselves within striking distance of the BCS title game while needing help just to win the SEC West.
Six unbeaten teams remain. Besides the above three, West Virginia (6-0) is ranked fifth in the BCS, Louisville (6-0) is seventh and Boise State (7-0) is 15th. Louisville hosts West Virginia on Nov. 2, Michigan visits Ohio State on Nov. 18, and USC hosts No. 14 Oregon (5-1), No. 10 California (6-1) and No. 8 Notre Dame (5-1) on successive weeks Nov. 11-25.
So the SEC will get some help. Tuberville thinks there will be more than two unbeatens left at season’s end. But just as his Tigers were left out of the title game two years ago despite going 12-0, he thinks an SEC champion with one loss should get consideration over an unbeaten.
“I would like to see people vote for the best teams,” Tuberville said. “Not by records. Is this team better? It may have lost a game, but are they better than a team that’s won all of them? I vote that way (in the USA Today coaches poll).
“After what we went through a couple of years ago, I’d hate to think that anybody would be left out of playing for a national championship undefeated, but it’s got to be a legitimate undefeated.”
Auburn has beaten top-10 teams Florida and then-No. 6 Louisiana State, and likely would get another matchup if it reaches the SEC title game. Tuberville’s campaign is harpooned by Auburn’s huge upset loss at home to unranked (at the time) Arkansas nine days ago.
Tuberville can’t complain much, unlike West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez, whose Mountaineers are one spot behind Auburn despite their spotless record. West Virginia’s schedule has been weak. Its five Division I-A victims have a combined mark of 12-20, plus Eastern Washington, 2-5 as a I-AA team. West Virginia’s .460 average in the six computers the BCS uses in its formula ranks only 15th in the BCS.
However, West Virginia can move up if it beats Louisville, and it ends the season at Rutgers, ranked 16th in the BCS.
“(Auburn) can’t hold on to it long term,” said Jerry Palm, BCS analyst for collegebcs.com. “West Virginia is into the meat of their schedule. Auburn has played the toughest teams on their schedule, so it’s going to reverse itself.”
The intriguing possibility is Ohio State and Michigan meeting as No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the BCS in their last game of the regular season. Ohio State’s other remaining games are Indiana and Minnesota at home and Illinois and Northwestern on the road. Michigan has No. 23 Iowa, Northwestern and Ball State at home and a road trip to Indiana.
If form holds and USC can’t survive the gantlet of three straight ranked teams, arguably the biggest rivalry in college football will be for a BCS title berth. So could a one-loss team sneak into the title game?
“It would really be up to the voters,” Palm said. “First, it would have to be a strong one-loss team. Obviously we’re not talking about Boise State.”
Maybe not, but Boise State is worth watching. As a member of one of the five smaller non-BCS conferences, it can qualify for one of the five lucrative BCS bowls only by finishing in the top 12, or in the top 16 and ahead of one of the six BCS conference champions.
Boise State is three spots behind No. 12 Clemson, the highest-ranked team of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Clemson hosts No. 19 Georgia Tech and, if it wins that, likely has another ranked opponent in the ACC title game in Jacksonville, Fla.
Boise State’s lone remaining opponents that now have winning records are Idaho (4-3) and at San Jose State (4-1).
Rough road ahead
The first BCS rankings were released Sunday. The top five schools and the AP top-25 teams they play later:
1. Ohio State: No. 2 Michigan
2. Southern California: No. 16 Oregon, No. 11 California, No. 10 Notre Dame
3. Michigan: at No. 1 Ohio State
4. Auburn: No top-25 teams on remaining schedule
5. West Virginia: at No. 6 Louisville, No. 19 Rutgers
Staff writer John Henderson can be reached at 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
