College football fans and fans of sports in general anticipated the release of the latest BCS standings mostly for visual confirmation that Alabama was no longer number one. Other than that, the computers generated relatively few surprises. Florida State (.9948) has a strong lead atop the polls after beating Florida by 30. #2 Ohio State (.9503) trails FSU significantly but also has a decent cushion over Auburn (.9223).
The Tide dropped from the top spot they'd held for the entire season and at the end of every season over the least two years following one of the most spectacular finishes to a college football game ever. In fact, today's segment of ESPN's "Numbers Never Lie" called it, by the numbers, the best finish to a football game in college history.
The numbers:
109, or the length in yards of Chris Davis' return for the game winning touchdown: One simply can't complete a longer touchdown run.
:01, or the time on the clock leading up to the game's last play: One literally can't make a play any later in the game.
1, or Alabama's ranking at the time: One just can't beat a more highly regarded team.
3, or the number of championships Alabama has won in the last four years, including the last two: One can only beat one defending champion per season. Had Alabama won the title again this year, an ESPN writer argued that Nick Saban could already be crowned the greatest college football coach of all time.
Auburn's upset probably helps the credibility of the BCS system, which no longer faces the possibility of deciding between three unbeaten teams, but the improbable win has now spawned an entirely new debate: Should the winner of Auburn-Missouri jump past Ohio State even if the Buckeyes remain unbeaten? One ESPN analyst said it likely won't happen unless Ohio State plays a "mediocre," low scoring game against Michigan State (though you could argue beating the tenth ranked team in the country while not playing your best might actually boost your public profile) and Auburn blows out Missouri.
Outside the top 5, forgotten Oklahoma State (10-1) now sits at #6. Clemson dropped from #6 to #13 after its two touchdown loss to South Carolina, which moved up two spots to #8. #24 Texas A&M managed to remain in the top 25 despite its four losses.
Few question the legitimacy of Florida State, who've demolished every team they've faced this year besides a 14 point win over Boston College. Yet, FSU's best win was against Clemson, who are clearly not the top ten team people thought they were (and maybe not even a top 20 team).
