Rivals Mailbag: Another BCS buster on the horizon?

Several years ago, a prediction that a team from a non-automatic qualifying conference would play in a BCS bowl might have led to a sobriety test.

Now that least one "BCS buster" has emerged in each of the past four seasons and in five of the past six, the prediction has become more like a multiple-choice test.

What team from a non-automatic qualifying conference will play in a BCS bowl game this season?

A. Boise State.
B. TCU.
C. Utah.
D. BYU.
E. None of the above.

Boise State and TCU would appear the most likely. Utah certainly has a chance. BYU has yet to reach a BCS bowl, but the Cougars are respected enough nationally that it's seems just a matter of time.

But some wonder whether there should be an addition to the BCS-buster multiple choices.

Middle madness


Rick Stockstill led Middle Tennessee to 10 wins last season.

Can Middle Tennessee State be the BCS buster at some point? We were 10-3 last year and finished with seven consecutive victories, including a bowl win over Southern Miss. Plus, the Sun Belt Conference is getting better.
John in Nashville

There is every reason to expect a big season in Murfreesboro. Dynamic quarterback Dwight Dasher, who had a record-setting performance in the 42-32 New Orleans Bowl victory, heads a list of 14 returning starters.

But the goal for Middle should be to usurp Troy as the Sun Belt Conference champion. Reaching a BCS bowl is too ambitious for this season and even for the foreseeable future.

No doubt, the Sun Belt is getting stronger. That much has been made apparent in recent seasons by Troy's victory over Oklahoma State in '07, Arkansas State's victory over Texas A&M in '08, Louisiana-Lafayette's victory over Kansas State in '09 and Middle's wins over Maryland in '08 and '09.

The Sun Belt has had some impressive near-misses, too. Arkansas State lost by three to Iowa last season, while Middle had a controversial six-point loss to Kentucky in '08. That season, Troy came tantalizingly close to upsetting LSU in Baton Rouge.

But the Sun Belt doesn't garner the same national respect as other non-automatic qualifying conferences such as the Mountain West or the WAC (because of Boise State). The Sun Belt still is widely viewed as the weakest conference in the FBS.

Even if Middle went undefeated, the "Big Six" conference opponents on its schedule may not be good enough to stir up support for a BCS invitation. Middle opens at home against Minnesota, which is projected as a lower-echelon team in the Big Ten. An Oct. 16 trip to Georgia Tech would be a chance to grab national attention if the Yellow Jackets go on to win the ACC's Coastal Division. But Georgia Tech could finish as low as fourth in that division, too.

Troy, which has won four in a row over Middle and usually in blowout fashion, has to visit Murfreesboro this season, so there is definitely a chance for this to be a memorable season. But if any team emerges as a "BCS buster," look for the usual suspects -- Boise State, TCU, Utah and BYU.

Boise likely will open the season in the top five and has the potential to make a national statement with September games against Virginia Tech and Oregon State. TCU returns a ton of starters from last season's team, which finished 12-1. Utah has earned some national cachet with two unbeaten seasons this decade and bowl victories over Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and Alabama, among others. The Utes also have games against Pitt and Notre Dame this season. BYU also has an experienced team coming off an 11-2 finish and has Washington and Florida State on the non-conference schedule.

If any of those teams go undefeated, they would draw favor over an unbeaten Middle Tennessee. Even an unbeaten Middle likely would be overlooked for a BCS bowl, just like Conference USA champion Tulane in 1998 and MAC champion Marshall in 1999.

So, Middle Tennessee fans should be satisfied if the Blue Raiders can match or improve upon last year's 10 victories, win the Sun Belt championship and return to the New Orleans Bowl.

In that scenario, you'll have to worry about losing coach Rick Stockstill, who surely will be an attractive candidate for any higher-profile coaching positions that come open.

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/conten...ID=1103206

Think that sums up most MT fans thoughts about the BCS. We would have to go undefeated 2 or 3 years in a row to even enter the conversation and you would be hard pressed to find any MT fans predicting us to go undefeated. Is it possible, fun to talk about, etc.? Yeah, Vegas will have us favored in everygame but 1, but I have yet to meet anyone who thinks 12-0 will happen. Most think Steele is crazy for predicting 11-1. I'll be happy just to get the troy monkey off our back, but I'm not sure that will happen this year either.

Of all of the big wins mentioned, can you believe they didn't mention ULM over Alabama in 2007?

(07-18-2010 01:30 PM)TeKERaider Wrote:  Think that sums up most MT fans thoughts about the BCS. We would have to go undefeated 2 or 3 years in a row to even enter the conversation and you would be hard pressed to find any MT fans predicting us to go undefeated. Is it possible, fun to talk about, etc.? Yeah, Vegas will have us favored in everygame but 1, but I have yet to meet anyone who thinks 12-0 will happen. Most think Steele is crazy for predicting 11-1. I'll be happy just to get the troy monkey off our back, but I'm not sure that will happen this year either.