BCS Ranking Reactions and Analysis

Below are some articles about UH being ranked #12 in the BCS and what it all means. But first, check out the computer rankings to see all that robot love UH got this week.

LSU fan Ryan, who has posted in the comments and on the Tsaiblog great breakdowns of the BCS rankings and how teams ahead and behind UH may affect the Warriors' standing has updated his analysis after the release of today's numbers. Here's his look at this weekend's games:

-#6 Virginia Tech plays #11 Boston College for the ACC championship. Whoever loses this game will likely fall behind Hawaii in the BCS rankings, however, there is a chance Virginia Tech loses and stays ahead of Hawaii so play it safe and hope Boston College loses.

-#8 USC plays unranked UCLA this weekend. A loss by USC would definitley drop them behind Hawaii.

-#9 Oklahoma plays #1 Missouri for the Big 12 Championship. A loss by Oklahoma would drop them behind Hawaii.

-#13 Arizona State plays unranked Arizona. Arizona is ranked slightly higher in the BCS than Hawaii's opponent, Washington, so if Hawaii and Arizona State both win it is possible that Arizona State could jump Hawaii due to how close their BCS rankings currently are. Again, play it safe and root for Arizona.

-#14 Tennessee plays #7 LSU for the SEC Championship. Due to LSU being ranked so high, a win by Tennessee would likely move them ahead of Hawaii.

As things stand, things are looking good if the Warriors can beat the Huskies.

Here's a brief mention of UH from CBS Sportsline's Chris Dodd, who also ranks Hawaii 9th in his power rankings.

Hawaii looks like it's going to clinch an automatic berth if it beats Washington this week. The pollsters and computers were impressed with the Warriors' win over Boise State. Hawaii got a huge lift in the computers (from 22nd to 14th) and benefited from Oregon and Texas losses to move up three spots to No. 12.

From ESPN's Brad Edwards:

And then there's Hawaii. The big win over Boise State vaulted the Warriors three spots into the coveted No. 12 position, which means they should earn an automatic bid to the BCS by closing the season with a win over Washington. The only scenario that could potentially push Hawaii back out of the top 12 would be for BC, Tennessee and Arizona State all to win this weekend.

From CFN's Richard Cirminiello:

The legions of doubters surrounding the program have shrunk considerably since Friday night’s pivotal defeat of Boise State that locked up an outright WAC championship and moved it to No. 12 in the rankings. More important, the Warriors took an enormous step toward that coveted at-large BCS bowl invitation, a berth they’ll secure with a win over Washington this Saturday.

From the New York Sun, Russell Levine illustrates why the BCS would want UH to slip up, with WAC commish Karl Benson trying to allay their concerns.

With the Sugar Bowl their most likely destination, game officials in New Orleans can't be too thrilled at the prospect of selling tickets to Hawaii fans who would face roughly a 4,500-mile trip to the game. While Boise State was able to bring plenty of fans south to Glendale, Ariz., for the Fiesta Bowl last season, the prospect of inviting Hawaii to New Orleans is like a dinner check that nobody wants to pick up.

Yet WAC commissioner Karl Benson is confident that Hawaii could represent itself just fine.

"Hawaii has historically had a great fan following when they play on the mainland," Benson said. "This year when they played UNLV in Las Vegas, they had 12-15,000 fans there and maybe only 2,000 made the trip from the state of Hawaii."

The article also has this from BCS expert Jerry Palm:

The resulting soft slate, which ranks near the bottom of NCAA's strength-of-schedule metrics, is the prime evidence cited by those who feel Hawaii doesn't merit BCS inclusion even at 12-0. According to BCS expert Jerry Palm, it no longer matters. On his Web site Sunday, Palm said Hawaii is a virtual certainty for the BCS if it wins next week.

Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has this to say about the BCS as well as the Heisman:

Colt Brennan - now there's a guy I'd vote for just on the coolness of his name - threw for 495 yards against Boise State, which didn't win the national championship last year because it was Boise State. He's passed for more touchdowns than anyone in Division I history. If you put all the footballs he's completed end to end, they'd stretch from Honolulu to Seattle.

It's too bad that no one is taking Colt Brennan seriously for the Heisman, just as Hawaii will get the Boise State treatment in the BCS. Hawaii has a good chance to be 12-0, but the team and its quarterback are regrettably downgraded because of their schedule. It's not always Hawaii's fault, because no one wants to go out there and play the Warriors now that they're good. Just ask Michigan State, which paid a large escape fee to make Hawaii go away.

There will be a lot more about UH and the BCS all throughout this week. Gonna be crazy!