Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cepu!ucla-cs!lor From: lor@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.sport.football Subject: Re: BYU and Oklahoma: Who's # 1 Message-ID: <2765@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Thu, 13-Dec-84 12:23:25 EST Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.2765 Posted: Thu Dec 13 12:23:25 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 17-Dec-84 03:16:30 EST References: <1506@sdcrdcf.UUCP> <8200016@uok.UUCP> Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 129 It's really amazing to see the diehard Sooners campaigning that much for their team without solid bases. Would they look at some more facts? > > When you defeat OKlahoma State, ...... and one previously-#2 team. > Hey, who is Oklahoma State? The collective record of the teams they beat is 38-57-5 (.405). How they got #2 is as nonsense as how BYU got #1. OSU is a solid team, but beating OSU is no big deal. > > The best team won't be determined by record only, > it will be based on the weakness of schedule. ...... > To be #1, you must play a #1-caliber schedule. > Of all the teams Oklahoma beat, only Nebraska and Oklahoma St. have winning records. Here are the teams they played: Stanford (5-6) Pitt (3-7-1) Baylor (5-6) Kansas St (3-7-1) Texas (7-3-1) Iowa St. (2-7-2) Kansas (5-6) Missouri (3-7-1) Colorado (1-10) Nebraska (9-2) Oklahoma St. (9-2) ----- (52-63-6) .455 If this is considered a #1-caliber schedule and BYU's is mickey mouse, you are just telling me Colorado, Missouri, Iowa St, and Kansas St. are much more formidable opponents than Colorado St., New Mexico, Texas-El Paso, and Utah St; Pitt and Baylor (common opponents of OU and BYU) are also better than Pitt and Baylor. Then what caliber schedule did Florida, Miami and Notre Dame play? These three teams played 22 bowl-bound teams out of a possible 34. > > And Texas, OSU and Neb. all lost their rankings by virtue of playing OU!!! > Big deal! Syracuse beat Nebraska more convincingly, while Houston, Baylor, and Texas A&M trounced Texas. Beating or tying a #1 team MAY raise you to the #1 spot, but this is not a must. Michigan defeat then #1 Miami and USC beat then #1 Washington, but neither of them got the #1 spot. > > One doesn't need to look far back for a precedent for non-unbeaten > teams winning #1 over unbeaten teams. May I remind those of weak > memory..1975? #1 OU (11-1, ironically, losers to Kansas that year) > #2 Arizona State (12-0, beat Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl) > We don't even have to look back to 1975 to see a once-beaten team edging out an unbeaten team for the national championship. As I pointed out in a previous article, Penn St (11-1) edged SMU (11-0-1) for the national title in 1982. But look at the teams Penn St beat: Maryland, West Virginia, Nebraska, Boston College, Pittsburgh, and Georgia, six bowl teams, plus 6-4-1 Notre Dame. How many winning teams did OU beat this year? > When you defeat Texas (we all know that story and I don't > intend to rehash it here) defeat Nebraska, .... > thats two #1 teams, ...... > It's a shame to say OU beat Texas. It's more appropriate to say Texas and Nebraska gave the games to OU. They were beating themselves. Oklahoma tied Texas and beat Nebraska by the virtue of two goal line stands. But aren't they lucky because of the stupid decisions by Fred Akers and Tom Osborne? If both of them opted for the field goals (18 yards field goal), I don't know what would happen. I am sure the diehard sooners would have said they would win anyway. -- I also recalled a Sooner fan saying BYU don't stand a chance -- if they play Oklahoma in a bowl this year. This guy obviously doesn't know football. Hey, none of OU's opponents has a decent passing offense. Have OU played teams like Miami, BYU or Boston College? Their passing defense was never under serious aerial attack. Washington, with their always struggling offense, are not in a position to test them neither. I agree, the Sooners have a great rushing defense, particularly their goal-line stands. But think about this, if Robbie Boscoe, Doug Flutie or Bernie Kosar gets a first-down on the 1-yard line, you really think any of them would give the ball to the running back four consecutive times? I am not a BYU fan. I agree they played a mickey mouse schedule. You may also recall my article condemning Washington several weeks ago. At that time they had been stealing the #1 spot for more than a month by playing another joking schedule (Why didn't the OU fans say anything at that time?) However, BYU at least beat the no-names by blowing them out, while Washington only won by special teams and defense. Their offense struggled in every game. The sooners are in no position to condemn BYU for playing a weak schedule, because theirs aren't much better. If you want to see a real tough schedule, look at Florida's: Miami, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida St, all bowl-bound teams. They even blew out Auburn, Georgia and Florida St. And they have the same record as Oklahoma (9-1-1). True, they will be on probation, but they are still eligible for #1 in the AP poll. They had recruiting violations is another matter. If you Sooners want justice, why don't you campaign for Florida? It is easy to make a claim without any real justifications, without really looking into the facts. That's what the OU fans did in this BYU-OU controversy. In that sense, I can easily say UCLA is the #1 team in the country. No particular reason, WE JUST DESERVE IT. Go Bruins! We are #1! -- Eddy Lor ...!ucbvax!ucla-cs!lor lor@ucla-locus.arpa