NIU ranked 16th in AP, USA Today. BCS coming tonight

[Spin]

The Northern Illinois Huskies are ranked No. 16 in the current Associated Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Polls released this afternoon. Northern Illinois is fresh off a thrilling 44-37 win over No. 17 Kent State in Friday's Marathon MAC Football Championship game. The win for the Huskies was the second consecutive football championship for the program.

Northern Illinois is 12-1 overall and await the BCS Standings, which will be released tonight at 8:30 pm ET. A 16th ranking puts them in the Orange Bowl.

I'll fire off my game wrap-up after the BCS 16 are announced.

[Spin]

They're 15th, and going to the Orange Bowl to play Florida State.

At least it's a neutral site...

[Spin]

Everyone on ESPN is bitching and moaning that a MAC school got into the BCS, and then they show the early spreads, and NIU only has 7 points. Louisville has 16 1/2 against Florida in the Sugar.

"We haven't seen a body of work of Northern Illinois". Well you don't watch much college football do you genius's? They were on your fuckin network several times.

"Oh the SYSTEM is broke." If a team is in D I-A, why should they be ineligible to play for the D I-A bowl? If you only want 20 or 30 teams to be eligible, then just have those teams in I-A. This bullshit that Colorado or Indiana is eligible for anything NIU isn't is myopic.

[dmiles]

Won't matter if there will be 64-Super sized teams in roughly 4 conferences and anyone on the outside looking in, won't get to play in these games. SEC is probably working hand in hand with Delany to get this done. If they don't get this thing stopped, the spoils of the ACC get split up over B1G, B12 and SEC.

I am fine with NIU getting in, that is how the system is setup, but it's not going to last forever. Soon these teams will get no crack at all.

[furls]

No offense to NIU, but this is the worst BCS line up I have seen yet. For all I know, NIU may play FSU like Oklahoma vs. BSU and make an all time classic. That said, the line up this year just fucking sucks. Here are the games ranked in my order of awesomeness:

-Bama vs. ND
-Oregon vs. KSU


-NIU vs. FSU (Mid major dog status is the only thing that makes this game remotely interesting)
-Wisconsin vs. Stanford
-Louisville vs. Florida

Notice the big gap after the Fiesta Bowl. The rest of the games are STRAIGHT UP GARBAGE.

[fairvis]

In some sense, it's made some of the non-BCS games much more interesting.

Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma vs Texas A&M
Capital One: Nebraska vs. Georgia

I'd put those as the #3 and #4 bowl games to watch this year... even though OU/A&M would've been a Big XII match last year...

[skatingtripods]

In some sense, it's made some of the non-BCS games much more interesting.

Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma vs Texas A&M
Capital One: Nebraska vs. Georgia

I'd put those as the #3 and #4 bowl games to watch this year... even though OU/A&M would've been a Big XII match last year...

Clemson/LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl should be a good game as well.

[e0y2e3]

Can't read, can't write, JB went to college there goes out with a limp and is going to lose their coach....

Good.

[mattvan1]

No offense to NIU, but this is the worst BCS line up I have seen yet. For all I know, NIU may play FSU like Oklahoma vs. BSU and make an all time classic. That said, the line up this year just fucking sucks. Here are the games ranked in my order of awesomeness:

-Bama vs. ND
-Oregon vs. KSU


-NIU vs. FSU (Mid major dog status is the only thing that makes this game remotely interesting)
-Wisconsin vs. Stanford
-Louisville vs. Florida

Notice the big gap after the Fiesta Bowl. The rest of the games are STRAIGHT UP GARBAGE.

Agreed.

But I'll watch anyway.....

As an aside, and at the risk of being banned from here throughout the Bowl season - it would not shock me if the Big 10 pulls an 0-fer. Although I can also see 4-3, but I think 2-5 is the most likely. Has it come down to rooting hard for Bielema and Whisky to save face in the conference?

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Worst bowl season ever.

But yeah, come time for even the shit games, i'll tune it. Because I just fuckin' love college football.

And the B1G is going to get CRUSHED........

[bac5665]

Yeah, the BSC bowls suck this year, although the NC Game looks likely to be the best in several years.

But my gods, the rest of them are uninspired. Oregon is going to beat K-State in a pretty boring game, and that is the best remaining BCS game after the NCG.

The B1G slate actually looks pretty good though.