The BCS sure didn't show much love for the Big 12 during the bowl selection process. Oklahoma State was left out of the BCS title game by virtue of being ranked third behind LSU and Alabama. That's fine, I guess. It's hard to make a case that Alabama doesn't deserve a shot at playing for the title. The only problem is so does Oklahoma State, but that's not the point here.
With the Cowboys going to the Fiesta, the BCS bowl directors still had a chance to take a second team from the league which many thought from top to bottom was the best conference in the country for 2011. Unfortunately, that's not how these things work. What happens on the field isn't really all that important as Sugar Bowl president, Paul Hoolahan, pointed out after selecting Virginia Tech for the Sugar Bowl who had just gotten rolled by Clemson, 38-10 in the ACC championship.
Hoolahan called it inviting a “long-time friend and partner,” according to Dennis Dodds at CBSsport.com. Perfect. Somehow we need to work the friendship factor into the BCS formula so it's accounted for and we have nothing to argue about next season.
Here's another factor that, right or wrong, plays into the equation making it harder for certain teams to get selected. "I think Virginia Tech over the years has proven the caliber of football team that they are," Hoolahan said. They've no doubt been a good football team over the years. The same could be said for a lot of teams, however.
Despite the snub by the BCS, Kansas State didn't complain much, although Snyder did make a great point regarding the BCS. “It’s very distinct how the No. 1 and No. 2 teams get together, yet it doesn’t seem to follow suit to the third, fourth, the fifth and sixth, the seventh and eighth teams,” Snyder said.
He's not kidding. The 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th ranked BCS teams all were by passed over as at large teams. Arkansas was the sixth ranked team and they couldn't even be selected because of the BCS's two team per conference limit undoubtedly paying the price because LSU and Alabama are good.
"We felt strongly that we were certainly a qualified BCS school, but that's part of the process," coach Snyder said. "It is what it is."
No question it is what it is, and because of it, Kansas State actually has a better matchup than the Sugar Bowl, even it if does lack the BCS title. They'll take on Arkansas whose only losses on the season have come to LSU and Alabama.
Meanwhile, the Sugar Bowl stuck themselves with Virginia Tech because they're familiar with each other. And if that doesn't prove something needs to change about the selection process, then I don't know what does.
Sometimes the politics involved in this mess work out for others and in this case that is the Cotton Bowl. They have one of the best matchups of the of the entire bowl season, something that obviously wasn't on top of the Sugar Bowl's list of objectives.
