Be excited, people. TCU has a legitimate shot at playing in the BCS National Championship game. Allow all the naysayers to say what they want about the BCS system. Now tell them to shut up and look at the reality.
After an impressive win over Utah, TCU stands tall in a dominating third place in the BCS rankings. They hold a commanding lead over Boise State and are not too far away from Oregon and Auburn, ranked first and second, respectively. Although the Horned Frogs lack any upcoming games that could vault them into the top two, there are still a number of ways for the Frogs to get into the BCS championship game.
The first and more unlikely way is for Oregon Ducks to lose to No. 18 Arizona. While there is an incredibly slim chance that California (5-4) or Oregon State (9-0) could pull off what would be the upset of 2010, Oregon would more likely lose to a tougher opponent such as Arizona (7-2). Unfortunately for TCU fans, the Ducks are playing at home against Arizona. Oregon has won its home games this season by an average of 49 points. Arizona still has plenty of talent, but they would have to bring their best game to stop the Ducks. The prospects of an Oregon failure seem dismal.
TCU has another, far more likely, way of getting into the national title game.
The other option for TCU to get to is to get help from Auburn (10-0). While a bit more in-depth than Oregon’s scenario, Auburn’s scenario is much more feasible. To start, Auburn needs to first beat the Georgia Bulldogs to clinch the SEC West. By winning against Georgia, Auburn would permanently take out LSU, the only one-loss team that could possibly jump into the national title picture.
The week after, Auburn goes on the road against former number one Alabama before heading to the SEC Championship. Like Texas and Oklahoma, Auburn and Alabama share a fierce rivalry. If Alabama can prevent Auburn from getting to a title game, they will do anything that they can to win. With talent and the home-field advantage, Alabama could be the saving grace for the Horned Frogs.
Even if the Tigers find a way around Alabama, Auburn still has a way to falter. Before punching a ticket to the BCS championship game, Auburn has to battle either Florida or South Carolina in the SEC championship. After a huge game against Alabama, Auburn would have an incredibly hard fight to take the SEC crown. It’s a perfect safety net for the Horned Frogs’ national title hopes.
The idea of TCU in the title game is not crazy. As of today, Fox Sports, Scout, CBS Sports and several ESPN analysts have predicted that a TCU-Oregon BCS championship game could happen.
As these scenarios have explained, the possibility is here. The Horned Frogs could be playing in the 2010-2011 BCS National Championship.
J.D. Moore is a freshman journalism major from Honolulu, Hawaii.
