Which happens first?

[CJHawkeyes]

A nonBCS school plays in the BCS title game or a nonBCS/non I-A football school wins the NCAA basketball title?

[FLORIDA HERD FAN]

Several non-BCS teams in recent years had the potential to advance to a true national championship game. However, no non-BCS team, no matter how deserving, will ever be permitted to play in a MNC game.

There are many D-IAAA (non-football subdivision) schools with high-level basketball programs that are capable of winning a true NCAA national championship. In fact, there have been several since 1950, including CCNY, LaSalle, San Francisco and Marquette. Ooooops -- I forgot to add DUKE to that list. :p

[Blue Hen]

The basketball scenario has a 50 to 1 better chance of happening. Non BCS league FB teams will never be allowed to play for BCS championships.

[EvilVodka]

Since this is all speculation, I'll play devil's advocate and say non-BCS football schools...in truth, it all depends on the teams you draw, either in a giant tournament, or the teams you manage to schedule...

Fresno State had an opportunity to make it to the National Championship in 2005...if they had gone undefeated and beaten #1 USC, they would have played for the National Championship...the media would have gone wild, and the BCS would probably deal with a lawsuit if Fresno didn't make it...it would have been a field day led by the media to tear the BCS apart

The difference is (as stated hundreds of times on this board) that in basketball, you have a clear path...in football, you must have the right OOC schedule and hope the stars align

http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/wac/fresno_state/yearly_results.php?year=2005

[Blue Hen]

I think getting a free pre season real high ranking would be more conducive to a 'mid' making the BCS VNC game than the right OOC schedule....although that sure can help. Mids are not permited to be ranked highly in August. I don't think you'll ever see a mid in this game. If you do it means the system didn't work.

[Yoda]

Fresno has tended to schedule a very tough OOC schedule on the theory that the AQ conferences play tough conference schedules and we don't -- so we have to make it up OOC if we are to go undefeated and have any legitimate shot at all for the championship game. If we had gone undefeated in 2005, we could have had a shot at it.

I think our better shot was in 2001 -- three weeks into the season, after defeating three ranked teams, we were at #9 in the polls. Finish off that season undefeated and we would have had a legitimate claim to playing in the NCS game.

I don't know which will happen first -- football or basketball. But because of their scheduling, Fresno is one of very few with a legitimate shot in football. Boise went undefeated last season and didn't sniff the BCS title game and the reason was a soft OOC schedule. For it to happen in football, it would take Fresno-like scheduling and Boise-like execution.

Yoda out...

[Blue Hen]

Actually, Yoda, FSU was 10th (AP) and 13th (coaches) three weeks into the 2001 season. FSU finishes off 01 undefeated and a '"claim" is all it has. No appearance in BCS MNC allowed. They made it to 8th (in AP) after 5 weeks for their high water mark.
.....or are you talking the BCS formula rankings after week 3 ?

[Yoda]

Got me. I relied on an old and failing memory, rather than actually looking it up. But the point was, for a non-AQ conference school to make it, they have to play a much tougher OOC schedule than most play AND they have still have to go undefeated.

Incidentally, I didn't say that we would have made it in 2001 -- only than that I thought we had a better shot than we had in 2005.

I do think that if a Non-AQ conference school was close, a lot of pollsters would make a point of giving them a bit of a boost. People like a Cinderella story.

Yoda out...

[Blue Hen]

I think just the opposite, Yoda. ...if a non AQ conference team was close, I believe the poll voters would find a reason to jump a 'name brand' team ahead of them and into the pretend NC game......jmo. 'Exclusivity' along with maximizing revenue, and preventing an NCAA Championship is why this whole BCS 'two class' system was devised in the first place.