TCU, who leads the country in total defense, will face Boise State in the Bronco’s second trip to the Fiesta Bowl. College football fans across the nation remember BSU’s thrilling victory over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. This year, Boise State leads the country in scoring.

      Yesterday, ESPN writer Mark Schlabach ranked the TCU – BSU matchup as the top bowl of the season, second only to the BCS national championship game. He notes that this year’s Fiesta Bowl is a “rematch of last season's Poinsettia Bowl, in which the Horned Frogs defeated the Broncos 17-16 in Boise's only loss of the season.” Mr. Schlabach asserts that this matchup is “a heck of a lot better than trying to watch Iowa's offense score against TCU or Georgia Tech's defense trying to stop Boise State.”

      Surely, the BCS agrees. The BCS has no reason to showcase two outsiders soundly defeating automatic qualifying schools. Why feature TCU, a defensive juggernaut, manhandling a Big-Ten team? Why let college football fans across the country see the Bronco’s explosive offense score 40 points on the Atlantic Coast Conference champion?

      Well, by pitting these undefeated outsiders against each other, the BCS has marginalized each school and their respective conferences. At least one of these two teams will finish the season with a loss. While the BCS can say it invited two schools from non-BCS conferences to play in its exclusive system, they have merely granted TCU and Boise State admission to the BCS “clubhouse” through the back door, ensuring that neither will cause a ruckus among club members.

      Last year, BCS outsider Utah walloped Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Two years before that, Boise State defeated a highly-ranked Oklahoma team. And in 2005, Utah trounced Big East Conference co-champion Pittsburgh. Each outsider victory over a BCS school has fueled the debate surrounding college football’s post season. Apparently, the BCS is hip to this reality and taking measures to prevent another dispute.

      Last Saturday, the nation held its collective breath (a few TCU fans likely passed out) as it watched Texas remain undefeated, narrowly escaping Nebraska (9-4) to win the Big 12 championship and a coveted berth in the BCS national championship game. Texas is a great football team, but asking the question “what if” can’t be avoided. What if TCU is a better football team than Texas? What if Boise State posted 460 yards (the Bronco’s season average) on the Alabama defense?   Unfortunately, without a playoff in college football, we will never know the answers to these questions. Without a playoff, college football’s ultimate prize will remain tarnished by controversy.