How likely is an Alabama-Florida rematch?
November, 30, 2009
11/30/09
6:14
PM ET
As you might expect, the "what if?" question is circulating pretty rapidly among Alabama and Florida fans right now.
In short, what happens if Alabama and Florida play a classic game that goes down to the final minutes and Texas loses to Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game?
According to Brad Edwards, ESPN's BCS expert, a rematch between Alabama and Florida in the BCS National Championship Game isn't likely.
He thinks TCU would have the best chance in that scenario to slip into the BCS National Championship Game followed by Cincinnati, provided the Bearcats beat Pittsburgh. Edwards thinks the odds are against a one-loss SEC team hurdling an unbeaten TCU or an unbeaten Cincinnati into one of those top two spots in the final BCS standings.
But he's also not completely ruling it out.
If it does happen, he thinks a one-loss Florida team would have a better chance than a one-loss Alabama team.
The key would be the two human polls, because Edwards thinks a one-loss Florida team would still be ranked ahead of TCU in the computers. That means TCU would need to be ahead of Florida on about two-thirds of the human ballots to make up the difference.
Here's the other thing to consider: Can you imagine being either Alabama or Florida and making it through the season unscathed in the SEC and then winning the championship game against an unbeaten team ... and then turning around a month later and having to play that same team again?
Something tells me that the team that wins this weekend in Atlanta wouldn't be too keen on that scenario.
In short, what happens if Alabama and Florida play a classic game that goes down to the final minutes and Texas loses to Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game?
According to Brad Edwards, ESPN's BCS expert, a rematch between Alabama and Florida in the BCS National Championship Game isn't likely.
He thinks TCU would have the best chance in that scenario to slip into the BCS National Championship Game followed by Cincinnati, provided the Bearcats beat Pittsburgh. Edwards thinks the odds are against a one-loss SEC team hurdling an unbeaten TCU or an unbeaten Cincinnati into one of those top two spots in the final BCS standings.
But he's also not completely ruling it out.
If it does happen, he thinks a one-loss Florida team would have a better chance than a one-loss Alabama team.
The key would be the two human polls, because Edwards thinks a one-loss Florida team would still be ranked ahead of TCU in the computers. That means TCU would need to be ahead of Florida on about two-thirds of the human ballots to make up the difference.
Here's the other thing to consider: Can you imagine being either Alabama or Florida and making it through the season unscathed in the SEC and then winning the championship game against an unbeaten team ... and then turning around a month later and having to play that same team again?
Something tells me that the team that wins this weekend in Atlanta wouldn't be too keen on that scenario.
SEC SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 12/17
Final Temple 37 Wyoming 15 Final Ohio 24 Utah State 23 Final San Diego State 30 Louisiana-Lafayette 32
Tuesday, 12/20
Wednesday, 12/21
Final 18 TCU 31 Louisiana Tech 24
Thursday, 12/22
Saturday, 12/24
Final Nevada 17 21 Southern Miss 24
Monday, 12/26
Tuesday, 12/27
Final Western Michigan 32 Purdue 37 Final Louisville 24 North Carolina State 31
Wednesday, 12/28
Final Toledo 42 Air Force 41 Final California 10 24 Texas 21
Thursday, 12/29
Final Florida State 18 Notre Dame 14 Final Washington 56 12 Baylor 67
Friday, 12/30
Final Brigham Young 24 Tulsa 21 Final Rutgers 27 Iowa State 13 Final Mississippi State 23 Wake Forest 17 Final Iowa 14 14 Oklahoma 31
Saturday, 12/31
Final Texas A&M 33 Northwestern 22 Final/OT Georgia Tech 27 Utah 30 Final Illinois 20 UCLA 14 Final Cincinnati 31 Vanderbilt 24 Final Virginia 24 25 Auburn 43
Monday, 1/2
Final 19 Houston 30 22 Penn State 14 Final Ohio State 17 Florida 24 Final/3OT 17 Michigan State 33 16 Georgia 30 Final 20 Nebraska 13 9 South Carolina 30 Final 10 Wisconsin 38 5 Oregon 45 Final/OT 4 Stanford 38 3 Oklahoma State 41
Tuesday, 1/3
Final/OT 13 Michigan 23 11 Virginia Tech 20
Wednesday, 1/4
Final 23 West Virginia 70 15 Clemson 33
Friday, 1/6
Final 8 Kansas State 16 6 Arkansas 29


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