Examining the "Other" BCS Bowls

After a ridiculous college football season, college football fans across the country were anxious for the BCS Selection Show, which aired at 8PM EST last night.

And what a show it was. LSU-OSU has gotten a ton of attention, but what about the other BCS bowls? Let's dive into these...

The "Other" BCS Games

The first big surprise, at least for me, was Kansas.

KANSAS!? Are we talking about the same team that lost to Missouri in the Big 12 Championship, and played an extremely weak strength of schedule.

Yes, that Kansas. Kansas' biggest win of the year came against in-state rival Kansas State, who was ranked #24 at that time. On the flip side, Missouri had a much stronger strength of schedule, and also defeated Kansas in the Big 12 Championship game in an impressive manner, 36-28.

There's no way around it: Missouri was shafted out of the BCS which they deserved so greatly. They were clearly more qualified than the Jayhawks, and it has to be a disappointing ending to their season.

In the Rose Bowl, the USC Trojans will take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. Come again? USC will absolutely blow out the Illini on National TV, and it will only continue to degrade an already weak conference in the Big Ten. So sorry for drawing that matchup, Coach Zook.

In the Sugar Bowl, the Dawgs of Georgia will take on an exciting Hawaii Warrior team. At least we can get some true excitement on New Year's Day. This is one of the more intriguing matchups, pitting a very good Bulldog team in a strong conference against an undefeated school in a significantly weaker WAC. Watch out for Colt Brennan, who could be the man and kill the Bulldogs with his arm. His heisman hype lives on this game.

Two calls for this game: Yes, it will be a close game, and people will use this game to argue for a playoff system. And I have to give kudos to Mark Richt: nice job trying to pump up your team's hype, and don't even think about pulling the "disqualified" card.

Next, you have the Fiesta Bowl. Both WVU and Oklahoma, two fantastic football teams, will be pitted against each other on January 2. I love WVU, with Pat White, Steve Slaton, Noel Devine, and that offense. But honestly, could you say that WVU was going to lose to Pittsburgh? It wasn't on ANYONES mind before it happened. I think that West Virginia should be playing in the National Championship, as I feel they are one of the top two teams in the country.

And this just in, Oklahoma is a darn good football team. Sam Bradford, Allen Patrick: their talent is underappreciated and horribly underrated. All in all, I cannot wait to see this game, and have a feeling that this could end up being a better game than OSU-LSU and USC-Illinois combined.

Finally, you have Virginia Tech and Kansas. Not much to say about this one, but it does feature two exciting coaches. It should be somewhat refreshing to see a new KU helmet in a bowl game.

All in all, get excited for this bowl season. And remember, there is a lot more to bowl season than the National Championship Game!