Michigan State Getting the Short End of the Stick; Thanks BCS

Michigan State is currently ranked in 12th in the BCS standings with two games left against Purdue and Penn State. Several teams that are ranked higher in the BCS standings have upcoming games against ranked opponents and will play in conference championship games, which could aid in getting Michigan State a higher overall position in the standings, but due to current BCS rules and outcome of the college football season, Michigan State will most likely be left out of any major bowl game.

Two Big Ten teams are ranked ahead of Michigan State in the BCS standings including Wisconsin, a team that Michigan State defeated earlier in the season, and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The tiebreaker in the Big Ten would ultimately go to Wisconsin due to their superior ranking in the standings although they share an identical record to Michigan State and was also defeated by them. Wisconsin would receive the bid into the Rose Bowl, while Ohio State would get an at-large BCS bowl spot with their #9 overall ranking. So what does that mean for Michigan State?

According to current BCS rules; "No more than two teams from a conference may be selected, regardless of whether they are automatic qualifiers or at-large selections, unless two non-champions from the same conference are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the final BCS Standings." Regardless of whether teams fall ahead of Michigan State, they will not be allowed to participate in a BCS Bowl unless either Ohio State or Wisconsin loses one of their final two games, which is possible but not likely.

MSU fans have a case to be upset at a bowl system that allows a Big East team and an ACC team an automatic bid into one of its top five bowl games while they have inferior teams. No Big East team is ranked in the Top 25 AP Poll, and their top team in terms of winning percentage is Syracuse, who at 7-3 is anything but a National power. The leader in the Big East is actually a 5-4 Pittsburgh team who is 3-1 in the conference and could make a top bowl even with losses to Notre Dame, UCONN, Miami(FL), and Utah.

Bowl Outlook for MSU
MSU is currently projected to participate in the Capital One Bowl against South Carolina or Alabama depending on the source of the projection. The Capital One Bowl is not a disgrace, but for an 11-1 team coming out of the Big Ten, it is an embarrassment and a missed opportunity on millions for the school and greater National exposure that would help the school as an institution and recruiting for the football team.