If ECU goes undefeated...

[A Fleshner Fantasy]

Do they deserve to play in the National Championship game? Unlike other undefeated non-BCS conference teams (i.e. Hawaii, Boise St.) they have now beaten 2 very good teams. I think they deserve a shot.

[Free Bagel]

This one is tough. I think a lot of it depends on how convincingly they win the rest of the way, and how WVU and VT do the rest of the way.

At the end of the year, they will have played 4 BCS teams, two of which look like they're going to be awful (Virginia and NC State), and 2 ranked teams (I expect WVU and VT to be ranked at the end of the year). That's certainly a lot more than Boise and Hawaii did.

On the other hand, it's still tough to do because they don't have the "slip up" factor the major conference teams do. If they have an off week, no big deal, because the team they're playing is probably not capable of making them pay for it. Likewise, you compare the 3rd, 4th, 5th toughest teams on other teams schedule to those teams on ECU's schedule and it gets ugly real fast. For instance for Georgia you'll looking at comparing a team like Auburn to a team like Virginia, and Arizona State to NC State. It only gets worse after that when you start looking at Tennessee vs. UTEP, and the like. Realistically, the best team on ECU's schedule would be the 4th or 5th best on Georgia's.

So, if we're talking three undefeated teams with ECU being one of them, obviously ECU is the odd man out. If we start talking ECU vs. a 1-loss SEC/Big 12 team, I think ECU gets left out. If Georgia goes through their murderous schedule with only 1 loss and wins the SEC, I think it's even more of a crime to leave them out than it would be to leave an undefeated ECU out.

[HskrPwr13]

Exactly. Theres far too many factors at this early stage to definitively say that if a specific team goes undefeated that they're "in". If OSU or USC goes undefeated, I dont think theres a guarantee that they get in over both an undefeated Big12 champ and an undefeated SEC champ.

[knapplc]

Agree completely with Bagel. It's tough for ECU, but this is the system we have.

Yet another argument for a playoff. That way an ECU-like team could fight their way into the championship game, not win out and just hope for the best.

[VaderFin]

Two games and we already playing the what if someone goes undefeated game.

[Sandrock]

Two games and we already playing the what if someone goes undefeated game.

If their schedule wasn't so weak and they didn't look so dominant last game then we wouldn't be going there. But everyone loves to root for the small school to go undefeated anyway.

[knapplc]

Two games and we already playing the what if someone goes undefeated game.

They're the real deal. They're going all the way, baby. Think USF last year. Err... think Rutgers last year. I mean... think Kansas last year. Damn! Think... Missouri last-- nope, still no good.

Well, they're going to go undefeated. Just you wait.

[deerayfan072]

Bagel put it perfectly IMO, and so did Vader

Only thing I wanted to add is, IF this team goes undefeated I would have a totally different attitude towards them then I did with Hawaii and BSU. ECU scheduled 4 BCS schools as their OCG because they knew their schedule blew. They play people and are not backing down.

[Script-Ohio]

I say no. If they run the table and look good in a BCS bowl win, I'd have no problem voting them to split a championship. I think a 1-loss team from the SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac-10 should go ahead of ECU. Big East or ACC I'm not sure, that would be a little more situational for me. I'd put in ECU above any 2-loss team from any conference though.

[A Fleshner Fantasy]

Two games and we already playing the what if someone goes undefeated game.

They're the real deal. They're going all the way, baby. Think USF last year. Err... think Rutgers last year. I mean... think Kansas last year. Damn! Think... Missouri last-- nope, still no good.

Well, they're going to go undefeated. Just you wait.

I said IF they go undefeated. And also, its not all the same as the examples you used. Look at ECU's schedule the rest of the way.
But then again Kansas had a cakewalk at the end of the year...they didn't play Missouri or anything! So did Missouri, it's not like they had to play Oklahoma! And USF and Rutgers are in small conferences, right? They play small no name schools that no one has heard of. Not West Virginia or Louisville or even each other!