An email conversation by some friends of the Mountaineers….

Matt Stewy sends this article:

DAVID JONES: writer for the Harryburg Patriot Times… ya’ll favorite newspaper

Why do the ESPN analysts insist every year on using their considerable influence to cross off party-crashers such as South Florida as soon as they get a single loss? While, at the same time, propping up fat cats like Louisiana State, Southern California and Oklahoma?

It makes you wonder whether more sinister forces are at work behind the anchor suits, pushing for the schools with massive national alumni bases who provide consistently higher ratings and buzz for the Worldwide Leader.

Prior to Thursday’s 30-27 South Florida loss before a wild snake pit at Rutgers, Kirk Herbstreit appeared on one of ESPN’s insipid and incessant advertiser-linked features: Good Call, Bad Call, named after the slogan of a watery beer. On it, he insisted that a one-loss LSU or Oklahoma should be rated ahead of an undefeated South Florida at season’s end, should the Bulls run the table!

Then, the instant USF’s loss was sealed in the final seconds, Chris Fowler proclaimed the Bulls’ BCS title dreams dead.

If this isn’t blind bias, what is?

Let’s see: USF goes into Auburn and wins. It loses a league game by three points in front of one of the rowdiest crowds in America, basically thanks to two fake kicks and three other USF special-teams gaffes by the same halfwit.

Meanwhile, LSU loses on the road to a Kentucky team that’s very comparable to Rutgers and barely squeaks by Auburn in Baton Rouge, on the last play of the game, and LSU is now clearly a better team? I’m stumped.

This example is even worse. Actually much worse. Oklahoma loses at 4-4 Colorado, the nation’s 50th-ranked team, hyperventilates to beat back a truly wretched Iowa State side 17-7 on Saturday, and this is clearly a more worthy team? Please explain.

And pollsters, please pay attention to the facts and not stuffed shirts on TV. The computers are actually better judges. They have USF at No. 5 and Oklahoma at No. 14. Unfortunately, the hype-infected poll voters, who account for two-thirds of the BCS formula, are inexplicably voting the Sooners at No. 4 and the Bulls at No. 12.

The net BCS ranking? Oklahoma at No. 6 and still in the hunt. South Florida at No. 10 and very likely just what Fowler said — out of it.

That’s what you call a self- fulfilling prophecy.

Matt Stewy: USF getting the shaft lil bit, but maybe it’ll work its way out…. I would also like to add WVU to this as well since they have one loss as does USF and with USF beating WVU and yet they are ranked a few spots ahead of USF. Giv’em the heater Ricky!

Couchburner: couldn’t agree more…Pete Carroll loses to a 41 pt dog AT HOME and they fall from #2 to #10 in human polls…USF falls from #2 to #12 at a close loss to Rutgers… i guess it comes down to WHEN the loss occurred rather than where…

Matt Stewy: yea its always been WHEN more than anything. but oh well, the endless debate could go on and on and on…. i want BC, ASU, Hawaii, Kansas to go undefeated and all get the shaft. that would be great.

MountaineerBob: Continue this conversation in the comments. I think this season is really going to show the bias of the media. This has been going on for years, in the 90’s it was Notre Dame and Ohio State and Florida State, the bias is always there it just fluctuates with the TV $$$.