Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
The Big East was bound to provide the BCS with a champion seemingly undeserving of its automatic bid. However now that four-loss UConn has emerged as the Big East Champion, it's time to start asking the obvious question...are they the worst team ever to compete in the Bowl Championship Series?
First off, there's the fact that they are only the 2nd four-loss team in the history of the BCS. Not a great start.
They are, for the time being, unranked. If that holds, it will be a first. Again, not a great sign.
This season they only scored ten points on Greg Robinson's Michigan defense, lost to the MAC's Temple, lost to 4-8 Rutgers and got shutout by 6-6 Louisville. Once again, really not good.
So we know what UConn has to offer, let's compare to some of the other contenders (pre-bowl records):
1998 Syracuse (8-3) - Syracuse got crushed in the Orange Bowl by Florida. To be fair, one of those losses was to eventual-champion Tennessee and they defeated Michigan in the Big House.
1999Stanford (8-3) - Ty Willingham's squad opened the season with a 69-17 shellacking by Texas and also go on to lose to San Jose State. Wisconsin bested them in the Rose Bowl 17-9.
2000 Purdue (8-3) - Nothing too glaring about Purdue's season. All the losses seem respectable and they lucked out with a bad Big Ten season. They lost to Washington in the Rose Bowl.
2002 Florida State (9-4) - The Seminoles began the year 4-0 but ended it 5-5, including a 26-13 loss in the Sugar Bowl. Their losses were mostly from OOC and the ACC was terrible, hence their auto-bid. This one could give UConn a run...
2004 Pitt (8-3) - In the Big East's first full season without Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College, it was supposed to showcase it's next generation of star teams. It instead sent a Pitt team that only beat Furman by three points to the Fiesta Bowl to get decimated by Utah.
And the winner is...probably UConn. We'll know more once the Huskies play, and likely lose, their bowl game. Then we can put them in the proper context amongst the lamest of the best.
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It was 2004 Pitt
Not 2005. And they are the worst by far. Got smoked by Utah 35-7 or something.
by avendittelli on Dec 4, 2010 11:47 PM EST reply actions
Elated UConn fan here
Is this a pretty team to watch? Not really.
Do we have a competent QB? Not at all.
Good news: None of us care right now, haha!
Not trying to be sarcastic or anything, your point is well-taken, this is not the best team ever (to say the least).
by The Columnist on Dec 4, 2010 11:54 PM EST reply actions
Nor should you care
Take that bid and run with it
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by Sean Keeley on Dec 4, 2010 11:59 PM EST up reply actions
That's the beauty of this:
UConn can be the worst BCS team ever … and the checks still won’t bounce!
by Andy Hutchins on Dec 4, 2010 11:59 PM EST up reply actions
And to mention, UConn didn’t have a single offensive point the whole game.. Hmm..
To the UConn fans: Enjoy it, it’s a great win for the program.
by WhitePhoenix48 on Dec 5, 2010 12:01 AM EST reply actions
facts
How many teams have earned BCS bids with four losses?
Please check facts before you write…
Also, following your logic, why even bother inviting small “no-name” schools into the NCAA tourney?
by gallagher182 on Dec 5, 2010 12:39 AM EST reply actions
You didn't follow the logic at all
by Gihyou on Dec 5, 2010 3:44 AM EST up reply actions
FSU
did it twice, so perhaps my wording is incorrect. So there you go.
And the NCAA tournament and BCS are completely different animals. Cant compare.
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
Buy my book "How To Grow An Orange"
by Sean Keeley on Dec 5, 2010 11:43 AM EST up reply actions
Worst
To only score 10 points against Michigan and lose to a team tied for seventh in the Big Ten, yes they are totally underserving of a BCS bid. If they go in, then why shouldn’t 8 other Big Ten teams be in before them since U(sed2)M(atter) crushed them?
by St8rBoiInMN on Dec 5, 2010 3:06 AM EST reply actions
This may be the first time (and only time) I'll say this...
I f’ng love the BCS.
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by tdaloisio on Dec 5, 2010 8:27 AM EST reply actions
Yes, worst BCS team and worst program
Yahoo’s in Storrs will wake up soon from the dream soon and realize their hoops and fb programs are as small time as the town they live in… but, they have a great agriculture program.
by Nordcuse on Dec 5, 2010 9:06 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Lolz at small-time hoops
1999, 2004 > 2003.
Thank you, come again.
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by Kevin Meacham on Dec 5, 2010 12:56 PM EST up reply actions
JC should keep on texting...
Uconn Nat’l Championships are like recognizing Mark McGuires HR record – both are frauds and cheaters
by Nordcuse on Dec 5, 2010 5:16 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
It's probably still UConn
but no love for the Fightin’ Timmy Changs in 2007?
I think they played the worst schedule of all time that year.
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by Not Marv Cook on Dec 5, 2010 11:54 AM EST reply actions
Seems
the Big East is mentioned a few times in this list.
FWIW.
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by MtJulietTNBillsFan on Dec 5, 2010 11:55 AM EST reply actions
Yeah
tell me about it…
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by Sean Keeley on Dec 5, 2010 12:16 PM EST up reply actions
It is pretty bad
It is bad, but I don’t think they are the worst team. But they are starting to get really close to it.
It is time for them to tighten up and kick some ………..
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by FrankStern772 on Dec 6, 2010 9:47 AM EST reply actions
I'm biased, but I don't clearly understand
why you have Purdue on there? They were ranked within the top 15 at the end of the season and defeated some pretty decent teams such as Michigan and Ohio State. Washington was #4 in the country and Purdue was not blown out by them on the West Coast in the Rose Bowl. Hasn’t Drew Brees’ NFL success eliminated any doubt that that wasn’t close to being worse than most of the Big East teams that have gone to the BCS?
by boilerg on Dec 7, 2010 7:51 PM EST reply actions
Star power more than anything else separates UConn from the other teams on the list.
‘98 ’Cuse had McNabb, 2000 Purdue had Brees, Florida State is Florida State, and ’04 Pitt had Larry Fitzgerald. Course there weren’t many redeeming qualities about that Stanford team.
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by Ivory Tower on Dec 8, 2010 11:12 AM EST reply actions
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