Here's a comprehensive guide to the teams with BCS championship game aspirations. I am giving cases for and cases against each team, if they win the rest of their games. They can be either tangible things, like wins, losses, and strength of schedule, or just plain opinions. They range from those with very high chances (Ohio State, Florida), to those with no chance in hell (WVU, Boise State) but are included for argument's sake. The reasons can either be reasons they will or won't be in the game, or should or shouldn't. There really is no rhyme or reason, or order. So enough explanations, here we go.

 
Ohio State

 
For:

 
- They'll be undefeated in the Big 10.

 
- They have an explosive offense with 2 Heisman candidates in Troy Smith and Theodore Ginn.

 
- They convincingly beat Texas at Texas.

 
- They haven't given up more than 17 points all season, and have only given up double digit points in 3 games.

 
- They're Ohio State, that has to count for something right?

 
Against:

 
- They won't have played Wisconsin, thereby avoiding the only other team in the Big Ten besides Michigan that doesn't completely suck this season.

 
- On a related note they have only played one team thus far who is currently in the top 25.

 
- When they beat Texas Colt McCoy it was his second start ever, and it showed.

 
- The defense may only be good because they haven't played a team with an offense besides Texas.

 
- Seriously, only beating Illinois by 7?

 
USC

 
For:

 
- Will have played the toughest schedule of any team on this list.

 
- Recent history

 
- Beat the only team who is undefeated in SEC play (Arkansas) by 36 points... in Arkansas

 
Against:

 
- Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White, et al are all in the NFL. Their replacements aren't quite up to that level, not that that's a crime or anything

 
- Have struggled, albeit mostly on the road, against lesser opponents.

 
- Lost to an okay but not great Oregon State team. A team that lost 42-17 to Boise State earlier in the year

 
Florida

 
For:

 
- They play in the "Toughest Conference in the Nation". They have 2 wins against teams currently in the top 15, including on the road at Tennessee.

 
- May have the best defense in the country.

 
- Chris Leak is a proven senior QB

 
Against:

 
- Their offense isn't that good, they have struggled to score points against even the bad teams they've played

 
- The toughest part of their schedule is long gone, their remaining games are against South Carolina, West Carolina, and a very down FSU squad.

 
- Chris Leak has at least one INT in every game but one, 10 overall. Kind of betraying his positive senior leadership

 
Rutgers

 
For:

 
- Undefeated in a relatively tough BCS conference. The Big East is better than the ACC period, and has better depth than the Big 10.

 
- They may very well have the best offensive line in the country, if there is a way to gauge such things.

 
- Ray Rice should be in New York for the Heisman ceremony.

 
- If they win out they will have 2 wins against top 15 teams.

 
- Have one of the best defenses in the country

 
- Feel good story, for whatever that's worth

 
- Are you going to tell James Gandolfini they aren't worthy?

 
Against:

 
- Have the worst schedule of any of the BCS conference teams on this list.

 
- I can't remember their QB's name, which should tell you something. If they had even an above average QB they could have been the best team in the country.

 
- Were ranked too low in the beginning of the season. With that and the anti-Big East bias it would take a series of strange and unusual upsets to overcome all the teams ahead of them

 
- The Jew-run New York media is too late to the party to make a difference

 
WVU

 
For:

- They have an offense that is mostly unstoppable

 
- Right now they have as many wins against current top 25 teams as Ohio State, Cal, USC, Arkansas, Texas, and Rutgers.

 - Pat White and Steve Slaton

 
Against:

 
- Really blew it against Louisville, more losing the game than Louisville won it.

 
- Defense is still suspect.

 
- If you can stop the run Pat White cannot pass very well. However that is a big if.

 
- East coast bias, in reverse. People act like the AD of WVU is Osama Bin Laden or something.

 
Texas

 
For:

 
- Defending national champions

 
- Only loss came against the team that's been #1 the entire season

 
- Colt McCoy is getting better and better

 
- May be the most talented team in the country. Please note that talent does not equal good necessarily, otherwise Florida State would still be in the top 10.
 

- Richard Nixon's on their side

 
Against:

 
- Offense has struggled against the few good teams they've played.

 
- Schedule is lacking, the Big 12 is down this season. They only good team they've beaten is a team with a wide receiver playing quarterback.

 
- Already had their chance

 
Michigan

 
For:

 
- Dominated Notre Dame at South Bend

 
- Have looked like the best team in the country at times this season

 
- Have the best QB, RB, WR combo of these teams.

 
- May have the best defense in the country.

 
Against:

 
- Aside from the two wins against Notre Dame and Wisconsin their best win is against an offensively challenged (to be kind) Penn State squad. And that's by a fairly wide margin

 
- Offense hasn't played the same since Manningham got hurt, even since he's been back

 
- Were a goal line stand away from being taken into overtime at home by a bad MAC team with a starting QB I watched play at Bellaire High School last year. There's no excuse for it really, if they were looking two weeks ahead to OSU then that shows mental weakness. If they took the starters out early enough for something like that to happen that shows poor judgment by the coaching staff (which has been a knock on them to begin with). Even then if Michigan's as good as people hype them to be Bo Schembechler could hobble his way onto the field, play defensive end, and they still shouldn't have a problem beating Ball State. Probably the poorest showing by any team on this list.

 
Arkansas

 
For:

 
- Darren McFadden is the best running back in the country not in the Big East.

 
- Undefeated in SEC play, which I'm pretty sure means they're in line to move up to the NFC West next season. The AZ Cardinals will move to the SEC West.

 
- Beat Auburn at Auburn.

 
- Very underrated defense. (ifyouignorethefirstgameoftheseason).

 
Against:

 
- Can you really ignore that first game? USC may not even be the 2nd best team in the PAC-10.

 
- They have about as easy a schedule as you could hope for in the SEC. They don't play Florida, and they get Tennessee and LSU at home.

 
- As good as true freshman QB Mitch Mustain may be, he's still a true freshman QB who's being protected by a great running game.

 
Cal

 
For:

 
- Since their opening glitch at Tennessee they have looked as good as any team. Maybe even better
 

- Offense has some of the best talent in the country.

 
- Um, somebody may want to help me with this. I haven't really seen much of them

 
Against:

 
- Suspect defense

 
- Suspect schedule, the PAC-10 is very poor outside of the top 3 teams. Or The Big Other 2 so far as Cal is concerned.
 

- Got destroyed by the 5th best team in the SEC (Tennessee)

 
Auburn

 
For:

 
- Beat Florida and LSU

 
- Good, if not great, defense

 
Against:

 
- 8.5 home games to 3.5 road games (You can't really count Alabama as a true road game). Their road games were against Miss State, Ole' Miss, and South Carolina. In other words every game they've played has been at home. No Tennessee either.

- Looked really bad against Arkansas, and didn't beat Florida so much as Florida lost it.


- Thoroughly average offense. Cox is an average QB, Kenny Irons is more hype than actual production.

 

Boise State

 

For:

- Undefeated
 

- Mostly unchallenged
 

- Dynamic offense
 

- Badly beat Oregon State, who beat USC

 

Against:
 

- Ugh, that schedule. It's like an SEC team's out of conference schedule, only for an entire season

- Just an extension of that last thought, not only will they not have beaten a top 25 team, they will not have played a team that's been in the top 25 ALL SEASON
 

- Only beat Wyoming by 7 points. 

- Not in a BCS conference, therefore they aren't owed anything
 

Well, there you have it. Now imagine all of these flawed but very good teams actually having the chance to play each other and see who really is the best team? Of course we can't have that, because, um............. well there's no real good reason. Oh well
 

Just a couple of random thoughts for those still reading
 

- There's no sneaker major for athletes than kinesiology. It sounds impressive if you don't know what it is, and in some ways it still is, but for athletes it's basically a slight step up from a Phys Ed major.
 

- Staying on majors, and this applies to normal people more than athletes, they need to re-name "Criminal Justice" to just "I Don't Know"
 

- It's kind of weird and frustrating when a coach does an awesome job at everything except actual in-game coaching. Dave Wannstedt to this point has been that way. He's recruited better than anyone could imagine, he's been great with the alumni, he's been great with the players (not too much of a hard-ass, but not a pushover). Unfortunately every big game he's had so far with Pitt has gone horribly wrong. Now in fairness, Walt Harris didn't leave him with much, but you should still beat South Florida. So now the best Pitt can hope for is, I dunno, the International Bowl. Crappy thing is, next year will be a step back most likely because all of their tough games are on the road, and they'll be breaking in a new QB. "Wait till '08" does have a nice ring to it at the very least though.