LMAO @ Notre Dame

[soyizgood]

I've never seen such a poor display of refereeing, and an even poorer attempt at playing defense.

I left the stadium when we were down 9-3 at home to Cal. CAL, FOR GOD'S SAKE. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT CAL AT HOME. But no. We suck. Kiss a bowl berth goodbye. This is awful, the student section felt like a morgue at halftime, everyone was depressed and pissed off.

Was nice to see ND get rocked at South Bend, though.

Arizona won 10-9. No need to press the panic button...yet. U of A will find a way to mess up at some point. There's a reason why they have NEVER won the PAC-10. I suspect Oregon, USC and/or Stanford will get in the way.

 

[soyizgood]

LSU was just a BONEHEAD at the very end. How did they mess that golden chance up? 1 yd line, but they didn't know whether to take a TO, down the ball, or just run a play.

WHAT!?!?! There was a penalty on the defense for having 12 men,. So LSU is still alive. And LSU scores the TD. OMFG!?!?!

In other news, ND beats BC to improve to 2-3.

 

[NickC]

LSU was just a BONEHEAD at the very end. How did they mess that golden chance up? 1 yd line, but they didn't know whether to take a TO, down the ball, or just run a play.

WHAT!?!?! There was a penalty on the defense for having 12 men,. So LSU is still alive. And LSU scores the TD. OMFG!?!?!

In other news, ND beats BC to improve to 2-3.

And that means they'll probably get votes to be in the top 25 :roll:

Somehow, U of A improves to #9 in the country. Heady days....

 

[soyizgood]

South Carolina, the poor SC school that lost the lawsuit vs the REAL USC, beat Alabama. 1st time they have ever beat the #1 ranked team in its entire history. 1st time they won while televised by CBS since 1995. Woah Nelly...

Meanwhile, ND held on to beat Pitt 23-17....

 

[mtommer]

The SC vs Bama game was a great game. Mich SUCKED big time today vs MSU. Props to Mich State though I'm gnashing my teeth admitting as much.

 

[soyizgood]

I think we'll need to call an Amber Alert for NickC.

I came back home and see Oregon St. barely held on.

USC lost to Stanford with a FG to end it. USC could be 6-0 if not for losing the two games in the final moments. Oregon's 1st half defense is lousy, yet they shut down folks in the 2nd half. I wonder if they're for real or if they will implode like they almost always do.

 

[BigServer1]

I think we'll need to call an Amber Alert for NickC.

I came back home and see Oregon St. barely held on.

USC lost to Stanford with a FG to end it. USC could be 6-0 if not for losing the two games in the final moments. Oregon's 1st half defense is lousy, yet they shut down folks in the 2nd half. I wonder if they're for real or if they will implode like they almost always do.

The 1st half defense has been a point of contention among Duck fans all season...The issue is, a lot of the points come off things like Kenjon Barner fumbling that KO after getting ROCKED and sent to the hospital. You can give a 1-AA team the ball on the 5, and more often than not, they'll walk away with points.

We're for real though, make no mistake. We've won every game by double digits, and we've only allowed 13 points in the second half all year. Barely over 2 second half points per game is ridiculous. The issue for us is that we've got a huge target on our backs for every Pac-10 game this year, and (especially on the road), there aren't a ton of gimme games. I guess I'm not too upset because even with that turnover on our own 5, our TD on the kickoff that came back on a penalty, and 2 bad fumbles by LaMichael James, we still won by 20 on the road.

It will be tough to go undefeated, especially @USC, home against UA and @Oregon State. If we do, we should play for the NC...Here's hoping we can keep our heads down and focus on one game at a time.

 

[NickC]

I think we'll need to call an Amber Alert for NickC.

I came back home and see Oregon St. barely held on.

....................

 

[soyizgood]

....................

At least you're alive.

 

[soyizgood]

I should LMAO at Nebraska's receivers. OMG they've dropped several potential TDs today. Texas holds on 20-13. Another top 5 bites the dust.

Iowa leading Michigan 38-28 with under 3 minutes to go. Was Denard Robinson injured yet again? Michigan makes its 4th TO with that INT. Game should be over.

ND beat their cupcake Western Michigan to go to 4-3.

Wisconsin shocks tOSU 31-18. I guess Oregon will be the new #1.

 

[soyizgood]

Oklahoma #1 in the BCS? Even though they barely beat Utah St. and Air Force.. Give me a break! There must be a lot of Big-12 ****s running the computers.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

I still think Oregon will trip up somewhere down the line, perhaps even to your Trojans soy. Too much pressure as first time #1. Nebraska got exposed this weekend, so it looks like the Big 12 could be a cakewalk if OU beats Mizzou this weekend.

Also interesting that Alabama is highest ranked 1 loss team, the experts are already saying if they win out they'll likely jump over Boise and maybe even OU/Oreg if they're still undefeated.

 

[soyizgood]

I still think Oregon will trip up somewhere down the line, perhaps even to your Trojans soy. Too much pressure as first time #1. Nebraska got exposed this weekend, so it looks like the Big 12 could be a cakewalk if OU beats Mizzou this weekend.

Also interesting that Alabama is highest ranked 1 loss team, the experts are already saying if they win out they'll likely jump over Boise and maybe even OU/Oreg if they're still undefeated.

Oregon still has Arizona, USC, and Oregon St. to deal with. I'd favor them against Arizona. USC is tricky because this is sometimes a close match, but I think Oregon moves on. The games with Oregon St. are often feisty shootouts. Oregon really needs to stop giving away so many 1st half points. 31 pts to Stanford in the 1st half, yet miraculously shut them out in the 2nd half. Talk about Dr. Jeckll and Mr Hyde.

 

[Kevin T]

Oregon still has Arizona, USC, and Oregon St. to deal with. I'd favor them against Arizona. USC is tricky because this is sometimes a close match, but I think Oregon moves on. The games with Oregon St. are often feisty shootouts. Oregon really needs to stop giving away so many 1st half points. 31 pts to Stanford in the 1st half, yet miraculously shut them out in the 2nd half. Talk about Dr. Jeckll and Mr Hyde.

I think Oregon will handle AZ and the beavers handily this year. The USC game is a tough one. They put a whoopin' on USC last year and that will be fresh in the Trojan's minds. I believe USC also has a bye weekend before the Oregon game, so they'll be fresh and well-prepared.

I'm also pretty shocked about Oklahoma being the BCS #1. Wins up to this point and remaining schedule are less than impressive. They're not even top 50 in rushing, rushing D or passing D. I'd give the nod to the Ducks at this point in the season. If Bama wins out, they will (and should) jump Boise and TCU. They have a meat-grinder of a schedule and if they make it to the SEC title game, would have played 6 top 15 teams (at the time each game was played). If Auburn wins out, they certainly will be in the BCS title game...and they looked very good against Arkansas. But Auburn's passing D is horrible and a good QB can expose them. I'll be shocked if they beat Bama. And Bama won't lose to South Carolina twice.

 

[Kevin T]

The Ducks took UCLA behind the shed and gave 'em a first class whoopin' last night. I'm sort of backing away from my tough game with USC prediction. The Trojan's D isn't scaring anyone and I just can't see them scoring 50 and keeping up with the Duck's O. Looks like it might be your year BigServer!

 

[NickC]

pppppppffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

Down 35-10 at Navy?

And to think, ND-supporting folks on the ESPN boards were saying that if they won at Navy and won the rest of their schedule, they should be eligible for a BCS bowl, if not a national championship.

At this rate, they won't even get into a bowl, period. I'd love to see that happen.

 

[dlk]

pppppppffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

Down 35-10 at Navy?

And to think, ND-supporting folks on the ESPN boards were saying that if they won at Navy and won the rest of their schedule, they should be eligible for a BCS bowl, if not a national championship.

At this rate, they won't even get into a bowl, period. I'd love to see that happen.

WOW! They look like the same crap they've looked like for past 20 years. I'm a ND fan, but you're right, they deserve no bowl bid.

 

[soyizgood]

ND is officially Navy's beatch. 3 of the last 4 now for Navy. I said earlier ND couldn't count on getting a win vs Navy. The only spread ND did was open its legs for Navy to run all over them. Wish I could have saw the game, but the stats are ugly for ND anyway you look at it.

 

[hollywood9826]

Navy is a very good team having lost close games to MD and Air Force. They have an unorthodox style of running the ball and teams have trouble stopping them.

Notre Dame is doing OK this year. They have beaten the teams they were supposed to be beat. Played Mich and Mich St tough. And Stanford is there other loss. They probably lose to Utah and USC and finish 6-6 which will get them in some crappy bowl game.

 

[soyizgood]

Texas is going down the drain as well. Oh, and LMAO @ West Virginia losing to Syracuse.

 

[soyizgood]

Navy is a very good team having lost close games to MD and Air Force. They have an unorthodox style of running the ball and teams have trouble stopping them.

Notre Dame is doing OK this year. They have beaten the teams they were supposed to be beat. Played Mich and Mich St tough. And Stanford is there other loss. They probably lose to Utah and USC and finish 6-6 which will get them in some crappy bowl game.

Using JBF's recruiting class data:

2007: 11 (year they signed Claussen)
2008: 2

On paper the juniors and seniors for ND should have wiped Navy off the field. Granted Clausen and Tate aren't there anymore, but even then ND lost to Navy last year. ND, based on recruiting, should be around the top 10-15 but now sit at 4-4 following up on a 6-6 record. Something just isn't right....

 

[BigServer1]

The Ducks took UCLA behind the shed and gave 'em a first class whoopin' last night. I'm sort of backing away from my tough game with USC prediction. The Trojan's D isn't scaring anyone and I just can't see them scoring 50 and keeping up with the Duck's O. Looks like it might be your year BigServer!

I'm still nervous about USC, just because we put such a beatdown on them last year that I know they'll be looking to get revenge. We haven't had great starts on the road, so I'll be looking for us to dominate early and keep it going.

Our offense was unstoppable Thursday night...If we click like that, I don't really care how good someone's defense is, we'll put up points. It's our own defense that makes us vulnerable to a slip up somewhere.

ND continues to be a joke. Get them on the road against a decent team and they lose. They're just not cut out to compete at a level that their fan base wants to. Unless something drastically changes, they won't be winning BCS games anytime soon.

 

[hollywood9826]

Using JBF's recruiting class data:



On paper the juniors and seniors for ND should have wiped Navy off the field. Granted Clausen and Tate aren't there anymore, but even then ND lost to Navy last year. ND, based on recruiting, should be around the top 10-15 but now sit at 4-4 following up on a 6-6 record. Something just isn't right....

Talent wise yes. But Navy hasn't changed much in the coaching dept for for about 8 years. They run a similar system to what Paul Johnson ran. And discipline wise you cant get a better team.

ND is on another new coach. If they have the patience to give him enough time they can be good again.

 

[soyizgood]

Missouri is up 36-21 on BCS "#1" Oklahoma with 6:36 left.

Now 36-27 thanks to some stupid mistakes by Missouri (that and dumb luck for OU on that kick return). 2pt conversion failed. And 36-27 it is. Oregon should be the new #1 unless the BCS gives it somehow to Auburn.

 

[BigServer1]

Missouri is up 36-21 on BCS "#1" Oklahoma with 6:36 left.

Now 36-27 thanks to some stupid mistakes by Missouri (that and dumb luck for OU on that kick return). 2pt conversion failed. And 36-27 it is. Oregon should be the new #1 unless the BCS gives it somehow to Auburn.

Brad Edwards projections show Auburn as the new #1 in the BCS. He was right last week, projecting Oklahoma over Oregon.

To be totally honest, I'm OK with it being Auburn, because we have to go into USC and play next Saturday. This is USC's title game this year, and I know we're going to get their absolute best. Matt Barkley tweeted as much, comparing Oregon to Lesnar and USC to Velasquez from their fight last night...

Hopefully that's enough bulletin board material to spark us and have it not be close. A decisive win at SC should erase the doubt in anyone's mind (and maybe even the computers...) that Oregon is the #1 team in the nation.

If we lose...God help us.

 

[Kevin T]

Brad Edwards projections show Auburn as the new #1 in the BCS. He was right last week, projecting Oklahoma over Oregon.

To be totally honest, I'm OK with it being Auburn, because we have to go into USC and play next Saturday. This is USC's title game this year, and I know we're going to get their absolute best. Matt Barkley tweeted as much, comparing Oregon to Lesnar and USC to Velasquez from their fight last night...

Hopefully that's enough bulletin board material to spark us and have it not be close. A decisive win at SC should erase the doubt in anyone's mind (and maybe even the computers...) that Oregon is the #1 team in the nation.

If we lose...God help us.

It's gonna be a fun November. Until listening to ESPN this morning, I didn't realize that Oregon has beaten only 1 school with a winning record and their opponents combined winning percentage is ~35%. I'm with you RE Auburn; very good strength of schedule and wins against 3 top 25 teams. Like I said though, just can't see them beating Bama. And I still like Oregon as #1. I really, really, really want to see Auburn and Oregon win out to have undefeated Pac and SEC. On the other hand, I would also like to see a scenario that gets Boise in the title game against an Oregon or Bama...and see Boise get smoked.

 

[soyizgood]

OMFG Tulsa is leading ND 28-27 with 3 mins to go.
ND messes up!!! ND had the ball at the Tulsa 19 with 0:42. All the QB had to do was keep it simple as they were in FG range. But NOOOOOO, he tried to throw it in the end zone and it got picked off!

ND going 4-5. Snatched defeat from the clutches of victory. Credit to Tulsa going to ND for the 1st time and escaping with the win. Good performance for the ND freshman QB, excluding that bad throw.

I think ND will have a 5-7 season with USC and Utah looming.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

They lost? I guess they can't do this anymore then.

http://deadspin.com/5674848/notre-dame-students-plan-to-rush-the-field-for-historic-loss

Still officially the losingnest class in ND history.

 

[NickC]

I think ND will have a 5-7 season with USC and Utah looming.

They won't get past Army, Utah will murder them, and USC will do whatever they damn well please with Notre Dame. They'll go 4-8, and still find a way to get into a bowl. Their fans will still claim they should have a shot at a BCS bowl, if not a National Championship like they do every year:roll:.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

They won't get past Army, Utah will murder them, and USC will do whatever they damn well please with Notre Dame. They'll go 4-8, and still find a way to get into a bowl. Their fans will still claim they should have a shot at a BCS bowl, if not a National Championship like they do every year:roll:.

I hope that was semi sarcastic b/c the ND fans seem realistic ab the fact the team sucks right now, and even want to have a bit of fun w/ the historic nature of their suckiness.

http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/celebrate-seniors-1.1726938

 

[soyizgood]

Kelly is just as clueless as Weis. WHY throw the ball when all they had to do was kill the clock down to kick the FG? Their kicker had made 18 straight FG attempts, so why try for six when 3 would have done it? Stupid...

The crazy thing is this team could be 7-2 if not for close losses to Michigan, Michigan St., and now Tulsa. But then they wouldn't be ND like we've come to expect of the past decade.

 

[NickC]

I hope that was semi sarcastic

It was.............

 

[soyizgood]

I guess this can also be a LMAO @ Texas thread. Lost to UCLA, Iowa St., and BAYLOR.... at home this year.

Oregon looks set to win 53-32 over USC. USC was up 32-29 in the 3rd, but the Ducks are unstoppable.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

Once Oregon faces a team that can stop their hurry up they will lose. That's a big task though. The USC guys were gassed by the 3rd Quarter.

I think if Boise and Oregon met, I'd still put money on Boise over Oregon.

 

[BigServer1]

Once Oregon faces a team that can stop their hurry up they will lose. That's a big task though. The USC guys were gassed by the 3rd Quarter.

I think if Boise and Oregon met, I'd still put money on Boise over Oregon.

It's pretty tough to stop the hurry up, and it's been impossible for anyone to do it this season....Boise's win over us last year has NOTHING to do with this season. Darron Thomas is a better QB than Masoli, James is a better RB than Blount, the offensive line is stronger than it was last year, and our defense is fast (but undersized), which matches up well with a small, fast Boise offense.

I'd love to get Boise in the NC game, because they wouldn't see the team that laid an egg last year...BSU will always be a tough matchup, and Chris Peterson is one of the best gameplanners ever, but I don't see them shutting us down.

The issue in my eyes last year was Masoli. He wasn't a great passer (and he was really short), so defenses could force him to beat them with his arm, and he would fail. Darron Thomas is a much better pure passer, but still runs a mean play fake and read option. Thomas' last two games: 600 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT (and it was a freak tipped ball pick last night). Masoli never had numbers like that, and it makes us that much tougher to contain offensively.

We still have really tough tests at Cal (4-0 at home), vs. UA (7-1) and at Oregon State. Even Washington is good some weeks, and Jake Locker is no joke. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out with Utah/TCU this week, and the Iron Bowl later this season to likely determine the SEC participant in the NC game (I think Bama jumps Boise if they win out).

Should be a fun end to the season.

 

[soyizgood]

The woes continue. NDs QB is out for 6 months. Their star RB needs hip surgery so his career is done. Their TE and nose guard are also likely out for the year.

 

[soyizgood]

Oregon is now #1 in the BCS. That spot keeps changing every week.

 

[hollywood9826]

Auburn and Oregon are in if they stay unbeaten obviously.

But if one of them does loses and TCU stays unbeaten TCU will have enough SOS to stay #2 and ahead of the 1 loss teams.

Boise/Utah are already too close in BCS points to stay ahead of Bama if Bama wins out.

 

[soyizgood]

Utah and TCU face each other, so the winner there should get some space over a 1-loss BCS conference team. I don't think Alabama will beat both LSU and Auburn. Oregon has to face Arizona and Oregon St. back-to-back while Cal is undefeated at home. Still a lot of things to get sorted out.

 

[hollywood9826]

If you look at the BCS rankings Utah is barely ahead of Bama, while Boise is quite a way up there.

If Bama wins out beating LSU Auburn and SEC east champ. they will jump Utah even if Utah wins out. Boise has enough of a lead to make it close but they may also get jumped if Bama can win out.

 

[soyizgood]

USC got slammed by the NCAA, yet Michigan got 3 years "probation" that amounted to reduced practice time, but no penalties in scholarships/bowl appearances/TV appearances for "major infractions" committed by Rodriguez. NCAA is arbitrary, corrupt, and inconsistent, as usual. West Virginia might be in trouble due to the same type of infractions Rich committed there. I hate tOSU, but this time I hope they steamroll Michigan.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5764611

 

[soyizgood]

Oklahoma got kicked around by Texas...A&M! Alabama fans can shut up about making the title game. GO LSU! TCU laid a beatdown on Utah.

As for Notre Dame, shame on them forcing a student worker to film the team at high altitude in 50 MPH winds which tragically result in his death.

 

[soyizgood]

Notre Dame beat Utah? Two weeks after losing to Tulsa?

I think this hurts TCU's title hopes as Utah has been exposed as frauds. TCU struggled against San Diego St. on top of that. I think Boise St. will distance itself from TCU.

Talk about running up the score. Wisconsin 83 Indiana 20... and Wisconsin threw in 24 more pts in the 4th. We get it... Indiana sucks.

 

[soyizgood]

Oregon survived the trap game 15-13 over Cal. In 2 weeks they face Arizona.

Stanford survives vs Arizona St. 17-13. Pac-10 looking good while the ACC and Big East are downright laughable this year.

 

[BigServer1]

Oregon survived the trap game 15-13 over Cal. In 2 weeks they face Arizona.

Stanford survives vs Arizona St. 17-13. Pac-10 looking good while the ACC and Big East are downright laughable this year.

Man...That was terrifying to watch today as an Oregon fan. Terrible penalties, mistakes...That fumble in the end zone. Jesus...I feel lucky to get out with a win, but I'm glad that we were able to win a tight game, especially since we held the ball the last 9:30 and dragged the clock out. Oregon is definitely proving that they can win with defense and ball control.

The Pac-10 is looking OK at the top, with 10-0 Oregon, 9-1 Stanford and both UA and USC at 7-3. I wish there were a couple more 6-4 teams, but oh well. Also, congrats to WSU for finally winning a conference game.

The Big East and ACC are AWFUL this season. If this keeps up, they'll have to look at pulling the Automatic status, especially for the Big East, which is horrific and will likely put an unranked team in a BCS game.

 

[soyizgood]

The ACC and Big East both deserve to lose their automatic bid. A waste of two BCS spots. Folks want to slam Boise St. for its conference, yet they have as many BCS bowl wins (2) as the entire ACC. So does Utah. The ACC's best team, Virginia Tech, lost to James Madison this year and it wouldn't surprise me to see them lose the ACC title game to some hack program.

 

[NLBwell]

I'm a Mountain West fan, but wasn't a believer in Utah. Beat Pittsburg, who was highly ranked at the time, but hasn't proven to be all that great. Close game against Air Force, who maybe could be ranked around 25 or so at best, so that doesn't prove much more than they should be ranked around 20 (like Oklahoma). Because of the hangover from the TCU game, I wouldn't have been shocked to see them lose to Notre Dame, but I was amazed that they were crushed. They were perhaps the worst team in the country on Saturday.
San Diego State is a very good team - better than Cal or Georgia - and should be ranked in the top 20. TCU should gain respect for beating SD State badly after they were behind by 14."TCU scored touchdowns on five of its next six drives before halftime to build a 34-14 lead. The Aztecs didn’t even make a first down in that span."
After the game was decided TCU let down and SD Statae got some back-door scores. San Diego State has lost to TCU (#3), Missouri (#15) by 3 points, and inexplicably BYU by 3.


For those who want the ACC and Big East to lose their automatic bid (and the Big 10 if you look at results rather than the polls isn't any better than the ACC) remember that the BCS is not about rankings, but about money. The ACC, Big East, and Big 10 have large population centers, big schools, and big TV markets. The Mountain West and WAC may have some better football teams, but the other conferences aren't going to cut them in on the money.
The Big East is trying to steal away TCU from the Mountain West so they can mantain a reason to be in the BCS, just as the Pac-10 stole Utah away (and BYU went out on its own for a Notre Dame-like one team TV contract). I can't blame them for leaving, the money is the driving factor.

 

[Kevin T]

Man...That was terrifying to watch today as an Oregon fan. Terrible penalties, mistakes...That fumble in the end zone. Jesus...I feel lucky to get out with a win, but I'm glad that we were able to win a tight game, especially since we held the ball the last 9:30 and dragged the clock out. Oregon is definitely proving that they can win with defense and ball control.

The Pac-10 is looking OK at the top, with 10-0 Oregon, 9-1 Stanford and both UA and USC at 7-3. I wish there were a couple more 6-4 teams, but oh well. Also, congrats to WSU for finally winning a conference game.

The Big East and ACC are AWFUL this season. If this keeps up, they'll have to look at pulling the Automatic status, especially for the Big East, which is horrific and will likely put an unranked team in a BCS game.

I'll bet you couldn't get a greased needle through your "tightness" Saturday night, BigServe. Cal just dumbfounds me this year. I watch a lot of their games, being in Cali and my wife's entire family being Berk grads. How do you crush AZ St and give Oregon a heart attack, then get utterly dominated by USC, Oregon St (huh?) and NEVADA (bigger huh?!).

ACC is awful this year but my young Hokies are getting better every game. That Boise game was a toss-up, considering their experience and how young the Hokies D is/#of players they lost last year. No excuse for JMU. I don't think Miami will give them much trouble next week and can't see FSU or Maryland beating Va Tech in the title game.

 

[Kevin T]

I'm a Mountain West fan, but wasn't a believer in Utah. Beat Pittsburg, who was highly ranked at the time, but hasn't proven to be all that great. Close game against Air Force, who maybe could be ranked around 25 or so at best, so that doesn't prove much more than they should be ranked around 20 (like Oklahoma). Because of the hangover from the TCU game, I wouldn't have been shocked to see them lose to Notre Dame, but I was amazed that they were crushed. They were perhaps the worst team in the country on Saturday.
San Diego State is a very good team - better than Cal or Georgia - and should be ranked in the top 20. TCU should gain respect for beating SD State badly after they were behind by 14."TCU scored touchdowns on five of its next six drives before halftime to build a 34-14 lead. The Aztecs didn’t even make a first down in that span."
After the game was decided TCU let down and SD Statae got some back-door scores. San Diego State has lost to TCU (#3), Missouri (#15) by 3 points, and inexplicably BYU by 3.


For those who want the ACC and Big East to lose their automatic bid (and the Big 10 if you look at results rather than the polls isn't any better than the ACC) remember that the BCS is not about rankings, but about money. The ACC, Big East, and Big 10 have large population centers, big schools, and big TV markets. The Mountain West and WAC may have some better football teams, but the other conferences aren't going to cut them in on the money.
The Big East is trying to steal away TCU from the Mountain West so they can mantain a reason to be in the BCS, just as the Pac-10 stole Utah away (and BYU went out on its own for a Notre Dame-like one team TV contract). I can't blame them for leaving, the money is the driving factor.

Good points about $$$. Of course a playoff system is ideal but while we're stuck with the BCS, who gets the ACC/Big East auto bids? The WAC because of one good team (Boise) and a recently good Nevada? Mountain West? Better choice than the WAC but Utah is leaving and TCU won't be there for long. Wyoming/C State/New Mexico/UNLV or the history and big $$ of schools like Syracuse, UConn, Pitt, WVU, UVA, UNC and the rest of the ACC? It's a no-brainer. The ACC is having a bad decade but Miami and FSU won't be down much longer. VA Tech is always in the conversation, UNC is looking much better under Davis (if he survives his scandals), GA Tech and Clemson always put out good teams. It really wasn't all that long ago when UVA was always top 20, even top 10.

And let's not forget that even Boise is 2-4 in their last 6 bowl games with losses to Boston College, East Carolina, Louisville and TCU. If you look at the ACC's losses in BCS games, they primarily come at the expense of the SEC (everyone's best conference in football) and they're pretty much all competetive games. Va Tech is pretty much .500 in their last 10 and last 20 bowl games.

 

[NLBwell]

I agree about the ACC. They have some historically strong programs and these things run in cycles. The Big East, however, lost their strong football programs to the ACC (Miami, BC, Va Tech). The Mountain West/old WAC (as opposed to the current WAC) has been a major football conference for a long time, much longer than the ACC or certainly the Big East - which wasn't even a conference. - Wyoming was a national power in the 60's (Texas took coach Fred Akers from there) - AF got some top 10 rankings (though they weren't in the conference then). Remember, the PAC-8 became the PAC-10 by stealing Arizona and Az St. In the late 80's early 90's or so, the MtnWest/WAC had 5 teams in the top 25 for a week or two and the PAC-10 had none - BYU (who won a national championship), AF, Utah, CSU, and New Mexico. A lot of the kids are recruited from California, so the PAC-10 and MtnWest tend to cycle opposite each other (though of course AF is national and TCU is Texas).

Boise St. beat TCU last year in their BCS bowl.

Until the middle of this year, the last team to beat Alabama was Utah, which crushed them in the bowl game. (Also, I think Urban Meyer's Utah team was the best in the country that year - they were the biggest, strongest team in the country and should have gotten someone better than Pittsburg to prove it against. People think of non-BCS conferences doing it with speed and guile, but that Utah team was big.)

Yes, it's sad that New Mexico, CSU, and a couple of the others are so terrible and I don't think the MtnWest will ever have the depth that the ACC does - a far smaller population to draw recruits from. Historically, the current situation has been true a lot of the time. A couple really top teams and the rest far behind.