LITTLE ROCK — Having avoided the temptation to once again lament the BCS computer ranking of Richard Billingsley, let it be said that every computer ranked Auburn No. 1 but his.
He had the Tigers at No. 4. He had TCU No. 1, Oregon No. 2 and Boise State No. 3. He had Texas A&M No. 19 and Nebraska No. 12 just two days after the Aggies beat the Cornhuskers.
He had the Arkansas Razorbacks at No. 15. But since that was the low ranking, it was tossed out, as was the high ranking, Jeff Sagarin’s No. 6, which gave the Hogs an average ranking of No. 10.
The human voters in the Harris Poll and USA Today poll are why the Razorbacks were No. 12. The only team to lose in front of them last week was Nebraska, and the Huskers dropped from No. 8 to No. 15.
The reason the rankings are important is for the selection of all the BCS bowls.
There will be four at-large berths this year because Notre Dame didn’t qualify for a BCS game, but two of those spots will go to Boise State and TCU, provided they win out.
The Big East, which doesn’t have a team ranked in the BCS top 25 and whose champion could have four losses, will still get a BCS berth, although in good conscience it should probably offer to forfeit it and concentrate on basketball. The league has zero victories over current BCS top 25 teams.
The Razorbacks have a shot at a BCS bowl, but it would have to beat LSU and have Auburn win out and make the BCS Championship Game.
If a victory over the No. 5 Tigers doesn’t propel the Hogs to No. 6, then the system is truly flawed and should be scrapped immediately.
If the Razorbacks lose, look for them to drop to the Petrino Purgatory Bowl, formerly known as the Chickfil-A Bowl.
It is played in Atlanta, which is the home of the Atlanta Falcons, the NFL team Petrino resigned from with three games left in the 2007 season to escape to the Ozarks and the head coaching job at the UA.
Saying Petrino is still not popular in the ATL would be like saying Auburn has lots of new observers these days. Although it has been almost three years since Petrino left, at least one columnist never misses a chance to take a shot at him and, for that matter, Fayetteville and Arkansas.
He can kiss grits.
Petrino would endure the long six days for the New Year’s Eve game, but he should be more than properly motivated this week to find a way to score soon and often against LSU.
An Arkansas victory Saturday should assure the Hogs of at least the Cotton Bowl or the Capital One Bowl, but if Alabama beats Auburn - and it would not be an upset - there would be a three-way tie for second in the SEC West.
Arkansas, Alabama and LSU would all be 10-2 overall and 6-2 in SEC play.
Since the Hogs play a regular-season game in Cowboys Stadium, the Cotton Bowl might be inclined to invite the Crimson Tide or the Tigers. Alabama hasn’t been there since 2006 and LSU since 2003.
To be honest, the Cotton Bowl is a personal favorite. It may not rank as the highest among SEC bowls, but it is the best for a number of reasons (it should be part of the BCS), including that teams get to play in the country’s finest football facility that can be climate controlled or open to the elements.
A lot still has to be determined regarding bowl bids, but if the Hogs lose to LSU, they are most likely in the Petrino Purgatory Bowl. If they win and Auburn wins out, they could be headed to their first BCS bowl.
Sports, Pages 21 on 11/24/2010